Assalam Alaykum everyone. I hope this finds you well and in the best of feelings. The first issue of this month (a couple of days late, I know— sorry) is an interview with Abdur-Roqeeb Ismail. This interview has been scaled down for easier consumption.
Please introduce yourself (what you do, what you're known for, etc).
I am Abdur-Roqeeb Ismail, a medical student at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. I am a data analyst, still on the learning journey, and I'm also a part-time graphic designer. You can connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Could you share what self-development looks like to you?
Self-development is the process of consciously improving various aspects of your life. For me, it is continuous and goes on throughout your life. It involves self-awareness— knowing your faults and then working towards attaining improvement. I think it also involves surrounding yourself with people that have certain qualities you wish to have. This way, you learn from them by relating with them and conscious observation of those qualities in them you wish to have.
Do you have a system for measuring how far you've come? Hmm, I don't have a system. I just do things I believe will add value to me and maybe in the future, I can develop such a system.
How does studying medicine factor into all the work you do?
I think because I've been doing other things with my studies since I entered the university, I've been able to find some kind of balance between my academics and the other things I do.
How did you get into tech and what keeps you doing the work right now?
I started designing when I was still in secondary school, although it was just for fun then and eventually, I stopped for a while due to a lack of a computer system to work with. But I started designing again during the COVID break in 2020.
As for data science, I started learning early this year. I was a beneficiary of the Ooni Tech scholarship award and I had the opportunity of learning any tech skills from Utiva. The choice of data science was made because it's a skill that can be incorporated into virtually all industries ranging from medicine to finance to agriculture etc.
I noticed you work in some faith-based organisations and I’m wondering, how do you decide which ones to volunteer for, and is this usually determined by your skill set?
I don't work in a lot of faith-based organizations although I've been working as a volunteer graphic designer for the Association of Muslim Health Students (AMHS) for a while now, and recently I started designing for MSSN LAUTECH too. I am a volunteer designer for about 3-4 other organisations as well which are not faith-based.
How does your faith play into your self-development and how does this factor into your tech and design work as well? As regards this, I think the best response I can give is: I put religion first in almost everything I do and I hold back from getting involved in anything that goes against certain principles of my faith, even if that thing might contribute to my supposed self-development.
Do you have particular advice about attaining excellence that you think everyone has to know? Attaining excellence needs effective time management, consistency, and self-discipline. A person who wishes to attain excellence has to also surround themselves with people of like minds. Having friends with the same mindset as you, people that motivate you to do more, etc, and staying away from those who will discourage you. These are some of the things that have helped me so much.
What does your average day look like?
Hmm… my average day is a bit lazy, to be honest. But I usually ensure that I do at least one productive thing every day.
Shawarma or Pasta? Pasta.
Cake or IceCream? Cake.
Ebook or Hardcopy? Hardcopy.
Hardcover or Paperback? Paperback.
Fiction, Nonfiction, or Both? Nonfiction.