I'm transitioning from Customer Success to Product Management.

There are many reasons why I'm transitioning but the strongest is that;

a.) I'm usually very happy around engineers & designers.

b.) I want to be skilled in something with a higher remuneration value.

c.) Product Managers work on everything with everybody involved in a product, so it's the best opportunity for learning on the job how to build institutions and businesses if that's something I hope to pursue in the future.

A week ago, I enrolled in the Product Management course offered by the Side Hustle Internship program for absolute beginners.

I'm a week into it and scored 75 over 100 per cent in the first-week assessment.

The course is taught by Damilola Agboluaje who gives the best analogies for things like Product Lifecycle, Product Strategy, Product Vision etc. I've grasped her teachings well.

It is a four-week course, and hopefully, I will follow it through to the end.

Fingers crossed.

On y va!

Product Management I

Something in me isn't comfortable with people(Nigerians) having an English last name.

I tend to view people who have an English last name as without an identity of self or origin.

Your first name can be whatever but your last name is a continuation of life, culture, family, tribes, kingdom, history etc. Why do we Afrikans feel it's okay to give those up and have names like Victoria Mark and Simon Peter?

Maybe I'm a little obsessed with the whole Afrikan and cultural thing but I went to my village not long ago and the only way my cousins and father's people were able to identify me was because of my last name; Ochei.

My uncles shared and explained my family’s history and stories in very exciting ways that at the end of the day, I vowed I'll live up to the name and impress generations before and after me.

I felt a sense of belonging or maybe pride when I walked towards my father's compound and saw 'Ochei's Compound' in front.

Conversely, however, there are several reasons why some people have or were born into a family with an English last name;

For example, my friend, Stanley Thomas, his granddad thought his family name - Ohu - came with a curse that they'll always be servants to other people and decided his children would break out from the curse then made his English first name his children's last name.

Ohu translates to servant in the Igbo language.

Also, I can understand how you might be Adolf Hitler's or General Sani Abacha's great-grandchild only to grow to a certain age and people begin to associate you with evil or you begin to experience discrimination from your peers simply because you have a last name of men who did evil in the past.

The smart thing to do would be to adopt a new last name to be at least safe in society.

But last names are our identity and shouldn't end because we think we're modern and woke. We should encourage future generations (especially boys) to be proud of their family name because most if not all, Afrikan names always have great meaning to them if we look closer.

Lastly, I'd love to know your last name and its meaning. [Send a DM](https://twitter.com/3N51N3).

Last Name and Family Name

I knew I would switch to a Linux-based operating system but I didn't think it would be this fast since I only published the [Switching to Linux](https://read.cv/n51n3/linux) article last month.

My younger brother studies Urban & Regional Planning at the university. He has gotten to the year where he needs to learn how to use technical drawing software, however, his current machine freezes when he loads AutoCAD or any Adobe packages.

I have gotten him a used laptop with higher specs capable of running high-resource software for drafting technical models to take to school.

For the old laptop, I have removed Windows and installed Linux, particularly ZorinOS.

My Mac will be my main machine for business, writing, design, or other intensive activities. My Linux will be for tinkering, experimenting, over computing things like a nerd and for other things I'm yet to figure out.

Lastly, I made a Github repo called **TinyZorin. It is a living document I constantly update with the new things I learn and do on my freshly installed ZorinOS to guide other new beginners in** improving their Linux Installation.

[Check it out.](https://github.com/N51N3/TinyZorin)

**Edit:** While using the old laptop, I realised some keys on the keyboard don't work which my brother confirmed is an issue he forgot to tell me. I'll get an external keyboard but I am on a tight budget so it won't be now.

Switching to Linux II

After quitting many times because of heartburn and ankle pain, I’ve figured out how to do morning runs properly.

Now, I just want to run and never stop.

Today, for the first time in a while, I ran for one hour and fifteen minutes and made only two stops.

At the end of my run, I felt well: no heartburn, ankle pain, weakness, tiredness or hunger.

Now, I will try to document what I did differently and what I have observed in hopes that one of you will learn how to do a morning run.

First off, you have to be angry about your fitness.

You have to hate yourself for looking and feeling like shit.

Only then you’ll realise you need to change your situation.

One way to do this is to go online and look for a man or woman with your dream body.

Then, ask yourself “Why can’t I look like this?” “What the fuck am I doing with my life?”

Mine is Andrew Tate.

Next, tell yourself that you want to run and that if you don’t run, you’ll die and then make some time to run.

Start slow.

Run slowly for 25 minutes then faster for 5 minutes. That’s 30 minutes.

Make a return home. Run for 25 minutes then faster for 10 minutes till you get to your doorstep.

That’s 1 hour and 5 minutes total.

Never run for more than 1 hour and 15 minutes total else your muscles will burn out.

Use your wristwatch to track time.

Swear and praise yourself while running. Here are some things I say to myself:

*Nobody will save me.*

*Only I can save myself.*

*I look like shit.*

*Andrew Tate doesn’t have two heads.*

*I am a fat mudaucker.*

*No woman will respect me.*

*I am a Top G. Etc.*

Don’t run every day.

Run only twice weekly.

On the other five days of the week, go to the gym and lift weights or do compound workouts for three days.

Rest the other two days.

How you schedule this is up to you.

I’ll end by saying losing weight and staying fit starts with your diet.

You can never outrun an unhealthy diet.

If you like, run from now till tomorrow, sugar, groundnut oil and processed food will kill you and make your life miserable.

You cannot outrun the damage that bread, coke, sausage, pizza and all of that rubbish does to your body.

Stop eating rubbish.

Save yourself.

Eat healthy and run today.

How To Run

Each time I post on WhatsApp, I feel guilty that I might be perceived as being without work by my contacts.

But still, I go on the internet, and see cool things and I can't help myself but share them on WhatsApp.

As a content creator, part of being productive involves scrolling.

My Twitter, Telegram and Discord apps are in the productivity category on my phone. My Twitter feed has been optimized to show design and technology posts which are very informative.

Even my YouTube app is filled with video shorts of Joe Rogan and Naval Ravikant's podcasts. These videos are informative with very smart ideas and when I come across them, I just want to repost them for my friends to see in hopes we can have a conversation about the information shared.

I've never gotten feedback that suggests my posts don't add any value or that they're cringy. What bothers me is that I might be perceived as without work because I'm constantly sharing.

WhatsApp Status Update

On weekdays, I rearrange my room before leaving for work.

On Saturdays, I do a complete clean-up and rearrangement and as soon as I finish, I take a cold bath, go outside, and continue my day.

I haven’t had sex in three months and only eat once daily. No sugar. No processed food.

On Sundays, I walk in the sun shirtless and barefooted.

The result? I’ve lost 7 kg. That is 108 kg to 101 kg.

My voice’s deeper and I feel a natural energy from within.

I’m trying to develop habits that develop my testosterone, a male sex hormone important for normal male sexual development and functions.

In essence, I’m trying to be a man and the habits I’ve developed are working.

For my type of user, the average writer and non-programmer, Windows and MacOS operating systems work just fine since most of the apps I use are web-based and used through a browser.

However, I intend to switch to a Linux-based operating system. I already run a version of Ubuntu via a virtual machine on my Macbook and soon, not far from today, I will switch to a PC with Linux installed bare metal.

Before I quit my job as a customer support specialist at a fintech, I'd usually leave the support team's office space and go to the product team's office space to work from there because I loved the technical conversations that go on there.

My office best friends, Anthony, a full-stack engineer, and David, a product designer, would go on for hours talking about servers, code refactoring, laptop specs, pull requests, Azure, infrastructure, design changes, etc. Yet the clueless and curious me would sit listening in excitement.

Those conversations made me look out for what more can I do with my computer.

I do not intend to be a software engineer, however, I think I will enjoy tinkering around some technicalities like a Linux-based operating system. For example, Ubuntu has a simple files manager app yet it still allows you to access your files by running commands through the terminal.

Linux gives you a GUI to use software yet it still allows the option to run the same software with commands through the terminal.

There's a plethora of Linux-based operating systems, AKA distributions, however, I've been able to filter my options down to ZorinOS for when I make the switch.

Switching to Linux

If there's one thing I can't do without, it'll be a to-do list.

I have to note everything out from a reminder to take my bath to something I have to do on my laptop and to something I need to buy.

A to-do list is my hack to stop being overwhelmed with everything that happens between running a hospitality business, a technology studio and just living in Lagos.

If I didn't write it down, it doesn't exist and doesn't happen.

To-do List

I've always pondered - What's the purpose of the hustle and why do we grind every day because we seek wealth?

Today, I had an epiphany - the purpose of knowledge and wealth is to be free. To be free from government dependencies and illegal institutional monopolies.

Multichoice Group, which owns DSTV, runs a monopoly in Nigeria by being the sole cable TV service provider that broadcasts the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Everyone {Startimes & TSTV} who has tried to compete in the live sports category has either closed shop or faced legal challenges.

My case is that Multichoice keeps increasing prices sighting inflation along with a weak Naira as the reason and I agree. Still, It bugs me because since I only care about live sports, I should be able to pay for it alone and not for an entire package that includes channels I don't watch and will never need.

At the moment, I haven't renewed my subscription and I am exploring new methods to watch matches. Obinna, the TV seller, suggested I try pirated sites and apps to stream matches by plugging a Chromecast into my TV which then allows me to mirror my phone's screen on the TV. I play a match on these pirated sites or apps on my phone and it mirrors on my TV.

He demoed it and it worked flawlessly without any lag. What's required is I invest in a Chromecast, a dedicated phone for streaming and mobile data.

Long term, this method is way cheaper than continuing to renew my DSTV subscription. I have unplugged.

Unplugging From a Monopoly

The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian government launched a new and re-designed Naira note and made the old one worthless.

The newly issued notes are scarce at the moment of writing and haven’t been circulated in the streets or banks.

Most ATMs aren’t dispensing cash and the few that do only give a maximum of ₦2,000 per ATM card and have long queues.

The effects are negative. Riots are erupting in different states across Nigeria, businesses in the streets are closed and most people are unable to commute.

On paper, the effects shouldn’t be this problematic because you could either pay with mobile transfer or pay with your debit card but the Nigerian setting is that lots of people (danfo buses, street food vendors, traffic hawkers, aboki etc.) do not have a bank account. 

Most don't trust transfers from strangers because of fraud and fake alerts or bank networks are too poor to confirm transactions fast. Also, many simply do not know how to read, write or use Internet banking.

Personally, I've always had to go source for at least ₦3,000 of the new notes a day before each of the two days I commute to work. I get it from a POS agent by paying a ₦1,000 charge.

That's ₦4,000 to collect ₦3,000 new notes.

For everything else, I pay with a mobile transfer or debit card at stores that accept either.

New Naira Notes

₦50,000

That’s exactly how much it costs to purchase a Sporting Lagos Founding Membership and I’ve just bought one.

It took me two months of work to earn and save to purchase it but I think it’s worth it.

One, I became a founding member because of Shola Akinlade. He’s a tech entrepreneur whose startup, Paystack, got acquired by Stripe for $200,000,000.

What’s ₦50,000 not to trust Shola with?

The second reason is the idea of turning football into a powerful engine that creates opportunities for young people and building a multigenerational football club. This [CNN article](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/04/20/football/shola-akinlade-paystack-sporting-lagos-spc-intl/index.html) explains better.

Sporting Lagos will make the Nigerian Premier League cool. See Twitter, they’re the most followed football club in the second division. You’d almost think they’re an EPL club. Pardon my exaggeration.

**What’s in for a Founding Member?**

Founding Members will receive the following;

1. Private updates on the progress of Sporting Lagos Football Club and a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build a world-class team from scratch.

2. Many planned events activities and deals for Founding members throughout our many journeys to build a legendary football club.

Colour me excited. I can’t wait to go outside, have fun and hopefully meet babes. hehe.

Interested individuals can become Founding Members by visiting this [link](https://sportinglagos.notion.site/793a7b5fcc7c4fdca787ba229aac1012#f0427f9feb7f41db8110c5710e0b2453).

*go go sporting! let’s go*

Sporting Lagos Founding Membership

A lot has happened since [Product Management II](https://3n51n3.com/enter-product-management-ii).

I almost completed a Product Management course on [Udem](https://www.udemy.com/course/become-a-product-manager-learn-the-skills-get-a-job/)y, and then I stopped. It isn't because I was lazy, but because it felt like I was forcing myself to learn.

That's not an excuse but I already have a stable job as a Customer Support Analyst and can afford to learn things I only enjoy learning.

Forward to a few weeks later, I took up Product Design: Started learning and even created a [portfolio](https://layers.to/3n51n3) then I stopped. Sitting stagnant for hours in front of a computer moving shapes doesn't feel like something I'll want to do long term.

I enjoy moving and would prefer a skill that keeps me physically active. It doesn't have to categorically be tech. It could be anything.

Will dedicate the rest of the year to thinking hard about what to learn and restarting my personal development goals.

Product Management III: Cancelled

Four weeks have passed and I have completed my course on Product Management offered by the [Side Hustle Internship.](https://lms.terrahq.co/)

Also, the universe aligned for me this week and the CTO where I work, in a stand-up meeting, offered me the opportunity to fill in as a Product Manager.

Geez, I'm happy because God answers prayers and scared because I'm not sure if I am ready to work on real-life products.

I intend to take the role and have concluded that I will have to read a lot of books, break a lot of things, ask lots of questions, and appear stupid in a lot of situations. I hope, however, that the people I'll be working with will be patient with me in figuring stuff out.

I'll continue my learning with a [Udemy](https://www.udemy.com/course/become-a-product-manager-learn-the-skills-get-a-job/) course on Product Management and will occasionally browse the r/productmanagement subreddit for resources, tips and advice from beginners & the experienced.

Lastly, I'm curious. You see how designers have portfolio websites to showcase the work they've done, how do product managers show their Proof of Work?

Product Management II

Writer + OSS Contributor

A podcast series featuring African entrepreneurs discussing the hard path of building startups. 

Brand Designer

Posts and obsessions about the Arc Internet Browser & how they're building the operating system of the internet.

Publisher

A beginner's guide with things to improve your freshly installed ZorinOS.

Charles Ochei

2024

2023

2022