How KCSE C- Candidate Rose To Become Renowned Pilot  After 27 Years

Failure can lead us towards our destiny if we embrace it positively. 

One of the biggest things that hold us back is how we define success and how we define failure. But if we knew that almost everyone, especially the most successful people in the world, had majorly failed and done so many times, we’d be less hard on ourselves.

Take Oprah Winfrey, for instance. She is arguably one of the most successful women in entertainment today with a net worth of 2.5 billion dollars (USD). But the beginning of her career was not so auspicious. She was hired to co-anchor the evening news for a local ABC affiliate in Baltimore. She and her co-anchor did not get along and the public was not receptive of her as a young, African-American woman in a role that was predominantly held by older white men.

She ended up being blamed, replaced, and demoted. But the experience allowed her to understand that news was not where she belonged. Instead, she found a more emotional approach that she aligned with in the daytime talk show format. This is where she excelled. The original failure set her on her path to success. If she had given up and left the industry altogether, the world would not have Oprah.    

Tim Njiru’s story shows how we can turn our lives around and not let failure or any set back derail our ambitions.

Tim Njiru Muriithi, a pilot and aviation sector expert, scored a C- in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) – a grade that almost cut his dream short.

Just like other candidates, Njiru was disappointed equally as his parents who had invested heavily in his education. Speaking on Friday, January 20, Njiru disclosed his marks irked his parents so much that they wanted him to repeat form 4.

“When I was young, I wanted to pursue a career in aviation; unfortunately, that was not the case, I got a C- (minus),” Njiru stated during an NTV interview. “Getting a C- was not a good thing as it disqualified me from what I wanted to pursue in life; my parents ordered me to repeat,” he added.

His parents were first disappointed with his primary school performance, especially when he ranked position 45 out of 46 during the indexing exam.

“My grades from class 1 to class 8 were just average. When I got my index number, I was 45 out of 46. That was my class 8. I then sat my KCPE and got 410 marks out of 700. It was not a good performance,” Njiru narrated.

“That did not earn me a spot in any of the institutions I had already filled up for, meaning I had to go back with my family to figure it out,” he added.

However, Njiru did not repeat high school. Journalism became his fallback plan when he was allowed to enroll at the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC) when it was restructured. “Kenya Institute of Mass Communication opened a parallel programme and it was at that point that I applied for it and I landed an admission,” Njiru insisted.

After pursuing a course in Broadcast Journalism, Njiru landed his first job at KTN, a Standard Media-owned media station, where he worked for almost one year without pay. But his zeal impressed KTN’s management, and he landed a TV presenting role.

“I started off at KTN as a researcher. I worked for a year and eight months without pay. KTN saw my hard work and gave me a role as a TV presenter for a children’s programme,” Njiru explained.

But after 27 years, Njiru got an opportunity to pursue an aviation course.  He currently holds a private flying license but is keen to acquire a commercial license. With his private flying license, Njiru has flown several planes in the country for nearly three years.

Key Takeaways from Tim’s Story

If you feel like a failure, take stock in knowing that we’ve all been there. Not one person who has walked the Earth can claim otherwise. Even the most significant figures in history have failed, some failing epically. Those who have made names for themselves despite their failures have looked at the failure as a lesson and moved forward. Failures are just stepping stones along the journey of our lives. They lead us towards the successes we desire and teach us who we truly are.

STORY COURTESY OF: KENYANS.CO.KE