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

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

One of the biggest things that hold us back is how we define success and 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.

Tim Njiru’s story shows how we can turn our lives around and not let failure or any setback 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, as was 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 an aviation career; 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 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 holds a private flying license but is keen to acquire a commercial one. With his private flying license, Njiru has flown several planes nationwide 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