Hello steemians, my name is clinton okpu. I am a mechanical engineer and a solidworks 3D designer . I got to know about steemit through my boss 
Born and raised in Delta State Nigeria, I was born into the family of Mr and Mrs okpu. I am the fourth child and the second son in the family. Academically I was considered the weakest. Unlike my siblings, I was never in the top three positions in my class in primary school. My dad being strict was very upset with my poor academic performance that in primary six, he placed me in a private home lesson. I was required to study extra hours before joining my siblings on the playground. Days gone by and exams were fast approaching. Weeks past and exams has just begun gradually bringing the term to an end. Finally the term ended and form teachers distributed results. When I received mine I flipped through it with great enthusiasm only to discover I managed to move four steps up the ladder from 27th to 23rd position. For my father this result was unacceptable and on getting home I knew that I would be in trouble.
Immediately, I began to think of what to do or excuse to give for my poor performance. For a moment I asked rhetorically what if I could rewrite my result?. To me it sounded like a solution. I ran as fast as I could to my elder brother and pleaded with him to help me rewrite my result. He agreed because he knew dad will be angry with my performance despite the home lessons. We had barely finished rewriting the result when dad came back from work. Instantly my immediate younger brother ran to dad with his result and gave him a run down of everyone’s position in class including mine. Immediately I grew cold, my legs were shaking as if I was getting paralyzed. Dad had his lunch and rested for some minutes then he called for our results. It was customary for us to present our result in a hierarchy from the eldest to the youngest. My siblings knowing fully well they were on top of their classes, had no problem presenting their results. Shortly it was my turn to present my result. I presented my result and my dad knowing fully well I edited the result gave me the greatest beating of my life. After the beating I vowed to do whatever I can to improve on my academics despite my age.
A new term has just began and it was time for fate to decide if I will make it to secondary school or not. Fortunately for me, I passed the common entrance examination and got admission to comprehensive senior secondary school. Things looked normal as I was just getting used to a new life in secondary school. Different teachers introduced different subjects daily and for the first time I Began to ask questions in class. After each class i will go back to the teacher for more explanation because I already believed I was a dull kid but I was ready to work hard to please my dad with my result. Luckily for me, for the first time ever I took first position in my class.
How amazing this was for me. The experience was so amazing that for the first time my dad asked me “what do you want to become in future?”. I answered I want to become an engineer. Unknowing to me , my dad went ahead to register me as an apprentice in a mechanic workshop. At the end of each term I will spend my holiday in the workshop learning how to repair generators and motorcycles. At first this was not an amazing experience for me but with time I grew to love it.
Despite my engagement in the workshop my academics improved drastically and in 2009 I won the best math student award in Aniocha south LGA. Due to hardwork and guidance from my teachers I left secondary school the best graduating student.
As a result of my experience in the workshop I developed an interest in internal combustion engines and this influenced my choice to study mechanical engineering.
After a successful secondary education I was fortunate to secure admission to university of Benin to study mechanical engineering. Following my admission, I planned to do minor repairs to support myself in school and during semester breaks I will go back home to the workshop to assist my trainer. Unfortunately I couldn’t start any repair because I had no tools. However, in my second year I was awarded chevron scholarship for academic excellence. I used part of the money to buy tools and right away I began to repair generators for my neighbours in hostel. I repaired a good number of generators that before my final year I already mastered the craft and dynamics involved in the repair of petrol and diesel engines. This mastery helped me to come up with the best innovative design of a grass grinding machine which won the approval of the Department of Mechanical Engineering uniben for fabrication. Finally I graduated and luckily for me I secured a job with a generator maintenance company shortly before the end of NYSC. I have spent the last two years developing my career as a maintenance engineer while working for Global PFI.
I am so glad to be part of the STEEM community and I will be writing on a series titled The Robot called ICE here on steemit. This series will provide an indept view and understanding of the designs, repairs and maintenance of internal combustion engines for students and entry level engineers. I hope you enjoy! Thank you.
