Today we’d like to introduce you to Jiji Ugboma.
Hi Jiji, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got to where I am today by focusing on my end goal regardless of the obstacles that stood in the way.
I started Clever-ish Magazine as a way to use my skill set and passion to provide a resource to people going through quarter-life crises – which went through too. I’ve always loved writing, and I know I would own a magazine one day and that I would be an author. After spending years building a career in business, I reached a juncture where I knew I had to go after my true calling and do what came naturally to me. At that time, I was getting a Ph.D. in Business Finance in Madrid, Spain, on a full scholarship. It was a great program that would last 5+ years. At that point, I asked myself: “do you want to spend the next five years doing something you don’t really love and wishing every day you were a writer?”. I didn’t like what was ahead in my life plan, so I decided to make a switch. I dropped out of that program and spent the next few months creating Clever-ish Magazine. Switching careers and essentially starting over in the media industry was not easy, but it was worth it to me. Also, I had a lot of transferable skills that made the process more manageable. A few years after dropping out of the Ph.D. program and starting Clever-ish Magazine, I moved to New York and got a master’s degree in Media Management. I believe in taking risks and chasing your dreams with reckless abandon, and that was what I did. I’ve learned that the cost of inaction can be worse than the cost of action. I’d rather make a move and fall flat on my face than sit still, watch life pass me by, and wonder “if only”.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think one of the biggest struggles I faced was finding a way to break free of expectations and go after what I truly wanted. Many of us are mentally conditioned to follow a linear path and when that path clashes with what we genuinely want it can be challenging to find a balance. Another struggle I faced was all the complexities and obstacles that come with being an immigrant in the United States. Everything is twice and even three times as hard when you have to navigate the restrictions of work and student visas and when you don’t have a solid support system in the same city as you.
My silver lining is I’ve learned to have grit and every achievement means much more to me because of how steep the journey has been,
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Clever-ish Magazine is a resource and community for young people and emerging adults who are going through a quarter-life crisis. It’s a digital destination for people who feel like they are at crossroads in their lives, feel discontent, feel an urge for more, and want to make a change. Many young people go through this period of confusion and feel like they are the only ones who don’t have their sh*t together. That is not the case. Clever-ish provides resources and starts conversations to help people deal with the emotions that come with their experience, answer the idealistic questions about who they are, and help them take care of their mental health and manage the overwhelm.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Everyone can relate to going through a quarter-life crisis at some point in their lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cleverishmagazine.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jiji129/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cleverishmag/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JijiUgboma
