Beating the odds
Octavia Tsibes
Despite being born into an underprivileged family Mike Tanaka, the owner of Tura Alarm-Tech Namibia cc, has made it against all odds.
He said the highest and most acknowledged profession in his whole family while growing was that of his uncle, who was the village mechanic and owned an old Vauxhull sedan.
“Career guidance and inspirational ideas were things we ever dreamed of. It happened that in the early stages of my primary school, I started developing a great interest in electrical and electronic systems that in some instances could challenge me, like repairing broken wireless radios,” Tanaka said.
He then developed the desire to be an engineer while growing up.
He remembers calling himself a freight engineer. Tanaka said ultimately the dream of becoming an engineer was crushed after he received his grade grade 10 results.
“I failed mathematics and English and that disqualified me from obtaining a bursary to further my studies in grade 12,” he says.
He moved to an urban area where his father advised him to look for work as a land technician (commonly known as a garden boy), but he showed no interest in that.
“I compiled all my certificates and submitted them all in an effort to try my luck. To my surprise, I was confirmed to start my studies towards my degree in digital communication technology,” he said.
Tanaka graduated and is currently undertaking his laws in information technology and telecommunications masters’ degree studies.
He is currently running an SME that specialises in ‘security electronics’, including the installation of alarm systems, electric fences, CCTV surveillance systems, gate motor installations, intercoms and access control systems, among others, under the name Tura Alarm-Tech Namibia cc.
He says using Tura in the name was to prove those naysayers wrong, who think that nothing great can come out of Katutura.
Despite being born into an underprivileged family Mike Tanaka, the owner of Tura Alarm-Tech Namibia cc, has made it against all odds.
He said the highest and most acknowledged profession in his whole family while growing was that of his uncle, who was the village mechanic and owned an old Vauxhull sedan.
“Career guidance and inspirational ideas were things we ever dreamed of. It happened that in the early stages of my primary school, I started developing a great interest in electrical and electronic systems that in some instances could challenge me, like repairing broken wireless radios,” Tanaka said.
He then developed the desire to be an engineer while growing up.
He remembers calling himself a freight engineer. Tanaka said ultimately the dream of becoming an engineer was crushed after he received his grade grade 10 results.
“I failed mathematics and English and that disqualified me from obtaining a bursary to further my studies in grade 12,” he says.
He moved to an urban area where his father advised him to look for work as a land technician (commonly known as a garden boy), but he showed no interest in that.
“I compiled all my certificates and submitted them all in an effort to try my luck. To my surprise, I was confirmed to start my studies towards my degree in digital communication technology,” he said.
Tanaka graduated and is currently undertaking his laws in information technology and telecommunications masters’ degree studies.
He is currently running an SME that specialises in ‘security electronics’, including the installation of alarm systems, electric fences, CCTV surveillance systems, gate motor installations, intercoms and access control systems, among others, under the name Tura Alarm-Tech Namibia cc.
He says using Tura in the name was to prove those naysayers wrong, who think that nothing great can come out of Katutura.
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