If there's anyone more confused than anything in this world, it's me.

David Udoh — Fri, 13 Nov 2026 20:34:41 +0000

I have never thought about trying to solve a problem without eventually getting confused.

The last time I did something like that was... wait, I can't even remember. Probably in high school when I was very serious about Mathematics. Or was it during my exams last semester? Nah, I didn't really solve a problem. I only returned what the lecturer had taught us.

So, I guess solving a problem goes way beyond getting something from someone and returning it, right?

I feel problem-solving is more like Mathematics, where you get to use a known formula, like the mean in statistics, to find the average scores of students in a class.

It solves a particular problem.

For instance, I could initially set a benchmark score of 50 and say that if the average score of my students is above that benchmark, then I know I taught well. But if it's below, I know I didn't do well and have to further identify the reason.

Was it my communication skills? My teaching style? Or was I actually terrible at teaching?

I could go ahead and ask the students why they performed badly, and yeah, they open up and tell me it's because I never really explained the concepts well. I only rushed through the topics just to cover the syllabus for the semester.

Now, you see how the known formula, the mean, helped me identify a problem and ultimately understand what my students were struggling with?

That's what I feel problem-solving is all about.

But then, on the other hand, it almost feels too good to be true that I actually understand what problem-solving means and still don't know how to solve a problem

I've watched countless videos on one specific topic, all centred around how to build a startup.

I never knew what a startup was until I got into college.

I started college doing graphic design and posting on Facebook. Back then, I only wanted to make money as a student because that's what everyone was doing.

I was happy for my mentor, Victory Elijah Inwang. Most times, I admired his lifestyle and hoped I could get there someday.

You know what? I made money.

But that hunger to do something beyond what I was already doing pushed me towards talking about personal branding and eventually LinkedIn, where I was told I could build a professional identity.

At that point, nobody had really introduced me to the world of startups.

But when I started getting exposed to creators like Lara Acosta and others, I was genuinely wowed.

How could a lady in her twenties be making more money than I could even imagine? What was so special about LinkedIn?

I had to learn more about her. I started watching her YouTube videos, and somewhere along the line, I got exposed to what startups were.

That hunger to believe I could do something similar kept growing.

Since then, I've been in total confusion.

I've watched so many videos on how to build startups. Some people would say, start with an idea and ship fast.

Well, I tried thinking that way, only to discover that you would still need distribution across social channels, which takes time to build.

Others would say, build a startup that first solves a problem you personally experience.

Now, this is where things get interesting.

When I started thinking about my own problems, I realised that most of the things I thought I could solve already had obvious and direct solutions.

The more I thought about what I could solve for myself, the more I discovered that someone had already built a solution for it.

So, I honestly don't understand where this whole idea of solving your personal problems and turning them into startups comes from.

I'm actually writing this article from the depth of my heart.

It may not be an educational piece, but it might be something I look back on and keep for a very long time, until I eventually publish my next article.

But until then, I genuinely need to understand what it means to solve a problem you personally experience, one that could eventually become the foundation of a startup.

Anyone willing to help me understand this better? I'm genuinely open to learning.

Thank you for reading my story.

I hope to connect with you someday.

DEV Community: David Udoh

If there's anyone more confused than anything in this world, it's me.