The Abnormal Student by Nashon Okowa: Book Review and Lessons for Students

Over the past week, I had the opportunity to read The Abnormal Student by Nashon Okowa. The book challenged me to think more deliberately about my identity, discipline, networking, personal branding, and the habits required to become a better student and, eventually, a better professional. As a civil engineering student preparing for a career in the built environment, I found several of the book's lessons particularly relevant to how I am building my professional identity.

What is the Abnormal Student About?

The Abnormal Student is a book for students seeking to rise above mediocrity. It draws on the experience of a construction project manager with more than a decade of experience. The book is written primarily for university students, but its lessons can also be applied by anyone who considers themselves a student of life and is committed to self-improvement.

What makes the book particularly valuable is its focus on the student experience. Rather than approaching self-improvement from a general perspective, it applies many of its lessons specifically to students and the challenges they face. I would recommend the book for any university student who is currently stuck in the cycle of indiscipline. The students who would benefit the most from reading the book are those who have consciously decided to improve their lives, move beyond mediocrity, and develop greater discipline and purpose.

Defy Comfort and Change Your Identity

One of the book's strongest messages is that we should demand greatness from ourselves rather than settle for a comfortable but mediocre life. Nashon asserts that you were born to be legendary, not to live a miserable life of comfort. The first thing to address on your journey to standing out is your identity. The book had model questions that helped me define my identity:

• What do you want to stand for?
• What are your values?
• Who are you?
• What results do you want to achieve?
• What type of person would achieve these results?
• What habits does such a person have?

These questions led me to define my identity more deliberately. For now, I won't reveal my answer. I would rather let my actions and results demonstrate the identity I am building.

Network Extensively

Apart from the identity, I also reinforced my knowledge that networking is a very important aspect of standing out as a student. It was evident that it is not only what you know or who you know but also who knows you that makes the difference. I intend to attend more industry events and deliberately create opportunities to build meaningful professional relationships.

Regularly Self-Audit

On the journey of being an abnormal student, it is also important that you track your progress periodically and make corrections where necessary. Nashon quotes Richard Feynman:

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool."

It is therefore important to regularly audit yourself with honesty and precision.

Be Ruthlessly Self-Disciplined

Another great lesson is that setting goals is not enough. Setting goals alone does not separate success from failure; following through and accomplishing those goals does. It is judicious for us as students to separate success and failure by following up on our goals and behaviour every day to ensure their achievement. One way to achieve more is by continually improving our knowledge. As Nashon argues, people perform better when they know better.

On the journey to success, we should nourish our hopes but be vigilant not to overlook the realities. Success and accomplishment of our goals do not come on a silver platter; they require intentional effort and disciplined planning of every minute and every hour of the day.

Learn to Say NO Without Guilt

We should be ready to say no to people. While saying no, know that anybody who gets upset and/or expects you to say "YES" all the time doesn't have your best interests at heart.

Have a Personal Brand

What about personal branding? Nashon emphasizes that the future of personal branding is personal. The idea is that individuals should first establish their own personal brands before attempting to build the brands of their businesses or companies. Steve Jobs said:

"You can't look at the competition and say you are going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say you are going to do it differently."

Attend Industry Events

As I mentioned earlier, networking is an important part of standing out as a student. Winston Churchill said:

"To each, there comes a time in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted for their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour?"

It is therefore prudent to consistently put effort into attending industry events so that we are better positioned to make meaningful use of the opportunities these events provide.

Final Thoughts: What I Learned from the Abnormal Student

Finally, to be abnormal is to be unique. Oscar Wilde opined, "Be yourself, everyone is already taken." The road to success runs parallel to the cliff of the masses. Overall, the Abnormal Student by Nashon Okowa was an insightful and thought-provoking book.

Would I recommend it? Yes.

I am currently reading the Atomic Habits by James Clear. What are you reading? Continue the discussion via my contact page.

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About the Author

El-Bethel Buyanzi is a Civil Engineering student at the Technical University of Kenya with an interest in the built environment, engineering, leadership and professional development. He writes about his experiences, lessons and observations as he prepares for a career in the built environment. To learn more about the author, visit his about page.