The year was 2018. I had just sold off my cassava farm. It was an OK harvest, nothing fantastic. The guys managing my farm were ripping me off, as I was unable to provide the required oversight/supervision. I decided to give my farm up and take up a new challenge. The next question I asked myself over the next couple of weeks was: "What next?"
After researching and asking around, I decided it was time to put my degree to good use, seeing that I studied Computer Science at the University and whatnot. So, I went back to my father's house and over the next few months, did the most rigorous studying I'd ever done in my life. I was ALWAYS on my laptop. I got multiple complaints at home that they never saw me anymore because I was always in my room trying to wrap my head around this new world I suddenly found myself in.
I initially started with FreeCodeCamp, completed a few lessons, and then ran away when it got too difficult for me. Afterward, I decided I needed structured guidance/learning. I tried out reading books and noticed I lost focus easily with books. Then I tried out youtube videos and then realized that I assimilated better with videos since I could see what was being done and could follow along. So I stuck with videos as my preferred method of learning and then started an Udemy course, to introduce myself to Web Development ( Colt Steele's Full-stack Web development course ). Upon successful completion, I again started asking myself: "What next?"
I got advice from a programmer friend that was mentoring that year to sign up for the HNG internship. Since I was still very new to programming, I was very skeptical about the program and the survival rate of a total newbie like myself in such a fast-paced program, as I'd heard stories about how tough the internship was. To make things a bit easier for me, I was advised to enroll for the pre-internship meant for total beginners, which was to prepare newbies for the main internship. I enrolled for that and it lasted for 3 months. By the end of the 3 months, I was ready to take on the main internship. I was again advised by my friend to try as much as possible to be very active in the workspace and if possible, try to be a team lead, to fully participate and get the best out of the internship.
I took this as a challenge (as I didn't see myself leading anyone) and did just that, and had the most rigorous 3 months ever. I was glued to my laptop, my sleep pattern was just bizarre. I developed back pain that lasted a couple of weeks, (lol, bad posture while pulling an all-nighter). Lol, if only we look like what we have gone through. Anyways, I completed the internship and I was ready to take on the world.
"What next?"
Immediately after the internship, I started my search for my first official software engineering job. I felt it would be a piece of cake, right?......right? Wrong!!! I applied to more than 100 jobs and I'm not exaggerating. I got some responses but nothing positive, as they all wanted someone with years of experience and I did not have it. Doubt started creeping in. I felt really bad, it was looking to me like I wasted the last 9 months for nothing. I felt I was not good enough, that had to be why I wasn't getting any job offers, right? Some other fellow finalists were getting jobs left and right and for some reason, I couldn't. When would it be my turn?
I didn't let it deter me though, I kept on applying rigorously. After all, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain at that point. About 3 months post-internship, I got my first Software Engineering offer. I was on top of the moon. I had finally been allowed the opportunity to make the sleepless nights and back pain worth it.
Key takeaways from my story:
- It's never too late to start.
- Look for a learning method that works for you. What works for A doesn't necessarily have to work for B.
- Rejections will come, but they shouldn't derail you from where you're going to.
- Make friends in the tech space that can advise you along the way because you will need all the help you can get.
- Never get too comfortable with where you currently are. There is ALWAYS room for improvement.
I hope my story encourages someone that has been stalling, to take that leap of faith and start from somewhere. Am I close to where I see myself getting to? Nah. I'm very far from it. What I do is that at whatever point I'm at, I ask myself what the next step is and actively work towards getting there and surpassing it.