I publicly spoke to the next generation of Ghanaian Software Engineers, Here’s what happened

A lot of computer science & IT Students have graduated from the University, with zero technical skills that are of value to the Tech Industry.
Sadly, there will still be many Computer Science & IT Students who will graduate in the coming years with no practical technical skills. It is a no-brainer that most of the things we learn in school are immensely theoretical. Some are pretty obsolete and will never be used once we get out.
On November 1, 2019, I spoke to a bunch of Computer Science & IT Students at the University of Energy and Natural Resources to help them carve out a roadmap to attain the needed practical software engineering skills, that will make them extremely valuable once they get out of school.

With my experience of tutoring and mentoring several beginner developers, I have noticed that most of them demonstrate that child-like passion for programming I had when I started learning to code 4 years ago. But when you sit them down and talk to them, their main problem is feeling overwhelmed.
They are overwhelmed by all these different technologies out there and you know what makes it worse? They look at developers in the Industry who can code in 5 languages, and in their heads; they want to magically reach that level. So they learn so many different technologies at the same time, and as time goes on, the sheer amount of things they think they have to learn overwhelms them and they start to give up.
During the talk, I spoke about the core skills you need to develop to become a software engineer. The truth is, if you build these core skills well, you will develop a high aptitude to pick up other technologies down the road.

For technical skills, these are the very core you need to learn
- Algorithms
- Programming Fundamentals(Variables, Decision making, Loops, Functions, Object-Oriented Programming)
- Data Structures
- Databases
- Git (Version Control)
And for soft skills:
- Patience and Perseverance
- Analytical Reasoning
- Problem Solving
- Naming things
- Communication & Collaboration
I then spoke extensively about the different categories of software development and why they should just pick one to master. I spoke about frontend, backend, android development, ios development, cross-platform mobile development, and AI/Machine Learning.
I spoke about the different technologies in each category and also the most widely used in the Ghanaian Tech Industry, to make it easier for them to get jobs or freelance contracts.

Being a software engineer is not only about been good at coding. You can be good but if no one knows; then no one knows. I talked about the importance of branding and how to brand yourself as a software engineer.
The 3 musketeers of a software engineer’s brand are
- Portfolio — Projects worked on.
- Resume — Record of skills developed, work experience, projects, achievements, education, etc.
- Linked Profile — A professional profile that has the power to attract recruiters or clients while you sleep.
Let’s say a developer focuses on frontend, and knows only HTML, CSS, javascript and vue. If he works on his 3 musketeers; If he builds a remarkable portfolio, takes time to develop a 1 page resume and builds his LinkedIn profile, with all things being equal, he will get more opportunities and go farther than a rockstar coder who’s 5 friends are the only ones who know how great he is.

I also spoke about how to get access to opportunities as a software developer. The truth is, when you develop yourself as a developer, you don’t need “protocol” or some deep family connections to get access to job opportunities or contracts. All you need to do is
- Join developer groups on social media.
- Attend and Network at Tech Conferences/Meetups.
- Connect with other developers/influencers on social media.
- Follow Tech Companies/Startups on social media.
I was very excited after the talk, as most of the attendees now had a sense of what they wanted to do. Some chose to focus on the frontend because they liked to design things, others chose backend because they wanted to be hardcore programmers, others chose android, ios, etc. They are now aware of what the tech market demands of them and the path they have to take.

My alma mater is one of the youngest public universities in the country, having been established in 2011. My vision is for more software engineers to emerge from the school and other schools too, so they can help develop innovations to impact the black culture. They know that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, and they have taken a step.
Want to learn more about the talk? here’s a link to the presentation slides.
See you in the next one, Adios Amigos.