Babatunde’s Story
Every Monday, we will curate career stories from professionals in tech. We would discuss their #OriginStories and how they got into the industry. Our focus is on people with a non-traditional background, that is, people without a traditional CS degree. Got an interesting story you want to share? Email blessing@studio14online.co.uk
This week, we are speaking with Babatunde Adeyemi. A Senior Full StackDeveloper/Technical Team Lead at Studio14. Babatunde shares the story of how he got his first gig as a developer and how he got started in the first place. From designing his first websites on a Nokia phone to dropping out of school in his third year to risk it all, Babatunde’s story is full of twists and turns.
When did you start interacting with technology?
When I finished my O-Level exams, my parents wanted me to become computer savvy so they enrolled me in a computer programme at a road-side cyber cafe. At the cyber cafe, they taught the basics,Microsoft Word, Typing Master, Mavis Beacon, Corel Draw, desktop publishing sha. There was a particular trainee that one of our instructors seemed to give special attention. On this fateful day, the instructor was teaching the young lady how to code-how to build a website with simple HTML. I was peeping at the screen over the instructor’s shoulder. It looked really interesting. So I began to secretly take notes.. Later, I googled HTML and tried everything he had taught the lady which I jotted down. I started googling more frequently to get more knowledge. In a week, I created my first HTML page complete with video and other things.
What was your next move ?
Creating my first page piqued my interest about other websites I was seeing. They looked very complex and I wondered how I could build them with HTML. I did more research. I discovered I had to learn other things like CSS. So I started with that, after which I picked up PHP.
During this period, I did not have a personal computer and my training at the cyber cafe was supposed to last for only two months. Luckily for me, my Dad bought a phone just as I finished my course. It was a Nokia phone — the 2626 model. It was a small phone but I could use it to surf the internet.
After the training, my dad’s phone became my only connection to the internet. At night, once he had fallen asleep, his phone became mine till morning. Back then, there were no data bundles or subscription as we have it now. You had to use your airtime to browse. There were several days when my dad would load N1000 or N500 recharge vouchers and by morning, I would have exhausted them. He would get mad at me. But the next day, I would do the same thing. Eventually, he realised I was passionate about it. He became supportive. He gave me unlimited access to his phone and he would provide money for recharge card whenever I needed it.
I built my first three websites with that phone.
Mad o.
It wasn’t really anything complex. It was just HTML, CSS and a bit of PHP. The phone had its limitations. I could not type too many characters or it would start hanging or switch off on occasion. After a while, the phone packed up and I had nothing. I stopped coding.
What next?
Two years later, someone came to my mum’s office selling fairly-used computers. She bought one of those for me on loan. That was my first computer. I started programming all over again. I kept learning. About a year after I got the computer, I was off to university.
University. What was that like?
I had actually gotten two admission offers from UNILORIN in the two years before I eventually went to university. At the time, I was determined to study Medicine. It wasn’t entirely my decision, my parents had convinced me to study Medicine. But every time I applied, I was always offered Zoology.
The third year, I applied to FUTMinna to study Computer Science. It had finally dawned on me that that was what I should have studied all along. I wasn’t offered Computer Science. I was given Pure and Applied Mathematics. I dropped out in my fourth year.
What happened?
In 300 Level I started doing some business on the side for myself. I picked up freelance writing. I wrote for clients from different countries — the US, Argentina, UK, The Philippines, even Japan. I even got published on Huffington Post.
That was what I was doing with my time. So I was paying less and less attention to my education.
Wow.
Shortly after, I was reading TechCrunch and it featured an article on Andela. I read everything I could find on Andela and it seemed like it was all I needed to kick start my career. I decided to drop everything and leave Minna. I applied to Andela that same day. When I got an invitation for an interview in Lagos, I packed all my belongings and left Niger State.
How did your parents take it?
I went to Kwara State and narrated everything to my parents. They were sad and shocked but there was nothing they could do about it. I had already made the decision. I came to Lagos for the interview. A few days after the interview, I got an email from Andela that I did not make it past the interview stage.
Trouble.
It was painful but I told myself that I was going to keep trying until I get in. So I registered for the next cohort and studied harder. This time I passed and got to the Home Study stage. But I did not pass. I started all over again.
I applied for the third time. I didn’t even make it to the interview stage. And a fourth time, I did not get invited for the interview again. I applied a fifth time.
Why were you so hellbent on getting into Andela?
I did not have a degree. At the time, this seemed like the only organisation that did not require one.
What happened the fifth time?
I passed the interview. Passed the Home Study. Got invited to the boot camp. After the two-week boot camp, they did not pick me.
Luckily for me, at that time there was a quarterly programme they used to do for ex-boot campers. These were people who made it to the second week of the boot camp but did not get offers at the end. It was intended to get them ready for the next boot camp because they would get an automatic invitation. The programme lasted for 21 days. It was tougher than the actual boot camp. I had to unlearn some of what I knew before and learn how to do things properly.
After the programme, the boot camp itself felt like beans. I was expecting an email after the boot camp. Andela sends its rejection emails first. On the day people were getting rejection emails, I did not receive any. I was happy that I had not been rejected at least.
No news is good news.
I went back to Kwara State. On one fateful Sunday afternoon, I got an email with an offer to join the fellowship.
I was so happy that people were wondering if I was running mad.
I started at Andela sometime later. That was how my programming career started professionally.
