Community Spotlight with Tuedon Tuoyo
Every month, I sit with a member of DevCareer community to understand the individuals behind the keyboard engaging one another across several channels. The chat provides an avenue to relate with members in close proximity without distractions. Getting to know the not-so-smooth journey leading up to the individual’s current position and the determination to retry despite challenges is nothing short of inspiring. For this month, I spoke to Tuedon who told me the absence of a community or a mentor in his early learning days slowed his progress. Fast forward to the present, he is determined to not allow that to happen to budding tech talents in his immediate environment, thus, you would find him responding to questions, volunteering to jump on a huddle, and collaborating in the community.
Tuedon Tuoyo is a frontend engineer at Enterscale, a growth marketing company, working with languages such as Typescript, Next.js, and React.js. Tuedon mentions he plays basketball and I was tempted to ask about his height like a typical Nigerian who thinks the game is reserved for people of a particular height.
Getting started as a Frontend Engineer
There was a period when all I did was go on YouTube in search of resources on Python. After a while, I ditched that because the videos only did so much as confuse my beginner brain. That period was more about familiarizing myself with web development than formal learning. Officially, I started learning frontend engineering vis-à-vis HTML, CSS and Javascript on a website recommended by one of the guys I attended DSC meetings with back in school. Learning on W3School was off to a great start until I arrived at Javascript. I remember how meeting the concept of assigning variables for the first time sent me on a 6months “break”. I thought it was hard (it is indeed hard) and the break was the next sensible thing. Learning Javascript at that time felt impossible and more depressing because I couldn’t fathom how to approach it. One day, my sister, a data scientist who was observing my activities asked why I paused my pursuit. I relayed my concern to her and she recommended a Kotlin course on Udemy.
Cycling back 6months later?
When my sister recommended the course, she asked me to try it and gave me a deadline to return with feedback. I approached it with an open mind mostly because I didn’t want to disappoint her. I took the course on Udemy but certainly not without the fear from my previous encounter with Javascript. Luckily, the instructor on Udemy mentioned he was going to break each concept into bite-size for easy assimilation. The video-based content was easy to approach such that I began to appreciate why I set out to learn frontend. It took a second attempt to realize I am a video person who appreciates visuals as I progress. W3School on the other hand is a text-based learning platform. During my year-long learning sprint, I took different courses on Udemy; HTML, JavaScript, CSS and Node. The curriculum is self-paced aided by downloadable course content.
Ironically, I didn’t like frontend when I started, I like logic rather than design. The goal is to transition to another role but for now, I just want to be good in Frontend.
Studying Computer Science in the University
I wanted to do an applied engineering course because of my interest to solve petty computer-related issues around the house while growing up. I eventually studied computer science at the University of Abuja. The most impactful event is my time as a member of Developers Student Community. DSC organized training on HTML and CSS, and we held our meetings in a computer lab, during which you get 1–2hours access to a computer. That is barely enough to get anything done but that was the most we got .
Getting my first internship
The year 2020 for me was all about learning. I stayed off Internships, side gigs of all sorts and I dedicated the entire year to learning. The foundation is important to prepare me for the year after when I applied for internships. The year 2021 was for internship and getting more real-time experience while 2022 was the year I took a full-time job after 2 years of learning. I entered 2021, equipped with a yearlong learning experience and ready to apply for internships however, my first internship didn’t happen until August 2021. I had doubts even though I dedicated the past 1 year towards learning. I was just starting with React and Nodejs and hadn’t gotten a hang of it so I felt I wasn’t ready and needed more time to learn. My first application was HNGi8 followed by Side Hustle Internship and both contributed greatly to my progress.
Joining a community
The role of a niche community cannot be overemphasized. It took me 6months trying to make sense of HTML, CSS alone. I didn’t have a community to identify with or a mentor when I started. It was me fighting with Stackover flow and google search when I come across a bug. I am thankful for a Whatsapp community called Javascripters that I was invited to in July 2021. I got a chance to relate with people with similar experiences and access relevant resources shared by members of the group. The group is always full but the admin weed inactive people and it was during one of those times that I got in.
I joined DevCareer 5months ago when a friend sent me the registration link. I saw it as an opportunity to learn and connect with more people. The journey has been good and I am active in different channels. I take time to answer questions and point people in the right path knowing how important that is to a beginner.
Getting my first full-time job
Early this year, I began applying for full-time jobs. There were several applications; a minimum of 20 if I remember correctly. I advanced into the interview stage in some but 80% of them came with rejections. Seven months down the line, I got two offers and I had to pick one.
Now, a typical day involves getting up early enough to attend daily standup at 8am. Thereafter, I make breakfast and Netflix along the way. I work from 12pm to 5pm. The other half of my day is spent on Udemy taking a DSA course. The routine is in no particular and highly susceptible to change While at work, I put my phone on DND and focus entirely on work, it is hard but I the result is fulfilling. Currently, I am working on a platform that aggregates social data and interactions, provide analytics on the data and provides an insight to perception of the masses to your interest or target. (Crowdero).
Discover 0tuedon in the community and say hello on Twitter
The Community Spotlight is a monthly series for members of DevCareer community.
DevCareer is a non-profit organization that provides relevant support to aspiring tech talents through micro-scholarships, a community hosted on Slack and #Laptops4Developers
