My journey into tech through DevCareer
I followed & turned on post notification on my first interaction with the page
Just like an adventure, getting into tech as a newbie requires one to put pen to paper and map out things like the career path, stacks, and most importantly, how to learn it. We sat down with Femi Akinyemi, a DevCareer cohort 2 intern who works as a Frontend Engineer at Datamellon to chat about his entry into tech.
How did you hear about DevCareer vis-a-vis #Laptop4Developer?
I heard about DevCareer on Twitter when cohort 1 completed their internship and shared their stories on Twitter. Immediately, I started following the DevCareer handle. I turned post notification on so I won’t miss out on updates from them.
How was the application and assessment process? What was your reaction when you got selected?
Since I started following DevCareer on Twitter and monitoring all their activities, it was easy for me to know when the application was out. I applied when the call for application was announced and the process went smoothly. I am most likely one of the first applicants on the day the link went live. DevCareer was all I needed at that time because I recently completed my MSc in Mathematics and I was looking for a way to get into tech. After the application, the assessment came after some time.
Though I gave the assessment my best shot, I was not sure I would be shortlisted. You can imagine my excitement when I got a mail for a physical interview. The fact that I got to the interview stage meant the world to me. I arrived at the interview nervous but a welcome address from one of the interviewers helped me regain myself. The interview by the way went well. I also met Okoyecb. A few weeks later, I got a congratulatory mail. At that point, I knew it could only get better from there.
Have you been around Frontend development before you happened on #Laptops4Developers?
No, I only knew a bit of HTML and CSS from platforms like freeCodeCamp and other free sites.
During the Bootcamp, how was the hub beneficial to your learning?
During the Bootcamp, I was originally mapped to Aimtoget Hub Bodija, Ibadan. However, due to COVID19 restrictions, I was reassigned to Rumblecube Makerspace Ibadan. The hub was a cool place; we had constant power supply and internet access. I also met great people who aided my learning, with whom I still actively engage.
The learning itself, how were the resources, mentors, were they of any help?
Yeah, the resources and the mentors were a lot helpful. Mentors took their time to engage us through various assignments and tasks. The mentors did a great job by carrying everyone along.
If you were to go over the program again, what would you like to change? What can the #Laptop4Developer initiative do differently?
DevCareer is doing great. I can’t think of anything at the moment.
At the end of the 3months, explain your transition experience?
At the end of the program, the first job I got was a Quality Assurance position which I did for eight months. The good thing about the time I worked in QA was that learning frontend development never stopped, this was aided by the exposure I had during the training. Thankfully, I’m back to Frontend development.
How many months until you land a job?
I got my first job after two months.
Do you feel supported based on the resources you benefited from during the Bootcamp, and afterward, would you say the Bootcamp was significant to your growth?
DevCareer was significant to my growth. The Bootcamp was a great blessing to my career in tech. The mentors, resources, and the relationship I built with great developers all happened because of the opportunity.
DevCareer runs a number of programs with the goal of supporting tech talents such as:
- #Laptops4Developers: A yearly 3-month long program to support aspiring developers and designers on their journey to become word-class with laptops, courses, and mentorships
- A DevCareer community on Slack. Use this link to join over 6000 tech enthusiasts who support one another.
- A DevCareerXProgate scholarship that gives 5000 community members access to pro-plan on Progate to learn any course of choice, exclusive to community members.
