Paula Mwelwa Nkandu
Paula Mwelwa Nkandu
Degree in Computer Science
Cyan Innovations, Web Developer
Bookshop Volunteer, Womenpreneur Initiative Ambassador — Zambia
𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐚?
I come from the small town of Kitwe with a population of about 400 914 people, I spent the first 19 years of my life there and although most people won’t notice it at first glance, I am very much a Kopala(Copperbelt Province) person.
I used to play tennis, but rarely do these days. In High School, I participated in various athletic games and took first place in a 1500m race while I took second place in Long Jump.
𝐇𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬
When it comes to hobbies, my favorite things to do involve watching sports activities and documentaries, reading, painting, learning new things and eating good food. I enjoy a variety of music but first 3 off the top of my head are Jazz, Classical and R n B. I like to think of myself as an old soul hence I am drawn to these.
𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
My favorite travel destinations have got to be anywhere with a rich history; think Egypt, Italy, India, Thailand but I also love places like The Maldives, Seychelles, Greece and Bali.
𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞
It’s so hard to pick one favorite life quote but again, off the top of my head, “Life goes on”. From my understanding, regardless of what happens, life moves forward and you have to as well or else you get left behind.
𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞
My favorite joke is Silicon Valley hahaha. I am referring to the series because everything there was absolutely funny, kudos to the writers. Each episode was hilarious as well as relatable.
𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩
Twitter has got to be my favorite app. I get to laugh, get motivated, and get challenged when I go through my timeline. I like the fact that I can tailor my timeline by following the right people to ensure I get exactly what I need. It’s an all-round social media app in my opinion.
𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞
I like JavaScript because it offers a lot without being too complex which technically, technology should be.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡?
I am a curious person, I want to understand things and how they work. When I was picking Computer science as my degree of choice, I hadn’t really understood what it was but I am glad I did. From high school, I knew it’s what I wanted to do but my confirmation came through my brother in law who spoke about it frequently, which reeled me in.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝?
I am part of a Web Development start-up company and my responsibilities are to design as well as develop websites. I look at what the client’s requirements are and tailor my skills to fit what they desire.
𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡?
The number one problem is our society’s expectation of women. Most men, sometimes subconsciously, think a woman can’t handle the pressures of being in tech. So I have to prove myself twice as much as the next man. However, my previous work place was really amazing. Despite being one of the two women in the department, the men were supportive.
The other challenge I faced is that I didn’t have female mentors, women that I could relate to and have conversations with or get advice from. I was stuck in a rut for a long time because I didn’t know what to do. The input a mentor makes in your life and your career can never be quantified.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬?
I think my background has contributed to overcoming the challenges. I enjoy a good challenge and believe in putting in the work, regardless of gender.
I attend a lot of tech meetings, meet ups, conferences and any events of that nature which allows me to interact with different people. With the growing tech community in Zambia, these events really make a difference.
𝐈𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤?
Yes there are. They give advice willingly and usually point me to more opportunities.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲?
The happiest moment is when I get recognized for my work and input. The satisfaction that this comes with is really unmatched. It encourages me to work harder and to also do my part by giving back to the community.
The other happy moment was when I was selected to attend the Africa Women in Tech conference held in Accra, Ghana. This gave me an opportunity to meet women I look up to, women that are making a difference in the world and listen to what they had to share. That was a turning point in my career and my perspective of women in tech.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡?
Go for it! You might be unsure or you might feel like you do not know where to begin from but just start anywhere and work your way to the top. You will encounter challenges but find a good support system with whom you share same values with. You’ll go much further that way. Also, do not underestimate what a mentor can do. I beg you, find a mentor in the field you want to venture in and do not be afraid of hard work.
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