I know a lot of us love the David vs Goliath stories - with people without any CS training of any sort getting into tech.

If you do, then this is the story for you. I will give a concise but clear breakdown of how I got to where I am right now from where I began.

First Coding Experience

We had had a PC in my family from my primary school days, and I had spent hours and hours on it - to the point, my dad had to chase me to school on a school morning. However, I started coding when I finished secondary school. My elder brother seeing how games had occupied my time, gave me a java course and netbeans editor to learn Java. Thus it began, but I didn't spend up to two months on it as I quickly moved to photoshop and design manipulation.

Started with Java for two months

I got admission to study microbiology - I initially wanted to study medicine. In my 2nd year in the university, we had a faculty CS course - learning Fortran77 - old I know, but I picked an interest in it and ended up spending my free time on it, meeting my lecturer for explanations and extra tasks. After that semester though, I didn't write Fortran anymore.

Learnt Fortran for three months

Fast forward two years, just finished university with First Class Honours in microbiology and not wanting to jump into masters or PhD.

Professional Experience && First Job

During those months at home applying for any job I could do, I saw a job posting for web developers and I remembered how much I had loved learning coding earlier and met a tech entrepreneur in my community who was a church member. Through him I got a link to a bootcamp run by my state government where I learnt HTML, CSS and Javascript for 3 months.

Learnt HTML, CSS and Javascript in a state-run bootcamp.

My instructor during the bootcamp must have grown weary of me. Why?

I was spending any free time between classes working on layouts and always showing them to him after each class. He must have seen something in me - I presume - as I got my first job from him as soon as the bootcamp was over. The task was to prepare some pages for a project he had.

After the project was completed I started working and learning with him and have been since I started.

Job Opportunities

Since then;

• I started applying for front-end positions that only required HTML and CSS.
• Got a position as a front-end designer for the tech entrepreneur I had met earlier.
• learnt React
• learnt UI/UX
• learning React Native

I have built a lot of projects such as ;

• Business and Company websites
• Loan app
• A learning management software
• A react component library
• A distribution webapp
• etc...

Do I ever feel Inferior to the CS graduates?

Hell NO!!!

We have had different roads that have led us to this point and I believe that if I hadn't taken this path I did, my approach to tech would be different.

I hope my story helps others who believe that the discipline they studied in school prevents them from making an impact in tech.

As I got my first job with only knowledge of HTML and CSS. You just need to build on what you have, it isn't a sprint. Everyone will make it as long as we continue.

I believe everyone is capable of making it in tech as long as you don't give up.

It is never too late to start.