Eniola Ipoola

What experiences led you to technology and how did you develop the skills to compete in the industry?

For me, in my year one in school I met a senior colleague who was in her finals then and we got talking. In the conversation she kept on emphasizing the importance of owning skills in software engineering and how it would be a great advantage after the course of the program. Her advice was more of a warning which I took to heart.

After the session there was a training organised by a team to learn some software engineering skills at a particular fee. Myself and a couple of my friends signed up for it, it was during the break, so we stayed back in school and took the classes. In the course of the training, I learnt Java programming language. After the program I was inconsistent, I didn’t continue when school resumed back (part 2), until the end of the session. In the course of my SIWES program that year, I was introduced to the basic web technologies and all.

At this stage I was still inconsistent until part 3. During the sessional break, a research group, PMCRG organised a bootcamp that ran for a duration of 6 weeks. I can say this is basically the beginning of the journey for me. It was 6 weeks of learning, building and competing. At the end of the 6 weeks, we were to develop a solution to a problem, host and then defend the project to a panel.

Thanks to the people that volunteered to teach us during the bootcamp, seeing them all in great places now gladdens my heart. So here I re-learned what I had forgotten, Web technologies, introduction to android development, Git etc. For the project we had to work on, I was in a team of four, all ladies (we were the only ladies that finished up with the bootcamp). We named it ‘wakose’, a website where youths can learn different trades or skills. Then professionals in this skills too can set up training, locations, price, duration and all. Eventually we came second in the competition. It was an healthy competition, an interesting experience, where everyone just wanted to learn and make impact.

From here, every other thing i learnt has been online. I take courses per time on Udacity and Udemy. I read on different things in technology on Medium, study documentations and check out ways to resolve any issue i have on stack overflow. This is what learning and skill development has been for me.

How has your background helped/differentiated you in the tech industry?

A great benefit I have with my background is my network of friends or people. These are the people I always go to when a problem is taking too long to resolve. We stay together while learning, sometimes in classes at nights. Pick up problems to solve, discuss solutions etc.

This way, learning was easier and I wasn’t frustrated at any point because there is always someone to talk to about a problem. Then together we encourage ourselves and when there are opportunities, we get informed. Also I got involved in a couple of tech communities like WIE, IEEE, NACOSS and GDG Ife. I have benefited greatly from conferences organised by these bodies.

What advice would you give to women considering a career in technology? What do you wish you had known?

For women considering a career in technology, I will encourage you to be focused, trust me, consistency cannot be over emphasized. Learning or getting started may take your time, resources and devotion. It is worth investing into.

Don’t ever be shy to ask questions, no matter how stupid you think it is. Then relate with people that can help enhance your growth.

There is really nothing I wish I had known, just something I knew but didn’t do. That’s being consistent from the onset. It took me two years before I became consistent, I never can tell, that time could have made more difference.