Introduction

Interviewer: How long have you been coding?

Me: (confused and almost stuttering) A year ago.

The Journey

I know my opening is unusual, but allow me to take you down memory lane as a computer science graduate in Nigeria.

Computer science is one of the most popular and financially rewarding courses studied in Nigerian universities, with a large number of students admitted to pursue a career path in this course.

I was admitted to the university in 2014 to study this course and had no idea what it entailed. In my head, It was all Microsoft software, and everything I needed to know about computers as machines/devices. To cut a long story short, the technicality of the course demanded more practicals than theory throughout my university years.

The majority of the time, the course outline included computer languages, which required hands-on practical. When everything was learned on paper with little to no practice, it became worrisome. As a computer science student, I was eighty percent clueless about its technicalities. My tech journey has always been there but was unclear and undefined.

In 2017, all computer science students with minimum requirements had to go for SIWESS. A six months program to gain hands-on training related to computer science. This is where I had to define the part I wanted to focus on in my career, I chose web development(Developing Web pages using a particular programming language.) because I was curious about how these programming languages work.

I started basics of HTML and CSS. I needed something to fill out my siwess report, so I set out to gain knowledge and learn about Web development. I've heard about this section of my course and written about it in my book; I've also heard about it during some lectures with little to no understanding; now I want to put it into practice for two reasons:

• Curiosity

• Have contents for my siwess report

A course mate introduced me to YouTube tutorials. I began my learning journey with these tutorials. I had little to no direction at the time, so I had no idea I had to conduct extensive research on my chosen track which was Web development, also I did not have a learning ROADMAP because I had no proper guidance.

It was an easy ride with YouTube videos until the end of siwess, when I had to build a sample project to demonstrate what I had learned. Oh well, I didn't build anything, and I abandoned it after that. Javascript scared me away.

It is worth noting at this point that, aside from Web development, I also focused on another branch of computer science during my siwess. I filled out my siwess report with my networking experience because I gained hands-on networking experience.

After my siwess, I stopped learning and focused on schoolwork, delving into another branch of computer science called Cloud Computing for my final year coursework. Following graduation, I went on to do the NYSC mandatory program.

During my NYSC service, I had never considered continuing my Web development journey until a colleague at my primary place of assignment initiated a conversation about learning a programming language. Can you guess what happened? I chose a different programming language! (A result of the lack of research).

I started learning another programming language called Python. It would have been a different story if I had a ROADMAP, done extensive research, or had a mentor to tell me what to do and what not to do. I learned Python on and off between 2019 and 2020 until the lockdown, but because I had nowhere to apply this knowledge or still had no way to implement what I had learned, I STOPPED AGAIN!

After the lockdown, I determined to continue my tech journey regardless, because my curiosity is not satisfied. I began extensive research into web development and began learning from the ground up. I discovered Yuri Lee's front-end developer Bootcamp video through a friend. I discovered Freecodecamp and W3School too, thanks to Google.

I got active on Twitter and came across SHECODEAFRICA. I joined their Slack channel and began practicing the frontend web development challenge on their channel. During my practice, I sought advice from experts in the field.

Moving forward, I started looking for a way to work in a tech-related environment and started applying to different organizations, funny enough, not as a front-end developer because I was not confident enough. While applying, I got accepted as an IT intern at a business process outsourcing firm. During my interview, the interviewer asked if I knew about coding and how long it has been (my opening dialogue). If you were me, I am sure you would stutter too. I started and stopped many times that I couldn’t calculate the duration since I had been coding.

While working as an intern, I continued to learn more about web development and took a freecodecamp javascript course. After six months of internship, I got promoted to the full-time position of front-end developer due to my dedication and learning. I also began learning other web development stacks and attending tech events to gain a better understanding of technology in general.

I joined another community and applied for a web3 cohort organized by Web3Ladies in collaboration with Polygon to satisfy my curiosity about Web3 in general. I got into the cohort andand it's been a rollercoaster ride filled with learning and exploring new terms. I also enrolled in the polygon Bootcamp for Web3 Beginners, and there is still a lot to learn.

I am also learning non-technical roles such as technical writing, which I am learning to stick to. As it appears, my journey has not been easy, but I am grateful for how far I have come. I'm still learning and growing, and I'm hoping for better opportunities in the future. I now know the answer to the question, "How long have you been coding?" because I haven't stopped since I restarted in August 2021.

Conclusion

Being a computer science student at a Nigerian university does not guarantee your knowledge of the subject, particularly when it comes to programming languages taught at the university. Most of the time, you must seek practical knowledge on your own. To avoid wasting time and energy, it is best to conduct extensive research, find a mentor, or follow a road map when attempting to gain practical experience. Joining communities is also beneficial and can help you along the way.

If you've read this far and can relate to the article at any point, please leave a comment in the box below. Thank you very much.