My Journey to become a Software engineer

Alale Tamara-kuro Simon

Software Engineering trainee

ALX SE programme

I have always have the desire to become a software engineer after I was introduced to computer
programming in my second year as an Electrical Electronics Engineering student in the Niger Delta
University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa Nigeria.

Since then I have been coding as a hobby. I coded with C, C++, Java programming and even a wee bit of
coding in python and later on went deeper in html5, css3 and JavaScript. But let me go into detail of my
journey to become a software engineer.

After graduation from university I abandoned coding to focus on entrepreneurship. I registered my firm
NostraAfrika technologies, a data analysis, project management in Wilberforce island which was
operating informally. However, I continued to take short courses on technology, marketing and soft skill
development which kept my interest in technology alive. Latered on, I partnered with an internet
company Wadtech which carried out admission processing for candidates who were interested in
studying in the Niger Delta University.

Few months later I discovered a flaw in their marketing pattern and I also discovered several ways to
solve this problem the best of which involved leveraging a simple web application to solve this
marketing flaw. This little discovery reignited my passion for software engineering again. I re-learn how
to code but this with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript, with NodeJS in sight.

In the next six (6) month I already had 6 (not sure) practice projects to my portfolio including a very
dynamic web application Geosearch.

Two weeks into 2022, ASUU embarked on an industrial action and things changed so quickly since our
business depended on the student community been alive. I used the abundance of time available time
to keep pushing on with my new found passion but soon enough I realized I was running out of savings
and that if I need to sustain this passion long enough, I need to find an alternative source of income that
will avail me enough time to pursue this.

While all this was on going, I got admitted into Decagon and Stutern which are two of the top most
engineering institute in Nigeria. I did not continue with their offers because of their financial demands.

Like a miracle, I soon enough got a job which offered me a modest wage and abundant time to pursue
my new found passion. I capitalized on it, was working and doing self learning simultaneously.

Just a few weeks later, I saw the ALX SE programme promotionals. And guess what, It was also FREE.