A few months ago, Daniel was recovering from the loss of his properties and business tools in a fire. A career in tech was the farthest thing from his mind. Today he shares his incredible journey to becoming a software tester and his #ExperienceKippa story
Growing up
My dream was to be an architect because I loved sketching houses. My dad was a Technical Drawing teacher which also fueled my interest.
I gained admission to study at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in 2008 but it was to read Physics. I tried to follow my dream by crossing over to Architecture but the department at that time didn’t accept any cross-over students. I got to know this a few days before my exams and I had already signed out from Physics, the only option was to move to Transport Management in my second year. Because of strikes, I spent seven years in school.
From Motor Boy to Fashion Designer
During NYSC camp in Lagos, I met a student from my University who said he was into transport and needed a manager. I went with him after NYSC camp and waited for him to make provisions for a Manager position. After three weeks, tired of not being productive I asked what position was available and I ended up working as a motor boy ( A motor boy sits next to the window and looks out for the truck driver. Also assists in general administration)
While working as a motor boy, I never stop searching for jobs and doing interviews but nothing was happening. I moved on after 2 years of being a motorboy to managing a viewing centre but we were competing against different bars on the same street and had to close down. After that, I went to learn fashion design, few months after I finished learning and started a business, I lost everything I had to fire. This experience left me feeling deeply depressed.
Getting Into Tech
After the unfortunate incident and while trying to find my feet, a leader from my church reached out to inquire about my plan moving forward. He asked me if I saw myself having a career in Tech, At that time, I believed that a background in computer science was necessary before venturing into software engineering.
He convinced me to move back to Lagos to learn how to be a developer. He recommended software testing because I wanted to start learning from the basics. He enrolled me and sponsored the course at Testify Academy. After the training, I opened a new LinkedIn account and started searching randomly for internship roles.
Joining Kippa
I saw Kippa’s ad and applied as part of my daily routine. I got an email to call a number. I called severally without a response. I almost thought it was a prank. I then sent an email saying I was trying to reach the number. I received a call a few days later from Mr Kennedy.
Expectations vs Reality
Being new to the system, my expectation was that I won't be able to fit in because of the experience of the professionals. I felt I would step into the room and feel that this tech thing was not meant for me, let me go back to my fashion designing. But the first time I came here, I met Chibuike and the reception was wonderful. I also met Udeme (my team lead), Tosin who immediately got me involved in the work, and Ayomide who I met last on my team wowed me. I like how we relate with each other with respect.
The Kippa standard is to go for excellence in everything we do and that has stayed with me, and the opportunities for personal growth provided within our team are exceptional and highly commendable.
I work on the best team. It’s an all-female team and I am the only guy. They treat me like their brother and consistently share their knowledge and expertise with me.
Advice to future applicants
Don't sleep on it!
The general idea is that people think Tech will give you peace of mind and you can just be lazy. That's not it, your expectation will be met. You will work, you will learn, you will flex, you will grow and most especially you will have family!
