Catching up

Been a while you saw me😏

I stopped writing again after outreachy ended, then lately I got another push to return to it. So here we go!

Starting with updates…as usual.

A whole lot has actually happened since outreachy ended. My career has taken such an interesting turn, I would never have imagined.

First,

What happened after outreachy?

The entire 3 months was such a high, earning my first $$, working with international people, finally getting my chance in tech! But 3 months went by fast and suddenly, I was back in that space again. Still trying to figure out my footing in tech, and having no job/job offers. Now what?

I remember saying I’d continue contributing to outreachy…well I did try but it seems the particular things I was working on weren’t quite urgent to the project so it didn’t get any reviews and over time, everything just sort of faded away. I still tried joining a few meetings and making some contributions but I just knew this wasn’t quite it.

Trying to make sense of everything

Towards the end of the internship, around February, I rented an office space with my sister. Even after the internship ended, I continued to go there; dressed up everyday and got myself busy. I had made some good money from outreachy, so I used that to push my business further, then I continued my not-so-successful attempt to contribute to OpenStack. I also decided I’d start my Masters last year so I spent a lot of time on applications, SOPs and all. I just kept myself busy.

The First Break

Another thing I did, was to build a web app for my business, Afropelo Care. I decided since I had gotten good with python, I should learn Django and use it to build. I also stayed active in my tech group chats on whatsapp. This was a very good decision, because towards the end of April, someone posted a job offer for a Django intern in Lagos and I jumped on it immediately. I got it! My first role as a backend developer.

So from May 2021 – January 2022, I worked as backend developer. It was a remote role so I didn’t have to leave Ibadan. The pay was nothing compared to Outreachy ofcourse, I’m just glad I was living with my parents and had savings plus a side business! But I’d have to say, I learnt a whole lot during that period. I got really good with python, I learnt to take control, I got to understand the Agile working environment. I didn’t always enjoy the people I worked with, but I got to understand a lot about interpersonal relationships at work.

The Unexpected

Just at the end of outreachy, in March, Gbemisola Ojo who I had been connected with for a while on LinkedIn reached out to me concerning something she was starting, to train cloud professionals. She just asked a few questions then and we maintained contact. We didn’t speak again until November, when she reached out and told me of a vacancy available in the pilot cohort of her cloud training program, Cloudboosta. I jumped on this ofcourse because I still nurtured the dream somewhere deep down of getting into cloud. I’m still amazed at how God worked this all out!

So 3 times a week, usually 8-11pm after work, five to six of us got together on zoom and Gbemi taught us AWS. We had assignments, exercises and a lot more. It was definitely not what I had planned for the rest of my year, but what I needed. Let me also mention that twice before this, I tried Azure and then GCP, both didn’t work out. But Cloudboosta gave me a community and that’s just what I needed.

I Got Married!

December 18, 2021 (well 17th and 18th cause YORUBA), I married my best friend (sounds cliche but the absolute truth). A lot of great things happened to me last year, but this tops it all. Best decision ever made! Soon, I’ll make a post about married life, the ups and downs and the times when we just keep riding. I actually have some really good pictures of the wedding, cause damnnnn! You can check my instagram to feed your eyes some more 😌

This was ofcourse, all my mind was on as the year ended. New life, new home. Work and career weren’t on my mind at this time, just honeymoon and wife-ing away!

2022

I resumed work (and life), January 5. But a few days earlier, I got a full-time offer from Gbemi to come work with Cloudboosta. I always knew my previous role was a stepping stone and I won’t stay there for long. And now, an opportunity to come work and learn in cloud with people I really enjoyed being around?! Do you even have to ask me?

So ofcourse, I had to put in my one month notice and officially started with Cloudboosta on January 31. This was another journey, one that is still going on.

The Cloud Journey

Somehow, I just knew this was right. This new path I was on. I dedicated to Cloudboosta, put my heart and mind there. The first thing I did was write my AWS exam because Gbemi really kept pushing! This again, was the right decision and I’d talk about this in my next post.

Then the first Cloudboosta cohort started in March. I taught some classes based on my previous work experience (and I didn’t even know I knew so much until I started teaching!), facilitated lab exercises, mentored students. And then, apart from the Academy, we also got to work on projects where I used DevOps tools like Terraform, Jenkins and more AWS. So I was giving knowledge and gaining knowledge. The ideal work!

Speaking into existence

I had been attending TCN church (The Covenant Nation) where Pastor Poju is the lead pastor. Last year, he talked extensively about requesting from God, speaking things forth and getting results. At the beginning of 2022, I decided to try it. Deliberately writing down the things I wanted, when I wanted it and speaking bible passages to remind myself of what God can do.

Now I’m going to spend sometime talking about these things and how they played out.

Letting things go

Now remember I was crazily applying for schools last year? I actually continued till the end of the year. Started with UK schools. Got just one offer but couldn’t afford it. Then I decided US was the next best place, I even wrote GRE in October. I applied to this one particular school that I was so sure was right for me; I put in a really good application with strong references and my GRE in addition. Guess what? I got it! I got into my dream school, to study Software Engineering at the University of Carlifornia.

This again, was on my list of things I prayed for this year.

But by this time, I had decided to follow the Cloud DevOps path. My husband had also gotten a visa to the UK and as his spouse, I could join him (this again was another unexpected miracle). The thing I had been chasing for so long, I finally got it and decided to let it go. Sometimes, God gives us exactly what we worked and prayed for, but He also gives wisdom to choose or decline this. I am without a doubt, convinced it was right to let this go.

Relocating

Another prayer on my list.

Still in awe at how this happened, within the space of just a few months after so many years of applying for school to relocate! My husband is probably in the best place to tell the story, I was just the lucky girl he married!

We moved to the UK in April. Just a few months after getting married, we were starting yet another journey. Everything just seemed so fast and so surreal!

The Job!

Top of my list was to get a job in Cloud DevOps in the UK, hybrid working, not too far from where I would be staying, fulltime role. And I wanted to get it by April. This infact, is exactly what happened! As soon as I got my visa, I changed my location on LinkedIn, updated my profile and set it to ‘open to work’ for recruiters and in no time I started getting messages. I eventually accepted my current role as a Platform Engineer with BJSS. I started in May, it’s been a little over a month now.

So at the time I was writing down requests, I thought I’d just work the job and earn some money for a few months and then move to the US to start Masters, but we now know how that ended. Now, I can’t imagine leaving here anytime soon. I love this new role and I wouldn’t have it any other way! So once again, letting go of something you once really wanted might be the right decision. Things change, and God knows exactly what He’s doing.

Moving Forward

I now work as a volunteer with Cloudboosta on weekends mainly. I still have a family there and I’m not willing to let go yet. My new role has a lot of learning and adjusting to it, that’s what I’m up to right now. I also think we’ve adjusting quite well to the new country. Not so new again.

This felt really good to write and share, and I hope I make more time to write. There should be more posts about cloud and devops moving forward. Plus life lessons and some new hobbies I’ve been picking up lately.

See you then!