In the superhero context, we call it an origin story. In a Vin Diesel or Jason Statham action movie, they call it the main character arc. In climate science, it’s called the tipping point. Maryann’s life, as she knew it, changed significantly early on after losing her dad to cancer.

This incident, happening during an early stage of her life, made her become financially responsible for herself. While at Imo State University (IMSU) where she studied International Relations, Maryann often didn’t find the courage to call home for money. And university expenses were no joke.

She had heard about tech. She had friends. She had tech bros around her. She saw and liked the things they could do with a keyboard, and she wanted to try that too. But she didn’t know where to start.

Her friend, Bakare Emmanuel, who was speaking at Devfest Lagos in 2018, invited her to the event. Devfest is a tech gathering for everyone curious about tech. It was right there, in Lagos, where Maryann had her lightbulb moment.

Maryann’s plan was to write code and become a software developer. She even learnt how to code three programming languages, including Flutter.

But she soon realised that she wasn’t cut out for the coding life. To put it in her words, “I did not enjoy coding at all.”

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After that trial and error with coding, Maryann discovered her love for writing. She did this for a while, unsure of where it would lead her until she joined Cowrywise as an intern after the pandemic.

Cowrywise wanted to give career starters a shot at working on real projects in a company setting. The only caveat to the internship programme was that its failure would mark the end. It was up to Maryann and her fellow interns to save Cowrywise internships.

As a Cowrywise intern, Maryann’s cool job was to own the pen of Ope from Cowrywise. She was to continue the good work other voices behind the online persona had built. She wrote emails and blog articles about financial literacy for young adults that helped drive growth for the company. It was an intense schedule. She wrote four articles a day, along with the weekly emails. She said that this routine formed a crucial part of her career growth.

She went on to work at Bitnob and Mara before joining Big Cabal Media as a Growth Associate where she plays a big role in driving the events you love so much. 

But her big break, she says—or at least one where she couldn’t believe her luck—came when she was invited to join the Google Developer Group (GDG) Lagos co-organisers.

She’d been volunteering at GDG Lagos for over four years, and her dedication shone through the work she did. In 2023, she led the GDG Lagos community growth team that sold over 2,000 tickets to the tech event—double the target. She also grew the X account for GDG Lagos from 5k to 24k followers.

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It has taken a complete rewiring and 5 years for Maryann to figure out her tech career and life in general. 

Today, she contributes to growth efforts at GDG Lagos and TechCabal’s Moonshot.

She was part of the programme team that sold over 2,000 tickets last year for Moonshot by TechCabal, Africa’s most audacious tech festival. She’s been co-leading the push for a bigger Moonshot edition this year that will feature important tech conversations with over 4,000 guests in attendance, 85 speakers, and presentations from innovative companies building for Africa.

Maryann’s expertise lies in building and growing communities. On the side, she also leads the Women Techmakers Lagos ambassadors, another community initiative by Google. She hopes to build her own community someday.

When it comes to entering tech, Maryann says there are no hacks. One thing that helped Maryann grow was speaking with people levels above her. 

GDG Lagos, where Maryann has volunteered for more than 5 years, was a community that helped shape her journey. She says, “I’ve gotten to a point where I’m trusted to make key decisions that shape the organisation.” 

The community has an annual event and if you want to get your start there, snag some tickets to DevFest Lagos or join the Discord channel here.

Finally, and quite the opposite of what Yinka said in the last edition, Maryann believes there’s no money in tech. It’s all a combination of your dedication, skill, a bit of luck, and—we hate to say it—positioning. The right opportunities will come, but you have to be ready for them.

Maryann’s unofficial job now is being there for her siblings, especially financially. According to her, her younger brother calls often for requests; a man of culture we have to respect!

P.S: Did you like this edition of Entering Tech? Would you like more like this or less? Share your thoughts by responding to this newsletter or sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com. 

Adeyinka used to be a wide-eyed computer science student during her undergraduate days at Lagos State University. She always wanted to do something in information technology, but a hectic university system ruined her chances.

Like many tech students in public universities, she learned how to code using pen and paper. There was little or no practicality about anything she had learnt about computers, science, or the combination of the two; and slowly, but surely enough, the wide-eyed student began to lose her wonder.

After graduating, Adeyinka decided she was going to start a business. She was not cut out for the daily 9–5 bustle. So, she gathered the strength only a Lagos babe could muster and started a small business selling sunshades for people who wanted to get their LadiPoe Big Energy groove on.

Business thrived, and she started eyeing fashion. She jumped ships from sunglasses to selling clothes, shoes, and other accessories she bought from the UK to Nigerians and helped clients change their wardrobes. Business was good for another year before she stopped. 

After that, she decided again to dip all her fingers and toes into fashion design. She got into Betti-O School of Fashion, where she was selected as one of the top 40 finalists out of 200 interviewees. If you’ve been keeping count, this is big change number 3.

She did well in fashion school.Adeyinka graduated in the top 5, and won an industrial machine. With it, she designed for a while; but she says she enjoyed sketching outfit designs more than actually sewing. 

During the interview, we thought this was the tech universe calling out to her. We knew this was where the next big change happened. But we would have thought Adeyinka would get into design, she jumped onto a different path.

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“I stumbled into tech. I only wanted to get the exposure and resign after six months. Six years later, I’m still kicking.”

A friend who worked in HR at KPMG referred Adeyinka to her first tech job—a customer success associate role at Flutterwave; this was in 2018. She was reluctant to take up the offer because she knew nothing about fintech. There was also her lack of experience in tech generally. Adeyinka’s CV at that time only boasted of her Betti-O fashion school certificate and maybe her three years of running different businesses. She found it absurd to make a jump like that.

After much pleading from her friend, she did it anyway. No surprise that her selling point during the interview was running a fashion business, which—if you’re familiar with how fashion people and tailors are dragged in Nigeria—you’ll understand the level of people skills and customer relationship management efforts you had to put in to not mistakenly find yourself in trouble over little misunderstandings with customers.

Her experience managing people in her fashion business endeared her to interviewers, and she says this has helped her become a superstar customer success specialist in her career. When she wanted to leave her first job, the company pleaded with her to stay, and even offered to bump her salary by 4x. But Adeyinka left anyway.

Today, she still works in fintech, finds time to mentor newbies on ADPList, and creates skincare content on her Instagram page for anybody who’d watch. When we asked her, she said the hustle is propelling her more than anything.

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“There is money in tech; we haven’t even scratched the surface yet.”

Adeyinka’s message to all those doubting “tech money” is that there is more grass to touch. 

One of the highlights of her career was interviewing for an international role that would’ve paid her €5,000 monthly in 2022. Though she didn’t get the role (because she was over-qualified), it opened her eyes to the endless financial possibilities in tech. Adeyinka’s dream is to become a customer success manager or a big tech COO by next year. (We said a big AMEN to this.)

Albeit, she acknowledges that like most things in life, tech money isn’t instant reward. To become great at her job, she’s had to learn a lot about taking ownership, doing analytics, CRM (though Salesforce still gives her the heebie-jeebies), dispute resolution, and de-escalating customer tension—which is the hardest part of her job as she works in fintech. 

Customer success people essentially put out fires for businesses; yet there are only a few representations, communities, or resources for people who want to practice. However, Adeyinka recommends following thinkers like her mentor, Jo-Sharon Udoh, taking Udemy courses, and other resources like CustomerSuccessU. She says if you too, like her, want to make the switch to customer success, it would take six months to 1 year to become employable.

We’ve also written an edition of Entering Tech to show you everything you need to become a customer success manager. 

And as our own self-important comment, we ask you to share this newsletter with smart people like yourself. Deadpool likes chimichangas; but we thrive on your fan love.

As we wrapped up our interview with Adeyinka, we dusted ourselves, ready to leave. Then she added something we just had to put in this newsletter. “Every experience you have is useful; regardless of where you’re coming from. There is always a tie-back to tech. If you have event management experience for example, you can excel as a project manager.”

There is no limit to what’s possible.

P.S: Did you like this edition of Entering Tech? Would you like more like this or less? Share your thoughts by responding to this newsletter or sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com. 

When we first meet Tyrion, he’s a man with a wandering eye, and he reeks of the booze served at the northern feast. By the end of the show, he still pretty much had his head in a brothel. So why even take this guy seriously?

Well, let’s be honest, what Tyrion lacks in a stand-up guy, he makes up for in crucial aspects that help him play the hand he was dealt. Despite his physical stature, Tyrion’s cunning and strategic mind was his moat. This earned him an interim Hand of the King position while his father was away, and later as the Targaeryen Queen’s trusty Hand. Even Lord Varys, the Master of Whisperers, gave him a nod. People didn’t always like him, but they knew his use.

Tyrion dined with kings, counselled the wise and foolish, and escaped death on more occasions than we can count. Yet, he went all the way. By contrast, a stand-up character on the show like Ned Stark lost his head, unwilling to play the game of thrones.

Tyrion’s smarts and silver tongue got him through the cutthroat world of Westeros politics. Even the slickest operators like Littlefinger eventually ran out of tricks. Working with smart folks is helping me find my own moat—(read: that competitive advantage that sets you apart in your career.) It’s crucial to spot your moat and double down on it, but don’t forget to shore up your weak spots too.

Empathy for Tyrion was both poison and relief. His kindness for every Tom, Dick, and Harry typically set him up for situations he wished he wasn’t in. But you cannot deny that his empathy—something the Lannisters were not known for—also earned him good graces with other people when it mattered. That’s how he buddied up with Jon Snow, for example. Many folks get promoted for being aces at their jobs, but few have the people skills and empathy to really nail those roles in ways that impact people they work with. Hence why you end up with bosses who care more about results than the poor lads doing the work.

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Size doesn’t matter. Does it?

Not for Tyrion. Though he never was warrior material, when it mattered most at the Battle of the Blackwater, he led an army to defend Kings Landing against Stannis Baratheon’s invading army.

Cliché, but you’ll never get some things in your career if you don’t stand up for yourself and make big bets. You think you deserve a pay bump and you have the results to show for it? Ask! You’ve been unfairly judged at work and you want to air your opinion? Do it!

And even when you make these ballsy bets, remember that people help people they like. My favourite tweet of all time from UnkleAyo makes a pity case for people who undermine the role the ability to be liked plays in your career growth.

“I understand a dissenting dogma like, ‘It’s not my job to be likeable—it’s my job to be myself and the right people will gravitate towards me’. But if they like you, they’ll hire and train you.”

They will hire and train you! And this doesn’t have to even be about work. Humans are social creatures. They’ll naturally help and spend time with people they like.

Like, for people, can be reserved for those with great networking skills, those who they get favours from, those who they can have long-winded conversations with and come out better, and those who show genuine interest in others’ well-being. 

I bid you to choose your own “likeable” but etch it in your memory that to play the corporate game of life, you need the vote of likes from people. Not the competitive, soul-sucking, esteem-dependent likes. Just the one that makes people genuinely want to do things for you.

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“What unites people? Armies? Gold? Flags? Stories. There’s nothing more powerful than a good story.”

As you grow in your career and take up leadership roles, your job will involve bringing people together to achieve a set goal. And what better way to do it than to tell a story. Your ability to tell the right story at the right time can be the difference between success and failure. 

To tell great stories, you must read.

“A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.”

Whether you’re just starting your career or well into it, the key to reaching the top is continuous learning and application. Ask. Read. Learn. Think. Apply. Fail. Repeat. Win. Grow. Scale. People who have risen to the top of their careers often did so through a combination of education, practical experience, and perseverance. They distinguish themselves not just by what they know, but by how they apply that knowledge and learn from both successes and failures.

We hope you have been able to learn some career lessons from Tyrion. He might not be the most stand-up guy in the world; his dubious nature gives him away. But take away only one thing: he is the poster-face for playing the hand you’re dealt in the Capitalist nightmare, and coming out on top.

P.S: Did you like this edition of Entering Tech? Would you like more like this or less? Share your thoughts by responding to this newsletter or sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com. 

Infatuated by how the human body works and how fascinating the names of illnesses sounded, Eunice Jacob decided she was going to become a medical doctor. But that dream didn’t happen for her. After writing her post-UTME exam, worried that she wasn’t getting into medical school, she settled for the next best thing that bought her a freedom ticket from home: studying nursing at the Bayelsa State College of Nursing and Basic Midwifery.

That was going well for a while until it no longer wasn’t.

“I did not feel the drive and passion to want to grow in nursing, I could not see a future in it.”

Like most graduates, and this writer who studied engineering, Eunice decided one day that she wasn’t cut out for a profession she’d spent three years studying. It wasn’t the sight of blood (thank goodness) or the long hours that bothered her—it was the realisation that her heart wasn’t fully in it. While nursing was great, she thought about the next best thing to do.

One day, during a routine call with her brother, Eunice finally voiced her doubts. That conversation probably started like this, “I don’t think nursing is for me.” 

Her brother played a key role in setting her up for her tech dream. He helped create a plan for her. Before long, Eunice started taking Harvard University’s CS50 Introduction to Computer Science—one of the best computer science open courses on the internet for anybody working in tech. 

Afterwards she contributed to an open-source project called the Odin Project. There, she learnt the basics, HTML and CSS, before advancing to the nuttier stuff in Node.js and database management. Yet, for her, this was the start of what she describes as a “wonderful but challenging” journey.

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Fortune favors the bold, they say, and Eunice’s boldness paid off when she was accepted into the Women Techsters programme. Suddenly, her days were filled with intense four-hour calls, her nights with personal study sessions. The pressure to start a nursing career loomed large, but Eunice stood her ground, despite facing setbacks like lacking a functioning laptop.

But Eunice wasn’t done yet. She graduated at the top of her class in the Women Techsters program, a testament to her dedication. And as if to put a cherry on top of her tech journey, her team, Techbots, clinched the first runner-up position in a hackathon organised by BeerTech Africa, bagging a cool $2,000 tech money.

Entering tech didn’t come without the struggles. It took Eunice one year of self-learning and many job applications after to land her first role in tech. 

Her first job in 2022 was as a backend developer. It came with a paycheck that made her eyes pop: ₦150,000—more than just money, it was validation of her hard work, and her daring career switch.

That made her work even harder. Today, Eunice works as a full-stack engineer at Famasi Africa. 

From the halls of a nursing college to the binary world of tech, Eunice’s journey was anything but ordinary. She traded stethoscopes for syntax, bandages for brackets. Learning software development felt right for her, now she feels at home doing what she loves.

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If you’re someone who’s looking to pivot into tech and weighing your options, Eunice wants you to know these five things:

1. Follow your trail and don’t be afraid to change careers if you find tech more exciting
2. Learn continuously and contribute to open-source projects.
3. Take advantage of free resources and online courses.
4. Stay hungry for opportunities.
5. Most importantly, join tech communities.

We can’t stress the last part enough. If you want to grow in anything you’re doing, gather people around you who are on the same path as you, and recommend Entering Tech newsletter to them. They understand your journey better than anyone and can provide support in your down days, guidance when you’re confused, and answers when you have questions.

If you’re still in school, find tech communities to plug into and grow. Some standout ones are Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors, Data Science Nigeria, Zindi Africa, Ingressive for Good (I4G), and Google Developer Student Clubs. Most of them already exist in your university.

If you’re out of school, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Staying active and contributing in communities like Stack Overflow, GitHub, and Codementor could make a difference in your career.

Like Eunice, if you want to make a career jump to software development, we’ve created breakdowns in past editions on how to become a frontend developer or a backend engineer. Dig in and keep those tech dreams alive.

May the force be with you.

P.S: Did you like this edition of Entering Tech? Would you like more like this or less? Share your thoughts by responding to this newsletter or sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com. 

“I sell purpose. These people got nothing. Maybe they lost a job or a house or a kid to Oxy. Politicians don’t give a shit, mainstream media tells them to be ashamed of their skin colour, so, well, I bring ’em together, tell them a story, give them a purpose.” Firecracker, selling her market to Sister Sage. 

When it comes to superpowers on The Boys, there’s a brilliant and interesting array of powerups. At the extremely exciting end of things, you’ve got Kimiko’s super healing abilities (she got blown into bits and pieces and still regenerated), Soldier Boy’s nuke-capable titty flashing, and even Mindstorm’s psychic powers. On the more boring end of things, there’s Homelander with his super strength, laser eyes and flight (be original, please ), A-Train’s on-again-off-again super speed and The Not-So-Deep’s gills.

Exciting or seen-before, all these supes have one thing: talent, grit and they’re bananas! Most of the powers in The Boys are.

Very few, like Love Sausage’s prehensile dong, are anything of actual note. One such bland powered person is Misty Tucker Gray or Firecracker whose ability—other than being the only redhead since Famke Janssen’s portrayal of Jean Gray to be also called Gray and crazy—is a run-down bend-down select version of X-Men’s Jubilee. 

Firecracker makes sparks fly , literally, and not in the way that makes your stomach lurch, but a kind of spark that quickly dies when you plug your faulty laptop charger into a socket. 

Firecracker’s powers are so unimpressive that Sister Sage—whose ability is being who Elon Musk thinks he is, the smartest person in the world—describes it as “lacklustre”. 

To us at TechCabal, Firecracker lacks a certain spark.

But that didn’t stop Ms. Gray from joining the most elite Superhero team on the planet—that we know of at least. By the third episode of season four, Firecracker is made an official member of The 7 which, arguably, gives her the same spotlight Homelander, Maeve and the rest of the seven deadly sinners have had.

Now, you could argue that The 7 was down bad after losing Translucent, Noir, and Maeve (allegedly ) and would take anyone at that stage, but here’s the truth which Sister Sage herself highlights: Firecracker got the role because she’s exactly what the team needed. 

Before The 7, Firecracker was exactly who you’d think a superhero named Firecracker would be: a right-wing extremist wielding a podcast with a few hundred listeners, peddling all the phobias that presently run conversations on X (formerly Twitter). Two weeks after joining The 7, Ms Curry gains millions of followers across social media, is hosting the evening show—the most watched slot, by the way—of the Vought News Network, and has the world’s most powerful man, Homelander, attached to her nipple. Literally.

So how did Firecracker get her milkshake to bring all the boys to her yard? How did she go from a nobody to a sorta important somebody? Well, she talked. And talked. And talked some more till someone important heard her.

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Attend the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference

The Mastercard Foundation is hosting its inaugural EdTech Conference from July 8 – 10, 2024 at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, Nigeria. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference, in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, is themed ‘Education Technology for Resilient and Inclusive Learning in Africa.’Expect conversations on the current state of the EdTech ecosystem, emerging trends, the role of EdTech in solving Africa’s educational challenges and much more.

Click here to find out more.

The lesson here from Firecracker is simple: you have to talk about your work, what you do and how you succeed or most likely fail at it. 

Most people are afraid of speaking about their work because they don’t want to be judged by their work. 

Newsflash, you already are being judged by not speaking up because it could be indicative that you’re not proud of your work. 

There’s not a lot Firecracker can offer The 7 in terms of raw power or strength, but her character plays a very important role in turning the people against their opposition. She might not be super strong, super fast, or super smart, but she is super loud about her successes and even manages to turn her failures around. When Homelander, for example, finds out that Starlight escaped under Firecracker’s watch, the villainess is able to talk her way out of it. 

We’ve had over 50 guests on Entering Tech over the past 18 or so months and one running advice they’ve had for young people is to be visible: talk about your work. 

In Edition 47, 21-year-old designer Abdulhakeem Olasupo says young people must “share their work online and showcase their skills.” And the same is echoed in earlier and later editions of Entering Tech. This isn’t just about bragging rights. Talking about your work and building publicly is crucial for several reasons. 

• First, it allows you to build a portfolio of your accomplishments. Whether you’re designing apps, writing code, or creating art, documenting your process and outcomes demonstrates your abilities to potential employers, collaborators, and clients. It also provides a platform for receiving feedback and improving your skills. There are apps like Wix or even Canva that can help you build sites quickly and easily.


• Secondly, it helps you build a network. By sharing your work, you connect with peers and mentors who can offer support, guidance, and opportunities. In today’s interconnected world, visibility can lead to unexpected collaborations and career advancements.

Talking about your work doesn’t have to be time-consuming or elaborate. You can start with short posts on social media, sharing updates on your projects, challenges you’ve overcome, or lessons you’ve learned. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram are great for this. You can also write brief blog posts or create simple videos that highlight your process and results. I, for example, made it a goal this year to make one LinkedIn post per month talking about my lessons building TechCabal’s newsletter—don’t check my LinkedIn, I’m a bad striker. 

In essence, being vocal about your work, like Firecracker, can turn the tide in your favour. It’s about leveraging visibility to gain support, feedback, and recognition, ultimately propelling your career forward.

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This past week, one of my favourite people on X, growth prefect Olumide Gboukzi, made a tweet: 

“Many of you guys are two years into your career and you’re focusing on “personal branding” and telling tall tales and positioning yourselves as this and that when dem still dey drag you for office for results. Instead of keeping your head down and putting in the work. Why?!!!!”

While a lot of people misunderstood this tweet as Olumide speaking out against personal branding, the lesson here is to speak truthfully and clearly. Don’t embellish your worth like Firecracker is sure to do in the season finale of The Boys. 

This final lesson is also linked to the Yoruba saying, omo buruku l’ojo tie, which roughly translates to “Even a bad child can be useful in some way.” It’s the more eloquent version of “A broken clock is still correct twice a day.” 

This article might highlight Firecracker as this beacon for public speaking but it doesn’t, in any way, diminish her shiny faults. She may not be petulant or impulsive like Homelander, but she is a sophist who thrives on using strawman theories to justify her actions. She’s an outed paedophile, and quite frankly, one of the characters who’s sure to have a gory end in the series finale—along with A-Train . 

There’s only one thing to emulate from Firecracker—okay two, if you count pulling off a bright red lipstick—and it’s that speaking about your work and your growth can get the right people listening and propel your career forward.

P.S: Did you like this edition of Entering Tech? Would you like more like this or less? Share your thoughts by responding to this newsletter or sending an email to timi@bigcabal.com. 

Your job as a product manager is to build a great product. And your CEO’s job is to show you the vision for the product that you want to build.

Sometimes, your ideas on what you think your company needs at a particular time might differ from your CEO’s vision, even though you both want the same thing.

Often, your boss has a strong opinion about what features should be built or how the product should work, and these opinions drive the development process, even when the opinions are wrong.

Now, you might be thinking, “Isn’t that how it should be? The boss knows best, right?” Well, not always.

CEOs in startups are typically the first product owners, meaning they play a key role in decision-making. Sometimes, shedding that responsibility fully might be hard for them, even after they’ve hired a product manager. However, as specialists, product managers play a key role in developing and implementing (new) products and features.

As a product manager, you’ve got a unique perspective that even the CEO might not have. You’re talking to users, getting feedback, looking at data, and working closely with the development team. All of these inform you with perspectives that might be different from your boss. 

But here’s the tricky part: Your boss isn’t always wrong. Sometimes, they have insights or visions that could take the product to the next level. The challenge is figuring out when to push back and when to get on board.

It’s like a dance. You need to learn how to move with your oga’s rhythm while also guiding them toward what you believe is best for the product and the users.

There is an office lingo that goes, “In God we trust, everybody else must bring data.”

In one of her “oga-driven development” experiences, Temi shared an instance when her boss wanted to build an exciting product. She didn’t have faith in what they were building and raised it with her boss after running the numbers.

“We were going to burn money for the next five years,” she shared. She asked questions about her CEO’s decision, and allowed them to convince her.

It reminds us of this funny video that shows a product manager’s reality in tech companies that want to prioritise generative AI for their product roadmap because it’s trending right now.

When things aren’t all it seems with a product your boss wants to prioritise, ask questions about what they think the product or feature addition will do for the company, what other success metrics you can use to rate that decision and run tests on a smaller scale.

There are two sides to this outcome: It is either you key into their vision for the product, or convince them why that addition is a bad idea.

But, do you stand any chance to control product development decisions as an entry-level product manager?

Expert PMs who spoke to us all agree that when you get hired in a tech company as a product manager, you must spend time building stakeholder trust. You do this by communicating effectively.

When we pressed further, Elizabeth shared that she had worked with bosses who gave her product ownership, and she had also worked with others who didn’t shed the same level of authority as her, no matter what lengths she went to. She advised new PMs to focus on building friendly work relationships with their bosses.

One thing product boot camps don’t teach you is how to build this trust. Product managers are domain experts in any product they build.

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Attend the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference

The Mastercard Foundation is hosting its inaugural EdTech Conference from July 8 – 10, 2024 at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, Nigeria. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference, in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, is themed ‘Education Technology for Resilient and Inclusive Learning in Africa.’Expect conversations on the current state of the EdTech ecosystem, emerging trends, the role of EdTech in solving Africa’s educational challenges and much more.

Click here to find out more.

Three main levers contribute to excellence as a product manager: bravery, domain expertise, and top-notch collaboration skills. These factors affect the work you do, and how other stakeholders and higher-ups are able to trust your judgement.

Chioma acknowledges that entry-level product managers may experience a more “oga-driven” work style due to the knowledge gap between themselves and the CEO. However, she recommends that focusing on building stakeholder trust by being open to learning, staying curious, and keeping up with the market trends is key to success.

Temi also shared that staying naturally curious about as many things as possible that had to do with her product helped her get to the level where higher-ups began to trust her judgement more. It also helps to become adept at looking at data, and making strong recommendations off of it.

Karen advises that you document like your life (read: job) depends on it. When you run small projects, showcase your learnings and small wins; it helps to track performance with an experimentation sheet to help you build up data to back up these projects. Karen talks more about growing your skillset as a product manager in a previous Entering Tech article.

Finally, Elizabeth adds that as a product manager, you must ensure you build a strong knowledge base about your product. Nobody should know about your product better than you in your company.

Once you have a stronger grasp of your product, industry, adjacent markets, and the business of running a product like yours, then your boss begins to trust you with critical product decisions. It just doesn’t happen overnight.

Your portfolio as an excellent product manager is judged on the merits of the functional, extraordinary products you’ve built. While you start off, make learning your ally; how to break down and solve complex problems, study your market and notice trends and sentiments, and build a solid hypothesis on what will work (and what won’t). Back this up by data and experiments.

The numbers don’t lie.

However, as you build domain expertise and discover that your boss still finds it difficult to shed some product decision-making power to you, then it may be best to re-evaluate your position in that company, Temi advises.

But remember, at the end of the day, you’re both on the same team. The goal is to build something amazing that users love and help the company succeed.

P.S: You can let us know your thoughts by responding to this newsletter or sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com! 

The last stanza of my favourite poem “If: A Father’s Advice to His Son” by Rudyard Kipling goes like this: “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything in it, and which is more, you’ll be a man, my son.”

The stanza emphasises the role that important decisions (like leaving home) play in your character growth. The “unforgiving minute” typifies time. To “fill” that minute with “sixty seconds’ worth of distance run” means pushing your limits.

Deciding whether to leave home or not can be tricky. On one end of the divide, parents want you to stay back and find your footing no matter how long it takes. On the other end, you want to move out and see the world for yourself.

However, if you’ve caught yourself nodding to Twitter hot takes and need a strong pitch to convince your parents that you want to leave home right now, then take a hint from David, Technical Product and Project Manager, who left home to focus on his startup, Bondly, after trying and failing seven times. 

David left for boarding school at the age of eight, and hardly ever visited home again. When he completed his university education, he left his ₦100,000 ($63) job to take a ₦25,000 ($16) pay cut in Lagos while squatting with his friend. If this isn’t the real “hustle like your life depends on it” story, then I don’t know what is.

On the other hand, there are parents who encourage their kids to leave as early as possible and find their own footing. Picture it as that classic mother eagle myth pushing its young off its nest to teach it how to fly. This was the story Lydia, a Growth Marketer at Circo Africa shared, “My parents pushed me out of the house to go do my own thing and meet someone at NYSC.” She was 22. Curious, we asked her how that’s going for her and she said that the confidence her parents instilled in her from a young age made the difference for her as she went Han solo into the world. She now beats her hand on her chest, proud that she can now fix a light bulb.

The pattern for young people wanting to leave home is to find the freedom to do whatever they want, pursue opportunities that help them grow, meet new people—and possibly meet the love of their lives (like Lydia’s parents planned for her.) 

“Going out on your own gives you a sense of urgency to make money,” says Timothy, who left his parent’s house at 23. Timothy, who is now Product & Partnership Manager at Flutterwave, thinks that the amount of money you can make at your parent’s house is limited and leaving home guides your path to make the sacrifices needed for growth—and to up your bags.

For Oscar, leaving Abuja for Lagos at 22 to become a badass graphic designer was his valid excuse for not wanting to sit in his father’s house after graduation. Upon entry in Lagos, Oscar enrolled in a design school that would go on to fast-track his career. Pelumi, at 24, mischievously worked out his NYSC deployment to Ibadan so he could fast-track his personal development and access career opportunities in software development.

Ayomide, at 22, left his home city of Ekiti to pursue his career interests in Data analysis. That led him to discover opportunities in innovative tech companies in different parts of the world, including Rwanda where he now resides.

Chidum, now an Onboarding Specialist at Flutterwave, left home at 22 so he could regain control and be free from his errands (that were haunting him) and, most importantly, to focus on his work and career development. So, he decided to move out and find his personal space.

Like every other tough endeavour, leaving the comfort of your parents’ house is not a bed of roses,

Timothy used to wonder where his next meal would come from when he first moved out; Lydia almost cried the first time her apartment got flooded; Ayomide, felt like a stranger when he first landed in Kigali; Oscar’s loan from his mum didn’t suffice for his bills when he first moved out; Chidum’s exodus from home was met by skyrocketing inflation which made it difficult to purchase everyday items; Pelumi had a bone to pick with a lawyer and house agents after he paid for his first apartment.

While these techies found it hard at first, they adjusted just fine. Ayomide got used to the life and culture in Kigali; Lydia now knows to phone a plumber in case of emergencies; Timothy who is now getting rewarded for his work in tech no longer has to worry about his next meal; Oscar saved up his NYSC allawee to pay up his loan; and Pelumi is now the go-to person for housing hunting tips and handling house agents. 

Though it was difficult at first, these techies have forged their paths since they left home and are proud that they left home when they did. 

Finally, there is no “right” age to leave home as a young adult starting out your career. Our techies say that the most important thing you need is to prepare yourself—financially, most importantly—for the jump. Have a clear growth plan and follow through because leaving your parent’s home is the first move you make in a series of moves that cause a ripple effect.

But then, do these techies regret ever leaving home when they did? Did they leave too early? Too late? While some share things that they could have done better, the common theme among these techies is learning important skills for surviving alone, including learning how to sell yourself, learning social skills to interact with people and most importantly, acquiring knowledge on financial literacy and managing money. 

Leaving home is not easy; neither is any move that is crucial to unlocking the next step of your career growth as a young adult. The resounding message from these techies is that leaving home is frightening, but with a solid plan and trajectory for your life and career, you’ll adjust and thrive. These tiny decisions are the ones you make to immortalise your journey. Remember Kipling’s poem?

Will you take the leap of faith?

P.S: You can let us know your thoughts by responding to this newsletter or sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com! 

Attend the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference

The Mastercard Foundation is hosting its inaugural EdTech Conference from July 8 – 10, 2024 at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, Nigeria. The Mastercard Foundation EdTech Conference, in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, is themed ‘Education Technology for Resilient and Inclusive Learning in Africa.’Expect conversations on the current state of the EdTech ecosystem, emerging trends, the role of EdTech in solving Africa’s educational challenges and much more.

Click here to find out more.

Businesses need large amounts of data to make informed decisions. This data is often available only in raw formats and is hard to make sense of. 

Data engineers collect this unprocessed data and turn it into actionable and usable information for data scientists, data analysts, and business analysts, who use it to make business decisions. Data engineers are the unsung heroes, as they make it easier for data scientists and analysts to earn a living. 

Data engineers wear many hats! They source datasets relevant to business goals, develop algorithms to transform raw data into insights, design and maintain data pipelines, collaborate with management to understand needs, create new data validation methods and analysis tools, and ensure everything complies with data governance and security policies.

Too many tasks, you might say; remember, they are heroes, right? 

Before we go further, let’s tell the story of Adeolu Adegboye, who leveraged his data science background to transition into data engineering. Adeolu started learning data science when he thought the world was ending during the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2021, he got an internship as a data scientist and then transitioned to data engineering in 2022 because engineering had always winked at him.

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Data engineering is a purely technical field that requires programming knowledge of Python and SQL, along with skills in data modelling, ETL, data management, and data architecture. Adeolu strongly recommends that prospective engineers be versed in the different cloud computing platforms—Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and the Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

According to him, data engineering is a holistic skill that requires learning a bit about everything, from database handling to analytical reasoning, machine learning, data security, data storage, and so on.

On the soft skill rung of the ladder, problem-solving, communications and stakeholder management are the most important skills. Data engineers are required to ensure the end user/client understands the full context of what the data provided can do for them. 

If you’re wondering where you ca learn data engineering, Adeolu recommends that you follow the 100-day plan for newbies in data engineering by The Seattle Data Guy. He teaches a range of topics and provides a spreadsheet that houses over 50 courses, challenges, and materials. Adeolu claims that if followed religiously, the 100-day plan could potentially land you an internship or even a full time role if you’re a badass. 

Data professionals I have spoken with for this series say Data Camp is a safe haven, if not heaven, for data professionals. Courses on the platform are made by data professionals and cater to different phases of your learning journey. While courses on DataCamp are priced, Adeolu recommends free alternatives on Codecademy and Coursera. 

Below are some of his recommendations. 

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The 3i Africa Summit!!!

Are you ready to be part of the FinTech revolution in Africa and across the globe? Join us, as we prepare for the unforgettable 3i Africa Summit that unites industry leaders, businesses, investors and innovators.

Venue: Accra International Conference Center, Accra, Ghana.

Date: 13th – 15th of May, 2024.

Register here to save your spot!! You do not want to miss out on this!!

However, if you are looking to take a stab at it right away, Adeolu claims that following the 100-day plan mentioned earlier by The Seattle Data Guy can land you an internship or an entry-level job. If you’re not planning on going through that route, we have some other tips for you. 

As we have recommended in other episodes, getting your first role as a data professional is not rocket science. The short answer is: put yourself out there, send out cold emails or messages, have a tailor-made CV, join great communities, and attend job fairs and industry events.

Adeolu also recommends documenting your learning journey—on Substack or Medium—and sharing it on social media as a surefire tip for getting noticed in the data engineering field. Applying for freelance and volunteer projects on sites like Omdena is a great way to build your portfolio. 

They say you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. But I’d say finding the right community is like finding the perfect pair of jeans. Joseph Ojo, a data engineer at Nomba, a Nigerian fintech, says joining a community is the best way to upskill and discover new trends—and even job opportunities as a newbie. He recommends joining communities like Young Data Professionals (an invite-only community) and Data Engineering community.

To stay updated on the latest industry trends, Joseph recommends living partially on Medium and subscribing to relevant newsletters like

• Start Data Engineering
• Data Engineering Center
• ByteByteGo Newsletter
• SeattleDataGuy’s Newsletter

P.S. You can also share feedback—or a shoutout—with us about this edition by sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com. Did we leave something out? Is there something else you’d like to read? Let us know! It helps us write even better editions.

Sign up for The Big Daily

Ready to get smarter or just hoping to sound like the smartest person in the room at your next networking event? Subscribe to The Big Daily newsletter to get filled in on the day’s most important happenings. Subscribe now → thebigdaily.substack.com.

As you probably know given Meta’s updates to WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, AI is here to stay. Powering AI is underlying skills such as data science. AI systems are powered by data and data scientists play a vital role in collecting, cleaning, and preparing this data. And without data science, AI systems would be unable to learn, improve, or generate valuable results. However, there exists a shortage of data science talents globally.

But experts say not everybody can fill the boots of a data scientist. 

Last year, we attended Blue Chip’s Data and AI summit, one of the talking points was how not everyone can pursue a career in data science. Why? Well, panelists at the event acknowledged that data science requires a combination of rare technical and non-technical skills. 

Adewale Salami, the CTO of First Bank argued that a combination of having the conviction to solve human-related problems and a hold of mathematics, algebra and statistics skills is the right mix to becoming a data scientist. Tough requirements, you might say.

But you don’t have to be deterred by any of those requirements. Take Olarewaju Oyinbooke, who didn’t have a background in statistics and went on to achieve senior roles in data science at Microsoft and is now a top data management voice on LinkedIn.

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To become a badass data scientist, strong programming knowledge—of either Python or R—is important. However, that’s not all. Olarewaju emphasises curiosity as an important skill for budding data scientists. 

Without it, it will be difficult to deliver great business value. 

You need curiosity to start with data in different forms, “torture” it until a pattern solid enough for business value emerges. Curiosity also helps you clarify several assumptions that could impact the quality of your work.

If you are not naturally curious, you can learn it by applying “the first principle of thinking”, which demands that you ask “why” five times when faced with a problem. 

A proper mix of other soft skills like communication (as you will need to keep stakeholders informed through the different phases of your work), stakeholder management, teamwork, and time management are essential for your career as a data scientist. 

While R and Python are essential programming languages for learning data science, don’t break a sweat on deciding what programming language to stick with. Olarewaju says what matters is what you can do with them. Instead of debating on which of these tools to use, Olarewaju says you should consider:

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The Africa CEO Forum is here

On May 16 and 17 in Kigali, for its 11th annual summit, the Africa CEO Forum will call on its community of 2,000 business leaders, CEOs, investors, heads of state and ministers to seize this critical moment to shape a new future for Africa. Click here for more information.

Here’s what the typical career path of a data scientist looks like: Data Scientist Senior Data Scientist Data Science Manager VP/Head of Data Science

Now that you have learned the basic skills to become a data scientist, it’s time to land your first role. This requires a strategic approach. 

Olarewaju says your job search will be easier if you have a strong portfolio to showcase your skills. This will help you stand out and open doors to new opportunities.

Additionally, tailor your CV to each role, as generic applications may put you at a disadvantage. Volunteering your skills or training others can also provide valuable experience and interview preparation. Also, working on a project related to a trending topic or industry can help you get noticed. 

Attending job fairs and career events can also help you network, get job placement and learn about industry trends. Similarly, setting up job alerts to stay informed about new openings does the trick. 

To stay up to date and learn about new tools and their applications in data science, Saheed Niyi, the runner-up at Bluchip’s data competition suggests joining data science communities. Here’s a list of communities you should join:

• DSN AI Network
• Zindi Africa
• AI Saturday Lagos
• Data Fest Africa

You should also follow thought leaders like Gift Ojeabulu, Bayo Adekambi, Wura Oyewusi, Victor Dibia, Wole Fagbohun, Prince Canuma, Derrick Mwiti, Zoumena Keita, Wes Kembale, Sharon Ibejih, Marlene Maghami, Jessica Ayodele, Bunmi Akinremi, and Olanrewaju Oyinbooke—in the industry is also a way to stay updated.

As much as data talents are in high demand globally, Olarewaju warns against thinking of a career in data science as a get-rich-quick scheme. I’ll add that no career in tech should be seen as a get-rich-quick scheme. 

Due to the plethora of available online learning resources, Olarewaju asks to be wary of consuming too many contents simultaneously without achieving the learning goals for each. Another trap to avoid falling into is the beginners’ loop where you constantly learn without implementing what you have learned.

We hope we have been able to stir you on the path of becoming a badass data scientist. To connect with Olarewaju, you can reach him on LinkedIn and on Twitter. If you’d like to learn about data engineering, our next episode caters to that. See you around! 

P.S: You can also share feedback—or a shoutout—with us about this edition by sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com. Did we leave something out? Is there something else you’d like to read? Let us know! It helps us write even better editions.

Sign up for The Big Daily

Ready to get smarter or just hoping to sound like the smartest person in the room at your next networking event? Subscribe to The Big Daily newsletter to get filled in on the day’s most important happenings. Subscribe now → thebigdaily.substack.com.

AI systems are powered by data and data analysts play a vital role in collecting, cleaning, and preparing this data. However, data analysts are not restricted to just AI alone. Businesses use data analysis to understand customer behaviour, identify sales trends, and optimise marketing campaigns, helping them make smarter decisions and gain a competitive edge.

Today we’re learning from the story of Mariam Adeoti and how she went from being a booksmart economics undergraduate to kickstarting her career as a data analyst.

Mariam’s journey into data analysis started in 2019, while perfecting her search query for some data she had been looking for. Before she transitioned into data analysis, Mariam had worked as a community manager and programme manager at an NGO. During COVID, Mariam took courses on data analysis and eventually landed a role at Briter Bridges, an international data analytics firm, after a year of self-study.

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To become a data analyst, you’re required to learn multiple technical skills: SQL, Excel, Python, and PowerBi. However, Mariam says you do not have to learn them all at once. Mariam recommends starting with Excel especially if you don’t have any previous programming experience before moving on to SQL and Python.

To become a data analyst, you’re required to learn multiple technical skills: SQL, Excel, Python, and PowerBi. However, Mariam says you do not have to learn them all at once. Mariam recommends starting with Excel especially if you don’t have any previous programming experience before moving on to SQL and Python. 

While all of the tools are important, Mariam says preference for each skill varies with different companies. Remember to learn one at a time and build proficiency with it as you go. Mariam recommends building real-life projects even as you learn these skills to demonstrate your proficiency. 

To do this, Adekoya Teleola, a data analyst trainee at EduBridge Academy, recommends using the real-life data set Kaggle. 

Problem-solving, communication, and collaboration are the top of the soft skills needed to thrive as a data analyst. While your role as a data analyst is to help a company uncover insights in places often overlooked (which demonstrates your problem-solving skills), this brings to the fore communicating and working with stakeholders(collaboration) to transform the insights found into results.

While newbies might be fixated on learning technical skills, Mariam says developing your soft skills is equally important. She recommends taking the McKinsey Forward program to bolster your soft skills.

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Data analysts often work across different verticals including including business, tech, finance, oil and gas, criminal justice, science, medicine, and government. While there are no hard and fast rules, Mariam recommends creating a shortlist of target industries. This will help you identify the skills and qualifications needed to land a job in your chosen field.

As we established earlier, different industries have different technical knowledge requirements—while some require applicants to have Excel knowledge, others require knowledge of both Excel and SQL. Being familiar with your choice industry’s preferred technical skill can help you tailor your portfolio to getting a role.

Data analysts who spoke to us claim e-commerce data analytics and cybersecurity data analytics are hotspots for aspiring data analysts. Mariam says there is a demand for analysts to help e-commerce startups understand their data.

If you’re transitioning into data analysis from a non-technical background, Mariam recommends leveraging your current experience; Look for data analyst jobs in industries similar to your current one. Your existing skills are likely transferable, giving you a strong foundation to build upon and stand out amongst competitors. Mariam also suggests networking as an easy route for landing your preferred role. 

Data analysts who spoke to us recommend a combination of networking, building and sharing in public, following seasoned Data analyst professionals and top podcasts, joining communities, and attending webinars and events as a surefire tip for growth.

Here are some recommended communities you can join:

• DataFestAfrica
• Women in Data Africa (WiDA)
• Young Professionals in Tech
• SheCodeAfrica
• For Data Geeks

Recommended Influencers and podcasts to follow include Jess Ramos, Tina Huang, Daliana Liu, and Tom Mitchell.

Before we draw the curtains on today’s episode, Tom Mitchell, a data consultant gives free advice on how to navigate your role as a data analyst. According to him, to thrive as a data analyst you need a blend of 70% soft skills and 30% technical skills. Tom Mitchell also recommends getting good at cleaning data as only a small number of companies have good data to work with. 

That’s all on the first of the trifecta series on data skills. Next week we’ll dive deep into the skills needed to become a data scientist.