Change remains a constant factor in our world. So, it is safe to say that change is good, but if not well managed, getting caught up in its web could be daunting. It becomes easy to be blown by every wind of change without a proven premise or basis for such a motion.

Here in this write-up, I shall be sharing my key takeaways from the impervious decision I took by transiting into tech from the Accounting world, to help new entrants who are fainting or struggling to learn how to learn the language of the web, what to know, and probably offer few suggestions of where to learn.

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

Why the Change?

It is a custom for every graduate here in my country to be subjected to a 12-month voluntary service after graduation. As a young and proficient graduate of Accounting, I woke up to several prospects within one year of compulsory national service by the Federal Government of my country.

I worked as a Junior Accountant, became the Head of Internal Controls, and took on a few external auditing jobs as recommended by my employer to his network of CEOs. I was good with my job, but somehow, not with myself. Aside from the many casualties of my duty of care and the fact that I am hurting more people - which I don't care about, I was more concerned for their problem of illiteracy and low zest for education. I wanted to do more, and this got me out of the private sector with humble resignation.

To be brief, I started working on a project - MindPrep Nigeria. I was busy reviewing models of several online western educational platforms in a bid to curb the vicious effects of COVID-19 on students by floating an online community for mentorship and preparatory studies. While at this, splitting the benefits and counting the costs, I discovered the missing piece. I had no money to build or sustain the system.

Hence, the need for CHANGE...

Starting with the Right Motivation

Needless to say that it was a herculean task at first. The concepts, conventions, syntaxes, and constructs are all different from what I studied in the past 4 - 5 years. Luckily, I have worked as an Accountant and HR with a veritable Agri-Tech organization that has won several international awards and contracts (USAID, the trade hub inclusive) shortly after I left the previous appointment - Elkanis & Partners. I experienced what it was like with engineers. Their love for problems and craving for solutions. The "Not again!" bug hunting, and their "Yes/Eureka" moments, plus I have a problem I would also like to solve. I also admitted that I don't just want to be someone who observes or dissects the aftermath of business operations but would want to make impactful contributions to avert failures and protect the interest of all business stakeholders. That way, I'm a happy guy who's put a smile on every face, unlike my previous engagements.

See how prepared I was before taking the ride...?

Photo by Luke Peters on Unsplash

Motivation Checklists

• Why should I learn Software Engineering?
  Search for existing problems that align with your passion. The odds are already against you if you start anything without a reason. You will be forced to abort the process for that same reason - no reason.

• What other options do I have?
  For me, I would only be living for the money if I can't help people. So, I told myself that mastery in tech was the only new way I could become myself again. First, the opportunity it affords me to work remotely, the global competitiveness, and the experience to build my start-ups. No other career can serve me with these, all on one plate. I had no alternative.

• Is it okay to fail, and for how long?
  If it is your first time, as it was with mine, you will have plenty of opportunities to split the apple. I prepared to fail but was smart at it. I don't reverse engineer my decisions especially if they're crucial. I have never failed a course in my life, nor repeated any on grounds of incapability. But my friend, I did fail severally while learning to become a Full Stack Engineer, but I learn more than I get stuck these days. Be willing to give it the enthusiasm it deserves, and the effort it demands.

  Practice! Practice! Practice!

• How disciplined can I be?
  Oftentimes, your patience with yourself erodes, and the feeling that you are not making sizeable progress will explode - this feeling is referred to as imposter syndrome. It will make you jump ships, change programs, watch more videos, have lots of unfinished projects, and may eventually scare you off. You will need a high level of trust in your deliberate efforts and a non-negotiable commitment to being consistent.

• Can I invest in the right tools?
  I've seen and heard people showed weird interest in coding on their phones. As you have guessed, it most probably will be a charade that sets one up for "not-for-long" successes. Before I decided to give it time, I was sharing my work devices with my learning. First, it deprives me of the consistency we talked about and then robs me of consolidating my knowledge due to the time and opportunity gaps. If you are set to achieve this feat, it'll be worth it to invest in quality specs and devices to reduce your stress level. Plan not to get tethered by the things you can control.

Where/How can I start?

Failure to give this factor thorough scrutiny is why most people got drowned in the trough of sorrow. In this recent time when information is just a click away, you tend to meander and get hooked up in several well-meaning links or be a victim of other people's uninformed opinions.

Get it right, there are tonnes of verified authoritative sources like W3Schools, FreeCodeCamp, Codecademy, among several other platforms where you get to learn and practice the art. You can choose to faff around on YouTube, hopping from one video to the other. These unstructured or unguided models may however leave you with slim a chance to enjoy the ride.

Maybe you are considering a career switch, or you probably planned to get serious about learning tech, having been a beneficiary of several platforms before I finally resort to one - wish I considered to be the best for me, I can recommend Microverse.

Microverse offers quite a vast amount of opportunities to take ownership of your learning, provides you with a well-structured system that allows you to track your progress while working on projects, gives you real-time remote work collaboration experience and the opportunity to network with other internationals.

Click on the link to read more about Microverse