As the year has come to an end,a lot has happened. The unforseen invisible enemy descended on us like a ton of unprocessed gold.The whole world came crushing and the economy took a stand still resulting in majority of people losing their very own source of income.
In the midst of this turmoil something good if not perfect came out of it. In this article I'll be retrospecting on everything that has happened this year..
How I Went From A Waitron To Data Analyst
Immediately when the Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by health expects in March 2020, my own world started crumbling down. I lost my job as a waitron after working in the hospitality for a little over half a decade. I lost my emotional composure as I started getting really frustrated. The fear of the unknown crept in and believe you me I felt like a fly caught by a cobweb. I then decided why not equip myself during this lockdown period and gain a skill set. I have always been fond of technology and computers that's when I started looking for free online courses with the help of my husband. Like most people I started with basic programming languages that is HTML and CSS, then proceeded to learn Python.
While i was busy studying,i came across an article at freeCodeCamp on How To Became A Data Scientist that's where i transitioned on becoming a Data Analyst. During that period i joined She Code Africa community where i meet like minded women in tech. While i was building my first project with the help of Sharon Ibejih i managed to advance my skills to the next level.
Open-Source
When venturing into programming, you can never turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to open source, let alone not get interested. My first encounter that really got me hooked on OSS was during the month of August,when i heard about Outreachy and Hacktoberfest. I attended few webnair sessions and honestly i got interested and wanted to participate. I reached out to Ruth Ikegah and she gave me just about everything to get started on open source and accrued benefits that comes with it. I took a leap of faith and went ahead and applied for the Outreachy Internship program even with the little experince i had and my initial application got accepted. Finally i had an opportunity to contribute to open source while working on a real project. During the Outreachy contribution phase i also got a chance to meet amazing people and work with very insightful mentors. I explored different concepts and learnt how to apply various solutions to get exceptional results. It took me 3 weeks to actually finish the whole project with the help of Jesse Amamgbu and my mentors. Although i didnt make it to the final stage, i benefited a lot from participating during that period. Treasure's which I still hold valuable to date
Technical Writing
I have always loved writing,it's something i enjoy doing and very passionate about, although i haven't been consistent in the past years. When i came across Hashnode Bootcamp 2 i knew it was time to rekindle an old flame and without thinking twice I went ahead and participated. I opened my own blog in October, the best decision i have ever made and participated consistantly throughout the bootcamp period. Being part of the Hashnode community has been so far one of my greatest archivement. I have had a priviledge to meet great women in tech, the likes of Victoria Lo, Edidiong Asikpo to mention a few.
They're really my role models 😊
My network has been growing and I have managed to boost my skill set in the process.
What's Next ?
Currently i have been granted an opportunity to volunteer at She Code Africa as a Technical Coordinator, this is something i haven't done before but taking this opportunity gives me a chance to plough back my knowledge to others as well. This coming year I'll be focusing more on Machine Learning and definitely getting better as a technical writer. I will also be taking any opportunity that will assist women in getting better at their skills and give them the support they need.
In Conclusion
I would like to thank everyone who have supported me in my tech journey. Without any shadow of doubt I do now believe in the metaphorical idiom of a caterpillar.