Afrigather 
Concern #71
From Trend
To Tech
Greetings ET individuals 🖖🏾
Our techie right this moment, Adeyinka, is aware of so much about vogue so right here’s one vogue joke to get a great chuckle earlier than we get rolling. Whereas writing this article, we found she had tried no less than three issues earlier than she discovered tech; it’s like attempting completely different garments on earlier than discovering the precise match.
Adeyinka studied laptop science, left it and joined vogue faculty. When that didn’t actually click on, Yinka reluctantly bought into tech after a pal really useful her for a buyer success position.
In the present day, she says she nonetheless has her eyes on vogue, however proper now, she is discovering achievement within the position she performs within the tech ecosystem.
That is the story of Adeyinka Ajenifuja and the way she transitioned from vogue to tech.
Religion Omoniyi & Emmanuel Nwosu
As soon as upon a time
Adeyinka was a wide-eyed laptop science scholar throughout her undergraduate days at Lagos State College. She at all times wished to do one thing in data expertise, however a busy college system ruined her probabilities.
Like many tech college students in public universities, she realized learn how to code utilizing pen and paper. There was little or no practicality about something she had learnt about computer systems, science, or the mix of the 2; and slowly, however certainly sufficient, the wide-eyed scholar started to lose her marvel.
After graduating, Adeyinka determined she was going to begin a enterprise. She was not lower out for the every day 9–5 bustle. So, she gathered the energy solely a Lagos babe might muster and began a small enterprise promoting sunshades for individuals who wished to get their LadiPoe Massive Vitality groove on.
Enterprise thrived, and he or she began eyeing vogue. She jumped ships from sun shades to promoting garments, sneakers, and different equipment she purchased from the UK to Nigerians and helped shoppers change their wardrobes. Enterprise was good for an additional 12 months earlier than she stopped.
After that, she determined once more to dip all her fingers and toes into vogue design. She bought into Betti-O College of Trend, the place she was chosen as one of many high 40 finalists out of 200 interviewees. If you happen to’ve been preserving depend, that is large change quantity 3.
She did effectively in vogue faculty.Adeyinka graduated within the high 5, and gained an industrial machine. With it, she designed for some time; however she says she loved sketching outfit designs greater than really stitching.
In the course of the interview, we thought this was the tech universe calling out to her. We knew this was the place the subsequent large change occurred. However we’d have thought Adeyinka would get into design, she jumped onto a special path.
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Coming into tech by probability?
“I stumbled into tech. I solely wished to get the publicity and resign after six months. Six years later, I’m nonetheless kicking.”
A pal who labored in HR at KPMG referred Adeyinka to her first tech job—a buyer success affiliate position at Flutterwave; this was in 2018. She was reluctant to take up the provide as a result of she knew nothing about fintech. There was additionally her lack of expertise in tech typically. Adeyinka’s CV at the moment solely boasted of her Betti-O vogue faculty certificates and possibly her three years of operating completely different companies. She discovered it absurd to make a soar like that.
After a lot pleading from her pal, she did it anyway. No shock that her promoting level through the interview was operating a vogue enterprise, which—should you’re conversant in how vogue individuals and tailors are dragged in Nigeria—you’ll perceive the extent of individuals expertise and buyer relationship administration efforts you needed to put in to not mistakenly end up in bother over little misunderstandings with clients.
Her expertise managing individuals in her vogue enterprise endeared her to interviewers, and he or she says this has helped her grow to be a famous person buyer success specialist in her profession. When she wished to depart her first job, the corporate pleaded together with her to remain, and even supplied to bump her wage by 4x. However Adeyinka left anyway.
In the present day, she nonetheless works in fintech, finds time to mentor newbies on ADPList, and creates skincare content material on her Instagram web page for anyone who’d watch. Once we requested her, she stated the hustle is propelling her greater than something.
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Yinka’s dream
“There’s cash in tech; we haven’t even scratched the floor but.”
Adeyinka’s message to all these doubting “tech cash” is that there’s extra grass to the touch.
One of many highlights of her profession was interviewing for a world position that might’ve paid her €5,000 month-to-month in 2022. Although she didn’t get the position (as a result of she was over-qualified), it opened her eyes to the countless monetary potentialities in tech. Adeyinka’s dream is to grow to be a buyer success supervisor or an enormous tech COO by subsequent 12 months. (We stated an enormous AMEN to this.)
Albeit, she acknowledges that like most issues in life, tech cash isn’t prompt reward. To grow to be nice at her job, she’s needed to study so much about taking possession, doing analytics, CRM (although Salesforce nonetheless offers her the heebie-jeebies), dispute decision, and de-escalating buyer stress—which is the toughest a part of her job as she works in fintech.
Buyer success individuals basically put out fires for companies; but there are only some representations, communities, or sources for individuals who wish to follow. Nevertheless, Adeyinka recommends following thinkers like her mentor, Jo-Sharon Udoh, taking Udemy programs, and different sources like CustomerSuccessU. She says should you too, like her, wish to make the swap to buyer success, it will take six months to 1 12 months to grow to be employable.
We’ve additionally written an version of Coming into Tech to indicate you every part you have to grow to be a buyer success supervisor.
And as our personal self-important remark, we ask you to share this article with good individuals like your self. Deadpool likes chimichangas; however we thrive in your fan love.
As we wrapped up our interview with Adeyinka, we dusted ourselves, prepared to depart. Then she added one thing we simply needed to put on this e-newsletter. “Each expertise you’ve got is helpful; no matter the place you’re coming from. There’s at all times a tie-back to tech. If in case you have occasion administration expertise for instance, you may excel as a undertaking supervisor.”
There is no such thing as a restrict to what’s potential.
P.S: Did you want this version of Coming into Tech? Would you want extra like this or much less? Share your ideas by responding to this article or sending an electronic mail to e-newsletter@techcabal.com.
Right here’s the place to search out your first tech job
If you happen to’re enthusiastic about kicking off your profession in tech, right here’s an inventory of job boards that frequently add their platform with African tech jobs.
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