MY JOURNEY: From Zero to Tech Lead

It’s been over a year since I graduated from AltSchool Africa, and what a transformative ride it’s been! From having no background in tech to leading software projects at Tech N’ Goodwill Limited, my journey has been packed with lessons, mistakes, growth, and soft skills development.

The Beginning: A Casual Chat That Changed Everything

It all started with a simple, casual conversation. I was wrapping up my national service year, uncertain about what the future held. During a chat with a friend about starting a career in tech, he mentioned AltSchool and even hinted at scholarships. I didn’t have a clue about tracks or specializations, but I knew I loved solving problems and creating websites that looked good. Frustrated by poorly designed apps and websites, I gravitated toward Frontend Engineering. Ps. I didn’t get a scholarship.

Luck, Timing, or Hustle? The Secret Sauce

On 27 Oct 2022, I registered at AltSchool.com, took the entrance exam, got in, and joined the Slack community. That’s where the real magic began. I was anxiously waiting for the program to kick off—days turned into weeks, weeks into months. While waiting, I dove into the community, sharing ideas, asking questions, and soaking up everything I could. Someone recommended the W3Schools Discord community, which turned out to be a treasure trove—filled with brilliant minds, eager to help and share.

That community taught me a vital lesson: don’t wait for the perfect moment—start now. I took some courses on Udemy, especially Jonas Schmedtmann’s HTML and CSS course, which was my first real step into coding.

Taking the Leap: Joining AltSchool and the Power of Community

Once the sessions started in March 2023, I was attending live classes, consuming online resources, and studying with external materials. Our tutors were incredible—constantly urging us to read ahead, explore documentation, and learn independently. He’d say, “Things won’t always be this slow; the real work is coming.” And he was right.

The Real Work Begins: From Learning to Building

Fast forward a few months, the first semester exams and assessment projects arrived. Like many, I procrastinated—relaxing, learning, but not actively building. When I finally started, I finished the project and was about to submit. I made my first commit, pushed to GitHub, but then I wanted to make some tweaks. I successfully pushed my code, but it wasn’t showing up on GitHub. I kept checking, sweating, frustrated—until I realized my codebase on my computer was gone. The repo was empty. Less than two hours before the deadline.

Resilience in Action: When Code Disappeared and Resilience Took Over

E shock me! — what now? Give up? Call it a day? Nope. I grabbed my laptop and started from scratch. That moment turned out to be my biggest lesson. I rebuilt about 70% of the project in just an hour—spotting errors, correcting them, simplifying my code. I was more proud of that second version than the first. I submitted just before the deadline, exhausted but victorious. Later, I sent an email to the facilitators, asking for an extension. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one—others also needed extra time—and I got it. That extension allowed me to finish the project properly.

Soft Skills & Hard Skills: The Perfect Combo

What I loved most about this journey was the AltSchool community—meeting brilliant minds, peers, tutors, mentors, facilitators, instructors, circle members, guest speakers, and organizers. The soft skills I learned—writing, content creation, collaboration, leadership—were just as vital as coding. I remember thinking HTML and CSS were enough to conquer the world. In Setemi’s unmistakable voice: “boom!”. His guidance, recommendations, and relentless pushes kept me going through the toughest moments. He’d tell us, “Read ahead, explore documentation, learn independently,” and he meant it. His advice wasn’t just about coding; it was about developing the mindset to grow beyond limits. One of the most impactful resources he shared was the “Learning How to Learn” course on Coursera by Deep Teaching Solutions—an eye-opener that transformed how I approached learning.

Leveling Up: Mastering JavaScript, Vue, React & More

In the following semesters, I dove into JavaScript, Vue, and React. I also took more of Jonas’s courses: The Complete JavaScript Course: From Zero to Expert and The Ultimate React, Next.js, Redux & More. These courses helped me go from a complete beginner to a confident developer.

Capstone Project: ScissorsWeb — Putting It All Into Practice

My capstone project at AltSchool? A URL shortening web app called ScissorsWeb. It performs URL shortening with custom text or emoji aliases, QR code generation, authentication, database storage using Supabase, analytics, error management, theme modes, and animations with GSAP—all built with React TypeScript. It was a fun, challenging way to put everything I’d learned into practice. Check it out here.

Looking Ahead: The Future of a Tech Lead

Today, I’m proud to lead in tech, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. To my fellow learners and future tech leaders—keep pushing, keep learning. The best is yet to come.