Building a Career in Tech: Jessica’s Journey

Jessica Oladele is a recent graduate who resides in F.C.T, Abuja. She has recently earned a B.Sc. in Economics and Education from the University of Ilorin and started to gain practical steps to build her career and develop herself.

Early last year, she became interested in Product Management as she was looking into potential career paths available to new graduates. She found the role to be intriguing and versatile, aligning with her passions for practical work with visible impact. As someone who values continuous learning and growth, she saw this as a positive career path to pursue.

A friend told Jessica about the Women Techsters Fellowship training a few hours before the application deadline, and she decided to apply for the program. Being overwhelmed by the amount of advice on what she needed to learn to become a successful professional in tech, she saw the training as a more structured learning environment.

The Fellowship program helped Jessica to build her knowledge, skills, and confidence, and she is grateful for the opportunity to learn from her instructor, Ms. Eno and her peers in the program. Through the program, she was able to learn various software and skills such as Jira, product development, agile development, business analysis, user flow, product marketing, and product launch.

One of Jessica’s proudest moments was leading her Women Techsters Fellowship study group team in completing a mini-project. This accomplishment helped her to feel confident both as a leader and as a woman in tech. While she faced some obstacles along the way such as upgrading her laptop and managing her time effectively, she persevered and found ways to stay organized by creating to-do lists and being more selective with how she spent her time.

Jessica has already applied for internships and plans to complete specializations in Product Management through Coursera to broaden her knowledge. With the hope of making a positive impact within the industry, she has learned a lot and is looking forward to utilizing her skills to build a product from scratch.

Her advice to women hoping to transition into tech is to be receptive to criticism and be willing to put in the work. Although it may be a challenging journey, there is always room for growth and development in the industry.