Inspired by a Movie to Switch Career Paths

Today, we tell the story of how Folasade Olayanju was inspired by a movie she saw to transition from Law to the Technology field. She is proof that inspiration can come from anywhere and that you don’t need a background in tech to have a successful career in tech.

Folasade Olayanju is a Women Techsters Fellow from Lagos, Nigeria. She is a lawyer who is currently on a transition journey into tech. She is specifically interested in Tech Law and Policies and likes to code. Now, she is mastering Software Development while exploring learning opportunities in Fintech Law and Policy.

Folasade was encouraged to go into tech after seeing people without prior knowledge of tech make a beautiful career for themselves in tech. She also wants to one day inspire people and show them that regardless of their educational background, they can thrive in the tech ecosystem.

The first time exploring a career in Tech crossed her mind was when she saw a movie titled “Hidden Figures” during the COVID era. She was intrigued by how women like her were solving world problems using tech. Before then, Tech was like a foreign career path that she knew nothing about, but after seeing the movie, she started to do some research and realized that if she wanted to chase a career in Tech, web development would be a suitable career path.

Folasade applied twice for the Women Techsters Fellowship, first in 2021 and then in 2022. She was in Law School in the middle of her externship when she applied and got admitted into the Software Development learning track.

Initially, the Women Techsters classes and her Bar finals were clashing, and after the exams, she got a job that conflicted with the Women Techsters class, but, over time, she found a balance. She also struggled a lot with network issues but did not let it deter her.

The Fellowship helped her build her interest in Tech. She went from being confused about several things to being able to create a slider component with React.js and Tailwind CSS. The learning structure in the Women Techsters Fellowship also inspired her to do some personal learning and acquire some certifications.

In addition, she was able to give back to her community through the Women Techsters Tech drive and acquire soft skills that equipped her to build a career in the Tech ecosystem.

She intends to keep learning, leveraging what she learned during the training, build projects, and apply for internships to help her gain more hands-on knowledge.