From Design Tables to Database Tables: My Journey Into Tech

#career #codenewbie #motivation

They looked like superheroes to me. That's what I used to think about people who could code. People who could type mysterious commands into a black screen and watch magic happen. People who could build apps, solve problems, and create solutions from thin air. I would watch them from afar, admiring their craft, wishing I could do the same. But I was an Industrial Design student at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), sketching products and learning about ergonomics — not algorithms and APIs. And yet, deep inside, there was a question that wouldn't let me rest: "Why didn't I choose Computer Science?"
Throughout my years at FUTA, that question haunted me. Not with regret, but with curiosity. With hunger. I loved design. I loved creating. But something about tech called to me in a way I couldn't ignore. The ability to build tools that could reach millions. The power to solve real problems with code. The freedom to create impact beyond physical products. I didn't know how to start. I didn't know if it was too late. I just knew I wanted to be more than an admirer — I wanted to be a builder. Then, in my final year, everything changed.
A friend introduced me to the ALX Software Engineering Scholarship. I remember staring at the application form, my heart pounding. This was it. My chance to stop wondering and start building. My chance to become the person I had been admiring from a distance. I applied. I got in. And my world exploded. ALX didn't just teach me code — it taught me how to think like an engineer. I learned C, Python, Linux, and the core principles of software engineering. But more than that, I discovered something I didn't know existed inside me: a deep, burning passion for backend development. While others gravitated toward flashy frontends and beautiful designs, I fell in love with the logic behind the scenes. The databases. The servers. The APIs that make everything work. The architecture that holds it all together. I found my calling in the invisible — the backbone that powers every application, every platform, every innovation. And for the first time in my life, I stopped wishing I had chosen Computer Science. Because I realized I didn't need to.
A few months after completing ALX, I took another leap. I joined InternPulse, and that experience became another turning point in my journey. InternPulse didn't just sharpen my technical skills — it transformed me as a person. My confidence soared. I learned what it truly meant to work in a team, to collaborate, to communicate, and to solve problems together. Every challenge I faced there made me stronger, more resilient, more ready for what was coming next. While I was still in the middle of that internship, scrolling through LinkedIn one evening — doing what every developer does: looking for opportunities, learning, and connecting — that's when I saw it. Programmify. PIP4. I clicked. I read. And something in my chest stirred. This wasn't just another program. This was a movement. A community of builders in Africa who weren't waiting for permission to create. Who were solving African problems with African solutions. Who believed that the future of tech wasn't just in Silicon Valley — it was right here, in our hands. I applied immediately. And then I waited. Days felt like weeks. Weeks felt like months. I checked my email obsessively. I refreshed my phone. I prayed. And then… the acceptance email came. I screamed. I cried. I called my family. I was in.
Now, I'm part of the Zenith House team at Programmify's PIP4 program, and I can barely put into words what this means to me. This isn't just an internship. This is my launchpad. Here, I'm not just learning backend development — I'm applying it. I'm building AI automation tools. I'm working with databases. I'm solving real problems. I'm collaborating with other passionate builders who share my hunger and my vision. Every day, I wake up knowing I'm not just consuming technology anymore. I'm creating it.
If you're reading this and you feel like I once did — like tech is for "other people," like you're too late, like you don't belong — let me tell you something: You are not too late. I didn't study Computer Science. I didn't start coding in primary school. I didn't have a laptop until university. But I had curiosity. I had hunger. I had a dream. And that was enough. The question isn't whether you're qualified. The question is: Are you willing to start? Because every superhero you admire was once exactly where you are now — standing at the edge, wondering if they could do it. They just decided to jump.
I don't know what the future holds. But I know this: I'm no longer the boy who wondered, "Why didn't I choose Computer Science?" I'm the man who chose to build anyway. I'm the backend developer who loves solving problems others don't see. I'm part of a movement of African builders who are creating the future, one line of code at a time. And this journey? This beautiful, challenging, terrifying, exhilarating journey? This is just the beginning.
To Programmify, to Zenith House, to every mentor and teammate who believed in me — thank you. To everyone reading this — your time is now. Your story matters. Your code will change the world. Let's build. 🚀