The Afro Dev Guy Podcast (ADG)

A lot changes when you first get the news that you will be becoming a Dad for the first time. A simple google search out there will bring up a lot of materials that favour women the most. There is very little for the men and so "We" just dive right in and focus on staying above water when the little angel arrives. 

I have been thinking about this in the last few days and decided to make an episode discussing the topic. I obviously didn't say everything I thought either because I forgot but I try to distil the main things to be aware of. Hopefully, someone out there finds this useful and you brace yourself for the changes that will happen. 

After a long break from recording due to fatherhood, Christmas break and life in general, I am back again starting 2023 with a new episode. I get to meet speak with someone I have known for a time but haven't really spoken to. We get to learn about his career as a Data Analyst and most importantly his experience freelancing from Nigeria for US-based companies. His name is Ibanga Ibanga.

Seasoned data analyst with proven expertise in extracting insights from raw data to facilitate informed and data-backed business decision-making. Experience includes an excellent career working with organisations ranging from Silicon Valley start-ups to Fortune Global 500 companies.

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/iibanga/

Upworks - https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/iibanga?s=1110580752008335360 

I recently caught up with Mitchel Offiong who I have known for a couple of years dating back to my undergraduate days. He is currently researching his Ph.D at the university of Exeter and I thought maybe I can listen and learn about his work. I hope you enjoy this as well. 

Profile: Mitchel Offiong - Ph.D Researcher University of Exeter

A Researcher/Lecturer with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Trained by the University of Exeter, UK, to teach in higher education. Skilled in Data Analysis, Public Speaking, Research and Programming. Currently investigating the use of Deep Learning tools to manage Smart Water Taps (SWT) in a context peculiar to the sub Sahara region. When completed, the study will help to ensure sustainability of the SWTs through predictive maintenance of the systems.

Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3jskwMESzH40xVIXthxX1C?si=e166c39186c04966

Mr Oludolapo Soboyede is a UK-based Software Developer and founder of http://www.yinkos.com/. With a long track record of working in the Software Space, I decided to catch up with him and get to hear his back story. When not doing what software developers do, he is into music and loves to tinker with Electronics. 

He currently blogs at http://www.wonderousponder.com and if you are interested in his professional service you can then reach him at http://www.yinkos.com/. 

Interview with Martin Egede

In this episode, I get to talk less and listen more. This episode marks the first Guest on The Afro Dev Guy Podcast. I get to learn and listen to the story of how Martin got into Tech. Challenges he faced and what keeps him going in his career.

Martin Egede

My name is Martin and I work as a Cloud Network Engineer for a company based in London. I started working in IT fully in 2013 when I got a job working night shifts on the Service Desk. I stayed on that path and continued to grow my skills in IT Networking and Cyber Security. In 2020, I changed roles to begin my journey with Cloud technologies which is such a vast space. I enjoy it, but it certainly keeps me on my toes.

Links

Outlanders Diary - https://outlandersdiary.com/

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-e-12b53466/

Hosts:

Ndifreke Ekott - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cancelerx/

Blog: https://ndifreke-ekott.com/

During the 2020 covid lockdown and the rising increase in online engagement through platforms like twitter, TwitterTwitter paces and clubhouse, there has been a significant increase in the number of people picking up interest in programming. I mean we have software channels on Instagram and Tik Tok which traditionally anyone who has been in tech for a long time would be surprised and it feels weird. What happened to slack, IRC channels and the likes.

I have witnessed a lot of 100 Days of coding challenges on social media and it has gathered communities together. I have also seen people use the 100 days of programming to gain social currency. Though I am happy there are more people interested in tech, I sometimes wonder if these challenges are genuine? This got me thinking about how I see software development? I thought back to how I started, why I started and what still keeps me in this space. 

Is software development a hobby? 

In this episode, I talk about the different ways to approach selecting your preferred technology stack. I give a back story of how I started and the path that led me to my current stack (Python).  There has been a spike in tech recruitment and transitioning from other fields into tech of late, especially during covid. The boom in job postings has shown a high demand for tech skills in different layers of many organisations from Non-technical tech roles like project management to deeply technical roles.

Links: