Elizabeth Meshioye was in secondary school when she developed an interest in computers. Curious about how to make those things on the monitor work, she started Computer Science at YabaTech, but dropped out shortly after. 

She shared her Enye transformation journey with us. 

How did you go from a dropout to an Enye graduand?

After dropping out of YabaTech, I went to NIIT. There I made some friends, completed my course and moved on. I stopped doing anything computer for a while. Much later, a former YabaTech colleague called me and asked if I was still interested in IT. He was working on a project and was interested in mentoring people. I joined his mentorship program as a PHP backend developer and got a job later on. It was the first time I actually started taking software tech seriously as a career path.  

Then lockdown happened. The company started laying off people.

Lost your job?

Nah. Funny enough, I’d wanted to leave even before lockdown. I wasn’t satisfied with my job because I didn’t feel challenged there. So when I heard murmurs that they were going to start laying off engineering staff, I resigned.

How’d your Enye journey begin?

During the lockdown, I decided I would take the extra time to develop my skills instead of looking for a job. I wanted to get grounded in JavaScript and pivot to the front-end. I made some friends and joined a tech bro WhatsApp group. Someone forwarded the Enye call for applications link for Cohort 4 to the group chat. A friend then nudged me to apply. I shrugged my shoulders and filled the form. 

Imagine the pleasant surprise when I got new that I’d scaled through the first challenge.

Before the Enye program, how long have you been programming?

Three years, if you count my NIIT days.

Why did you pivot from back-end to front-end?

I ama a visual person, and I’m interested in improving how we interact with content. I love design. I do graphic design. At some point, I also dabbled into UI. I went through hardcore CSS tutorials and discovered that I liked CSS too.

But everyone hates CSS…

My friends say the same thing. But I don’t know; I just love CSS. I can’t say why, which is ironic ‘cause I once hated CSS.

Oh, so you passed through that CSS-hating phase too.

Yes, But after a while, I grew into it. I followed YouTubers, CodePen, et cetera, and later realised that it could be enjoyable once I got the hang of it.

What was your role during your Enye program?

I worked as a frontend engineer. I worked with a founder on a progressive web app to help retailers procure products easier and faster.

When the program started, I was learning React. I had plans to learn TypeScript in a couple of months. During the Enye precourse, I found out that I would be required to use TypeScript during the program. It was really challenging for me because I was working while learning. 

Before Enye, I’d browse the internet looking to challenge myself; some of the projects I’d seen online were either too advanced for me, or too basic. Enye gave me the challenge that I was looking for and helped me ramp up my skill efficiently. Enye requires fast learners; I am one. 

Lessons learned?

My biggest takeaway from Enye is that you don’t have to know everything. So long you’re willing to learn and dedicated enough to, you can transform your career. Enye also taught me to communicate and collaborate better in a remote setting, especially when I’m blocked. Before, I used to think that reaching out for help meant I’m not good enough, but I’ve come to understand that it’s a lot better to reach out for help than try to fix it yourself and waste time in the process. I’m typically a shy person; I used to hesitate to reach out. I am no longer the time-waster

Each week, our Software Engineering Program students share their transformation stories through Enye. Catch up with us on Twitter