My Turning Point in Tech: Moyinoluwa Olawamide’s Story
On the first day of the business management class at Semicolon, I had no idea that my dreams were about to change. Until then, I had fixed my mind to work in a polymer company as a software engineer — a goal shaped by my course of study merged with tech. But as Dr. Adeyinka Adewale shared his stories and insights, a spark was ignited in me. By the end of that course, I knew my path had shifted: I wanted to build my own startup.
A series of factors led me to this point, some of which you might find surprising. For example, my initial interest in software engineering was sparked by a movie where a girl was praised for her brilliance in the field. This happened shortly after I had completed a degree in polymer technology. As if by fate, my father’s friend mentioned Semicolon, and that’s where my journey began.
Still, I had only a vague idea of what tech entailed and what the program at Semicolon would be like. In my mind, I pictured a private school filled with rich kids, which I saw as an opportunity to connect with others.
My first day at Semicolon was eye-opening. I met people from different states across the country. The early non-programming classes had little pressure. But when the core programming courses began, it was like trying to climb a mountain in flat shoes — every step was a struggle, and I often felt like the challenges would never end. Determined, I began burning the midnight oil.
Persistence was my key to survival. When we started learning arrays, I felt like I was seeing magic on my screen — things seemed to vanish into parentheses. I struggled for a week before I finally got it right. A similar experience occurred during our phase-gate period. I was under such pressure that something which had taken me two weeks to figure out, I suddenly completed in less than five minutes.
Things started to click when we began learning Python. It felt like something opened in my mind, and suddenly, all the earlier languages and concepts made sense. It was an insightful and mind-blowing period that I still can’t fully explain. It was as if all the other languages had been waiting for Python to set them free in my mind.
From that moment on, I felt a new sense of pride in myself. All the days when I had felt like an imposter or like I was just floating through the program were gone. I became confident that I could be a great software engineer, and my plan was to find a polymer company to work with, aligning my career with what I had studied in school.
Then came the turning point. The last course we took in the program was the business management class taught by Dr. Adeyinka Adewale, who flew in from Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK, to teach us. His stories and experiences brought back a passion I thought I had lost.
Before the program, I hated making decisions. But in one year, I’ve come a long way. I know what I want now. I believe it is my duty to contribute to the tech ecosystem in Africa, and the Techpreneurship program at Semicolon has given me the right tools to do so.
If Moyin could change her dreams, so can you. Visit apply.semicolon.africa to begin your journey.