Semicolon Spotlight Series: Peter Aideloje
Please introduce yourself
My name is Peter Aideloje. I am a Software Engineer at Seerbit.
Tell us what you do at Seer Bit in one simple sentence.
I am involved in API integration, testing and documentation using Spring Boot application, Postman and Swagger UI. Seerbit is basically a Payment as a Service (PaaS) company (FinTech) that provides services through APIs.
From working as a banker to becoming a software engineer, what piqued your interest and how was the transition?
My interest in Software Engineering started a while ago. However, at the peak of the Covid-19 lockdown era, when many traditional business operations suffered huge losses, we all saw tech founders like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Apple inc (trillion dollar profit declaration) smiling to the bank. There and then, I knew Tech was calling my name. *smiles* You can call me a business Software Engineer. Lol.
Although, the transition was daunting at some point because I guess I didn’t understand what was going to be required of me upfront. But again, I’m glad I didn’t know, I probably would have chickened out even before starting. Lol.
There isn’t any other easy way to go about it, because changing careers takes time, patience and a zillion load of practice! You need to set specific, actionable goals, do your best to achieve them within a set timeline, and not give up even if you encounter hurdles. You also don’t want to overwhelm yourself and always remember that everyone learns at their own pace and no one has become an IT pro overnight!
What new things did you have to learn?
I started my first journey in Software Engineering at Semicolon Africa as a Cohort 6 Native. Frankly speaking, I wasn’t someone who welcomed a different thought process because I felt number 9 should be glaring to all. At the time, I failed to realize that another person’s perspective sees the same number as 6. We are both correct, and I learnt the skill of agreeing to disagree. The design/critical thinking session helped me to recognize and observe fallacious statements and enum preparations. I also got a culture of discipline instilled in me. During some moments of doubt and wanting to give up, Desiderata/Equipment came to the rescue. Lol. “You have all that the greats have had, two arms, two legs and a brain to use if you will be wise”.
You have garnered a lot of experience and continuously shared your knowledge in this short but not short time, how do you manage to do this with your job?
Multi-tasking doesn’t really come easy. Even the best of us also need time to cool off. However, with tech, after a lot of tasks come rewards. To put it in simpler terms, “na money dey motivate me. Lol”. The hack I see here is, to set your eyes solely on the target or goal.
How particularly has Semicolon shaped your growth?
Discipline! Discipline! I felt like I was in some kind of cage at the time of the training, but it shaped me to be more time conscious and to remain a lifelong learner.
What do you enjoy doing most in your day-to-day job?
I enjoy building projects from scratch with the Spring Boot application and I become fulfilled seeing them working. I love networking with colleagues during breaks to discuss politics, especially with my team lead who holds a different political view. Lol.
Describe your ideal day.
A day with no bug fixing and I get credit alerts. *winks*
Do you have any personal projects you are working on?
Yes. There are lots of them. I work with several renowned technology companies to build projects and document them like Twilio, LogRocket and educative.
Productivity tools you can’t go a day without?
MacBook.
Finish this sentence “When I’m not working, I’m looking out for the next cool spot to chill in Lagos, and building new networks or trying to maintain existing ones.
