This is the first instalment of TechCity’s Rookie to Techie.
We will focus on sharing experiences and narratives on how ‘Techies’ have gotten into tech, highlighting their challenges, motivations, and valuable insights on how they have navigated the tech landscape from different starting points.
This week we speak to Anjola Adekunle, a UX and UI designer whose dream was just to have a regular white collar job but ended up falling madly in love with design. Here is how Anjola went from Rookie to Techie.
Let’s start from the beginning, did you ever think Tech was something you will find yourself doing?
A: I can’t particularly say I knew for sure that I was going to venture into Tech but I always just knew I was going to have a white collar job. I never knew what industry or what space but I knew I wanted to be a career person. When it comes to Tech, I was already in the line because I studied Communication and Information Technology at Covenant University. With that kind of foundation It was easy for me to transition into tech.
How was studying that course like for you?
A: It was hell. It was very difficult. Reflecting on it now, I think it is because of the kind of learner I am, the university setting just did not work for me. I had to go the extra mile to be at the same level with my peers.
Woosh! Must have been difficult. I’m curious, why did you choose the design field? I mean there are so many other options you could have chosen so why UX and UI design?
A: It was 2020 during the thick of COVID, I was in a long distance relationship at the time. My then girlfriend was in Los Angeles and I was here, in Lagos. I didn’t have a job at the time and I was still figuring school out as well, so I had a lot of time on my hands. I could stay up late to call her and stuff like that. During this period I used to see tweets about UX and UI design. I usually bookmarked them but I never really went back to check it you know. Anyway, on one of our calls, she just says, “don’t you have anything better to do with your life?”
Yeeeee!
A: See, that was like a rude awakening that it was time to learn something new and to actually do something with my life (laughs). So that’s how I picked up design.
Let’s talk about the learning phase, how was it like for you? Did you do bootcamps, join fellowships or did you just wing it.
A: This goes into what I said earlier about the kind of learner I am. I am more of a self starter as opposed to the natural classroom environment. I am basically self taught. I would go into Figma and start figuring stuff out on my own. There were also a lot of YouTube videos I watched and Udemy courses I took. Then I just continued practicing on my own because obviously practice makes perfect.
How did you land your first tech job? Walk me through the hiring process.
A: There was a period where everyone was talking about sharing your work and I am naturally shy but that kind of pushed me to put myself out there. So I worked on a case study and put it on Behance as well as other random designs I had done and I also put the link in my twitter.
At this time, I remember praying to God. One of the things I told him was that I never wanted to have an unemployment phase and be in a space where I am just looking for a job. It felt like God was actually listening because in June, the CEO of a product agency in Ghana messaged me on Twitter.
We had a whole call over google meet and it wasn’t like an interview it was more of a conversation around design. One thing I would say is that I suck at interviews. They put me on the spot and interviews always make me feel like it’s a make or break thing. But I really liked how this one went.
So yeah, that’s how I got my first Job, I started right after my final exams in August.
Ah, ah, Testimony Time. Did you share testimony in church?
A: Funny enough I did. It felt good and I did enjoy working with them.
Transitioning from being a learner to actually working in the field can be quite a big change. Did you have impostor syndrome and did you ever feel like quitting?
A: So till today I have impostor syndrome. First few weeks into my role, it was crazy, there was a lot of figuring out to do because going from learner to having a manager and being in product teams can be very intimidating. There was this project they gave us, it was so new to me because I had never done something like it before and I didn’t want to look like a novice, because I wasn’t an intern, I was a full time staff so I didn’t want them to have second thoughts. So I reached out to my friends for help and then I figured it out and moved on to work for more clients.
Is this role everything you thought it would be? What are your biggest lessons?
A: I feel like designers are not as valued as they should be, we need to be at strategy level conversations. Going into design, it’s everything that I wanted it to be and one thing I have learnt is that design is largely very subjective. It can be called some form of art and it can be left for everyone’s interpretation and that can be very stressful because imagine me putting the work into something that I have spent so many hours on and my manager now tells me that he doesn’t like it. What I have learnt now is that whatever feedback I am getting from my manager, it has to be data driven.
Is there a particular industry or problem space you’d love to see better design solutions for in the future?
A: I guess it will be hospitality. There is a lot that goes into managing hospitality like restaurants, hotels and more. A lot of designs I have seen in these spaces are not really well thought-out.
What non-tech-related hobbies or interests influence your design approach?
A: Travel.
So I haven’t travelled a lot but I have also found out that whenever I get burnt out, I leave to explore a new place. I remember there was a time I was so unproductive at work, I was more or less useless, so I took some time off and went to Ibadan, it felt like I was falling in love with design again. After my trip I was able to finish all my projects.
What advice would you give to aspiring UI/UX designers who are just starting out in the field?
A: I no get advice oh. But I would say with design you need to have very good taste so you can produce quality design. And the rest, you will figure it out.
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