My passion for technology has been an integral part of my life, from my childhood until now. I have always been fascinated by the inner workings of various technologies, such as the control mechanisms for robots, functional web applications, and the various energy systems (solar, wind, fuel, etc.) that supply power.

Additionally, I have had a keen interest in electronic devices like mobile phones and computer softwares, and I have always sought to understand their functionality.

During my first year in university in 2017, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in a Robotics Skill Up program organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE).

I began my programming journey by learning C++, which I implemented while working on an Arduino Uno board project - building a remote-controlled robot car. This experience was eye-opening and expanded my reasoning capabilities.

Through learning the fundamentals of robotics computing, I also gained knowledge about web development and even created a basic website using HTML, CSS, and PHP.

In September 2017, I became involved with one of the largest coding programs in the Eastern region. I enrolled in the program which was known as #100hoursOfCoding & #EastCanCode, which was organized by Codespace Technology here. Thanks to EngrChidi who was the coordinator.

I stayed in a hotel for several days and learned extensively about web development using HTML 5, CSS, Bootstrap, and Javascript, along with other developers. It's worth noting that all these experiences were fully funded, and I'm incredibly grateful to my wonderful uncle for sponsoring me throughout this journey.

A few prominent software developers from ForloopAfrica visited to give some tech talks, and I believe that Samson Goddy was also present, although we were not acquainted at the time.

In 2018, I began to lose my passion for coding due to various factors such as a lack of motivation, not having a good laptop, school work that required a lot of attention, and a lack of awareness about developer communities within my school. Despite my challenges, I kept practicing through mobile apps like Solo Learn and Code Editor, but I didn't feel the same level of excitement. It's important to note that consistent practice is crucial in retaining coding skills. If you don't practice for a few days or weeks, you can easily lose those skills.

Despite my waning interest in coding, I found a new passion for design and began to educate myself by watching YouTube videos and reading articles on Medium. With time, I honed my skills and became proficient in design.

In 2020, I delved into the world of cryptocurrencies and began to learn about the Web3 space, which encompasses the evolution of fintech. I familiarized myself with the terminologies and applications used in transactions and trading within this space. I even made some profits through trading currencies, although I withdrew during a dip in the market.

I had the privilege of being part of a fantastic team led by my friend Victor Onwuelu, in the Hult Prize competition. This global competition challenges young people to come up with innovative solutions to pressing global issues through social entrepreneurship, with a reward of $1,000,000 for the winning idea. Participating in this competition exposed me to an innovative ideation process that is integral to product design, and I was proud to be a regional finalist. (I will create a separate article on this experience.)

Around 2021, I became increasingly interested in product design and began to conduct my research through Google and YouTube. I watched many videos and also gained some knowledge from Design_pal. In 2022, I had the opportunity to embark on an exciting learning journey at Zuri Ingressive For Good, a US-based tech training platform. Collaborating with teams of designers and developers during the training to build live projects helped me develop my skills further. I attended numerous meetings and felt well-prepared for anything that came my way. I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Seyi Onifade @xylux and all the amazing mentors I met at Zuri Ingressive For Good. They are my heroes.

During my internship at Zuri, I designed Twitter's profile UI dashboard and it gained a lot of attention on Twitter. It was one of the days when my post went viral. However, I eventually withdrew from the spotlight and went back to focusing on my work.

While working on building CompareX, a SaaS project for comparing Excel files and correcting errors, we had to attend multiple meetings. It was during this project that I realized that I would eventually return to coding. I would like to raise a toast to my Zuri project teammates and supervisor, Mr. Samuel Nwanwobi, who was truly exceptional!

When the HNG Internship 9 link was shared, I enrolled in it despite going through a tough time with depression. However, I managed to persevere through it all and collaborated with my teammates to improve my skills.

Though I couldn't keep up with the program till the finals due to various challenges including university projects and exams, the experience I gained until stage 6/7 was priceless. I am grateful to Mark Essien and all the mentors who helped me along the way.

I participated in the ideation and design of some screens for a project my team was working on, which later went live under the name speakbetterai.

Following my final year projects and exams, one of the mentors at HNG referred me to a startup, where I was able to continue developing my skills and improving as a tech professional. I will write about this experience in a separate article. Now, in 2023, I am still working to improve and become even better.

Currently, I am enhancing and refining my developer skills from scratch through TIIDELab. It's going to be an amazing learning experience. TIIDE stands for THINK, INNOVATE, IDEATE, DEVELOP & EXECUTE. Mr. Shamsudeen Aderoju led the first class at TIIDELab, and it was very beneficial. He mentioned that we would learn critical technical skills, project conceptualization, problem-solving, data analysis, and technical writing.

TIIDELab is a program designed for young innovators and aspiring techies to enhance their skills in software engineering, creativity, and innovation. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to learn and improve my skills through this fellowship. To learn more about TIIDELab, check out the link.

In addition, TIIDELab collaborates with ITF & NECA to achieve their objectives. I would like to express my gratitude to my good friend Ebuka Nwokporo for introducing me to this program.

We will continue to strive for improvement until our goals are achieved. I am simply C.Sam who loves everything about technology. Stay focused and cheers to greater achievements!

Chidozie Samuel (Designer/Dev)

Additional events occurred during my journey as a techie that I have not mentioned. I also participate in numerous technology conferences, which also contribute to my growth.

Let's meet at the top!