COVER STAR INTERVIEW - YVONNE OGWULU

“If you are good, startups might try to bait you with a lot of money. You don't always have to accept it.”- Yvonne Ogwulu. 

Nigerian Product Designer and Innovative Startup Operator, Yvonne Ogwulu has been a trailblazer in the Nigerian tech ecosystem within the past three years. She founded Tech Girl Magic Initiative to discover and inspire young female tech talents to pursue a career in Technology.

Through this initiative, she provides them with the opportunities she didn’t have at the start of her journey. Ever since its inception, Tech Girl Magic has granted mentorship, sponsorship and career support to young girls aspiring to become tech professionals. 

InstaPalava reporter, Dandy Anwuacha had a chat with Yvonne Ogwulu, where she told us her story, and shared some valuable insight on how she’s been able to climb up the ladder within such a short time. 

InstaPalava: Yvonne, thank you so much for the opportunity to have this interview with us. Firstly, can you tell us a little about yourself, your background and how you started your career?

Yvonne: My name is Yvonne Nkechi Ogwulu. I was born in Lagos, but I hail from Enugu state. I come from a devoted Christian family of 6, and I’m the second child. I’m passionate about family, and I love God to bits. 

My journey in tech was born out of my academic career and personal interest. I studied Electronics Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). So, I was always going to be a tech girl, in one way or the other. Now, this doesn’t mean that everyone who studied the same course ended up in tech, but my path was written in the stars because I became obsessed with computers right from childhood. I was always playing around on my father’s computer, and curiously finding out features that everyone else in the house didn’t know about. Each time anyone had a tough time doing something on the computer, they’d call me, and I’ll find a way around it. So, I was always enthusiastic about playing with computers. 

While in university, my love for computers continued to blossom, but I didn’t exactly find my path in the first three years of my academics. However, My journey in the Tech Space officially started in 2020 when I got an Internship opportunity with Learnable – a Genesys Tech Hub Initiative which runs for 6 Months. I got more exposed to the world of Tech and Software Development and I knew it was the path I wanted to follow.  

InstaPalava: So there’s this problem that most people have with starting a tech career. They always face the challenge of deciding which skill to specialize in. For some, they’d try software development, shift to cybersecurity, move to DevOps, and also taste a bit of designing. Did you also face this dilemma?  

Yvonne: Well, I never really hopped around, but I won’t say that I knew from the get-go that I wanted to do Product Design. During my student Engineering I.T (Industrial Training) Year in 2018, I discovered Evans Akanno and Bolanle Banwo. These guys are excellent designers, and going through their social media blew my mind. Their designs were out of this world, and I wish I could do something like that. At first, I observed them from afar, and kept going back to keep up with their activities.  

As for coding, I knew it wasn’t for me after trying it out for a while in my final year. Right from childhood, I always did amateur designs on my dad’s desktop using CorelDRAW. So, I wasn’t a stranger to designing. I loved sketches a lot, so decided to go with it, and never looked back. Yeah, I did face the dilemma of deciding between coding and designing. But when I tried coding for a moment, I just knew it wasn't for me. 

InstaPalava: People always say that tech is a male-dominated environment. Do you agree? And how difficult was it to get in and achieve what you have achieved so far? 

Yvonne: Well, I wouldn’t really say that it was hard to get in because while the tech space is male-dominated, those guys are always willing to teach you if you want to learn. The reason it seems there are more males than females in the ecosystem is because of a societal mindset that sometimes permeates into women. Young girls are most of the time scared of doing difficult things like tech. They have this belief that you have to be a tomboy to want to do some things. They think they don’t have the brains, the resilience and every other virtue needed to excel in this career. I wanted to break that stereotype so badly.  

Back in UNN, we had a tech hub. But sadly, there were few ladies there that could be counted and it challenged me to include more women. Bolanle was the only woman I could look up to and get answers to my questions but I couldn’t always access her. The rest were guys, and quite frankly, they were helpful and willing to teach.  

Things have changed now, though. The space is no longer as male dominated as it used to be. Just like Tech Girl Magic, so many organizations have created programs to empower women and girls to acquire tech skills and build a career. We’ve come a long way and the mindset of a lot of women has changed. We did a Laptop Scholarship Program in September and over 300 women applied. I looked at their portfolio and was wowed! Then it dawned on me that we have put in a lot of work over the years to break the stereotype. It’s almost surreal. 

InstaPalava: Tell us about your career trajectory so far. Let’s talk about numbers. How has your earning grown overtime?

Yvonne: Like I said earlier, my journey started at Genesys Tech Hub. I applied for an internship and they accepted me. I stayed there for 6 months and learned a lot, and in the end, I got retained. My first gig was for a Blockchain company. One of my first side gigs was for an early stage Blockchain Company which I was paid about ₦80,000 a month which was for a three months contract basis. Since then I have done other projects that paid better. I have worked with Bitmama and other Blockchain startups. I have also worked in Edutech, travel and many other industries.  

Many people think that tech is a get-rich-quick scheme. It actually isn’t. You have to build overtime. You have to be willing to keep learning and learning and practicing at all times. You have to put in an incredible amount of work and build a portfolio that earns you the kind of pay you desire.  

You have to also learn to work with people, which was not one of my strongest points as when I started out in Tech. Sometimes, there'll be misunderstandings. People may not want to listen to you, and you'll be compelled to sit through different meeting sessions even when you don't agree with their approach, and you have another method you believe would make the job seamless. You just have to be accommodating, open minded and a people person. This has been my experience working with Startups so far and sometimes it gets easier by the day. 

InstaPalava: What has been your experience with the tech recession? There seems to be this problem of job security as many tech firms, in recent times, have had to downsize for financial and operational reasons.  

Yvonne: I've never experienced a tech recession, and I've never been laid off. I know it happens. It must be such a painful experience, but I guess if it ever happens, I just have to pick myself up and look for other opportunities. I believe in networking and having multiple skills. Which was why I recently transitioned and broadened my skills from Product Design to Startup Operations and Project Management. If you're always putting yourself out there and letting people know what you do, you will be fine. You should also always gauge the industry or company you're working with, and anticipate it. That way, you'd be able to deal with it better.  

InstaPalava: Still on layoffs, what's your take on jumping jobs? Sometime ago, a developer went viral on Twitter after he announced his exit from a lucrative opportunity at Flutterwave. He left the unicorn to lead a team at an early stage startup. Many people in the tech space criticised him. Do you think it's a good thing to jump jobs, especially as you're not so guaranteed of security?  

Yvonne: This is quite dicey. I wouldn't say it's a good thing, and I wouldn't condemn it totally either. The thing is, you have to be more focused on making an impact wherever you find yourself. Whatever organization that hires you expects you to make an impact there. Yes it's okay to look out for new opportunities, but you need to find a balance, and not let money drive you. It's also important to ensure that your reason for leaving is solid.  

The truth is that if you are good, startups might try to bait you with a lot of money. You don't always have to accept it. Some people think that the huge paychecks will always keep coming but sometimes when they get in, they find out that that's not always the case. Then they'd wish they stayed back to continue working and learning at their previous workplace.  

I left a job I really liked because I wanted to transition career roles and try out new things and I felt it was the right time. See, that's a pretty solid reason. So, while seeking financial security, you need to always find a balance, and not just jump out whenever another company throws money at you. 

InstaPalava: Tell us about the challenges you've faced so far in your career.  

Yvonne: The first challenge I faced, and still face from time to time is imposter syndrome. At the start of my career, I almost rejected the first few jobs I was offered because I felt like I didn't have what it takes. It was a Blockchain startup and so I had to learn about the Blockchain space before I could deliver on the work. I challenged myself and proved that I could do it.  

Working with people is also a challenge. Dealing with different personalities and opinions. I've had friction with teammates, and had to learn to communicate with people. It's a challenge because the more you grow in your career, the more you get to work with people. 

 

InstaPalava: Thank you so much, Yvonne. This has been insightful. Are there any final words you'd like to leave for someone reading this? Maybe someone who's just starting out their tech career.  

Yvonne: I'd always advise people to look within and not outside. Don't jump into a career because of what people are doing. Look within yourself and find out what you're most interested in. If you have an inclination towards something, go for it. Just try it, and when it clicks, you'd be happy you did. Also be consistent. You can't achieve greatness if you're always off and on. You have to be intentional, and have a career roadmap. That's how you’d eventually find your feet in this Tech space. 

Interview By: Dandy Anwuacha | X - dandy__x 

Yvonne Ogwulu - IG - yvonne_ogwulu

Tech Girl Magic - IG - techgirlmagic_