Road To Andela

I knew not what I wanted to do with 
my life two weeks after my 
National Youth Service Corps(NYSC).
One of the days at NYSC camp.
Dad: Blessing you mean you don’t 
have a CV?.
Sam: Blessing you suppose get CV naah, 
come take my own take do your own.
I am a graduate of Electrical Electronics 
Engineering and I met Reality 
face-to-face after NYSC. 
I realised I needed to be fully 
responsible for my living and if 
possible that of others. 
The only thing I was sure of was 
that I couldn’t spend my life cutting 
off people’s electricity, that was 
the kind of job I saw people with my 
kind of certificate doing. 
I just wasn’t into Electrical works.
I sought God’s face in prayers for what 
I needed to do with my life. 
One day as I mopped the verandah of 
the house I heard clearly “Programming”, 
I looked around it was just me, 
I knew in my spirit that it was the 
answer to my prayer, Yippeee!!!.
I asked a friend about programming, 
and he said I had to move to Lagos 
from Benin to learn it, he tried 
to explain it to me but I just 
didn’t get it.
I heard of a place I could learn 
Java programming language in Benin 
it cost around 100,000 Naira or more.
Dad: You mean after 5years in school 
I should spend extra to train you 
again when you have several siblings.
I actually felt irresponsible for 
wanting to put anymore burden on my 
parents, so I started searching for 
a job. 
I now had CV’s, for an engineer, 
secretary, customer care representative, 
oil company intern, e.t.c.
In my heart, I just had this desire 
for a job that will pay me while 
training me. I never heard of such 
job opportunities
I was called for aptitude tests, 
I passed some, failed one, 
I almost agreed to a customer care 
representative/sales person job.
The job interview that stopped my 
search for a job, was the one PZ. 
The selection process was no joke. 
I got to the final stage I was 
asked one question “Is this what 
you want to really do?” 
I couldn’t hold back the tears, 
I needed a job and yet my answer 
was “No” and I couldn’t get my 
lips to say it.
You know what happened, I didn’t 
get the job.
I knew at that point, I had to go 
back home, go back home to Programming.
P.S My Dad loves his kids like crazy, 
but reality and resources checkmates 
our love.
I am out of choices, I have to trust 
God if He truly said it, He will do it
After all that happened here:
I knew not what I wanted to do with my 
life 2weeks after my National Youth 
Service Corps(NYSC).
I was back in Benin after a fruitless 
search for a job but not without some 
new information. Ebele a dear sister 
reached out to me that there was this 
tech-related job that she believes 
I will be good at, she sent me a link 
to apply. 
It was the Andela first all-female boot camp. 
I was too late the application ended 
that day, I decided to prepare for 
the next opportunity.
Andela was a real place that was going 
to groom the next generation of tech 
leaders and pay them while they were 
still learning, Yippee!!!.
Me: Dad I really need to learn that 
programming, I will get a job in 3 
months if I do.
Dad: Okay, go pray that the money comes.
I found out I could pay partly 
starting with 30,000 Naira, I told 
my Dad about it. Later in the day…
Man: Sir, here is your share 30,000 Naira.
Me: Daddy, thats the money I prayed for.
Daddy: Yeah I know, you can have it.
I have never felt so much joy, gratitude, 
passion and interest in learning.
I studied everything I was given to 
study and beyond, I went the extra 
mile in learning. 
I had to combine it with real housework too. 
I was supposed to pay 15,000 Naira 
fortnightly, sometimes the money 
didn’t come early. 
I would be called aside/outside in 
class to answer payment questions and 
I couldn’t get an Oracle Java textbook 
of my own till I completed payment
Some months later, 
I got a ‘we are open for applications’ 
email from Andela, I applied. 
I did the personality test and studied 
with the resources I was given.
My parents got married, Yippeee!!!. 
Yeah, I meant that literally. 
I got so busy and tired after the wedding. 
I decided to watch Flash that night 
using up my laptop battery. 
Before laying down to sleep that night, 
I decided to pray and read some scriptures. 
As I read my bible I felt a strong 
urge to check my mail. 
I dropped my bible picked up my phone.
There was a mail from Andela, I had 
to do an Online Test, it was going 
to time out by 11:59pm that night, 
it was 10:00pm already, 
I had no battery on my laptop, 
no electricity, no fuel in the generator, 
everyone was already in bed.
Knock, Knock
Dad: Who is that?
Me: Daddy please it’s me, it’s urgent.
Dad: Okay, what is it?
Me: I have an assessment tonight.
I was extremely nervous, we took a 
torchlight and went to a neighbour’s 
house to knock. He let us in, internet 
was bad, really bad. My laptop’s touchpad 
was misbehaving too, thank God all I 
had to do was click on the answers. 
My palms were sweating, the site was 
doing all sorts too.
My Dad sat there, asking how it was 
going, at a point I stopped responding, 
he later slept off. My good neighbour 
kept the generator running.
I clicked submit at 11:58pm.
I made it, I am going back to Lagos
After all that happened here:
I am out of choices, I have to 
trust God if He truly said it, 
He will do it
I passed the online test and 
was called for a face-to-face 
interview. 
I knew I would pass the interview 
and get into the Andela bootcamp. 
I was that confident. 
I did pass the interview and was 
sent a mail to come for the 2 
weeks bootcamp, Yippee!!!. 
I got a new shoe from Yaba, 
courtesy my cousin whose skirt 
and shirt I was going to be 
wearing from time to time for 
the bootcamp. God bless her heart.
I was on my laptop, studying some 
things in preparation for the bootcamp. 
My laptop was a very unstable one, 
Andela said they will provide one 
for me plus lunch during the bootcamp. 
I got a mail from Andela, I thought 
it was about the laptop. Nay, it wasn’t.
I saw sorry, I saw wrongfully selected, 
I saw no need to come. 
I closed the mail, I opened it again. 
I thought of what God said, 
I thought of going back to Benin, 
I thought of my new shoe, I thought 
of my family, I thought of how much 
I needed to pay at my school, 
I thought of my passion.
I deleted the mail, I went to my 
trash and deleted it from my trash. 
I refused to receive such a mail, 
as far as I was concerned the 
mail was a lie.
(During this period I was studying 
the book of Esther, it sure came in handy.)
I sent a message to the contact 
person(Mr Ops), it read:
“I got a rejection mail, you know what,
forget about the free lunch and laptop. 
I will be coming on Monday. 
I am already in Lagos and I can’t go 
back to Benin.” e.t.c
My Lagos sister walked in few minutes 
later with a testimony, she just got 
a car. I rejoiced with her like 
nothing had happened.
Me: Sam, I have something to tell you. 
I was told not to come for the bootcamp. 
I am going, say nothing.
Sam: Okayyyy….
Me: This one thing I ask, be a Mordecai 
for me, as I go like Esther went before 
the king for her people.
Sam: No problem, take care, the Lord 
go with thee.
Monday morning, my cousin dedicated 
her life to dressing me up. 
My Lagos Mummy and sisters were all 
there to celebrate my first day. 
I said nothing about the mail. 
I kept smiling.
I got to the office, I saw the 
security man he saw me. 
He asked ‘Andela’, I said yes, 
and he led me to an office filled 
with other boot campers.
Instructor: Welcome, to Bootcamp Day 1, 
introduce yourself and say something 
about you.
Me: I am Blessing Ebowe, and I am stubborn.
Mr Ops: So you are the Blessing, 
see me outside.
We are sorry for what happened, 
apply for the next batch which 
is for next month.
Me: No problem, I will apply but 
I can’t just go back home like that. 
Let me just be a part of the 
boot camp even if I am not being 
considered for employment.
Silence……
Back in the boot campers space
Instructor: Some of you will 
remain here and work with javascript 
the others will be going to the 
python class, if you hear your 
name go to the python class. 
You there.
Me: Me???
Instructor: Yes, you Blessing right? 
Go to python class.
I was new to programming, I just started 
learning Java at my programming school, 
and JavaScript in preparation for the 
bootcamp. 
I didn’t understand anything yet. 
I didn’t even know there was 
something called Python.
I got to the class they were all seated, 
all-male, I was the only girl. 
I felt they had a plan to just throw me 
off the bootcamp and decided that putting 
me there was going to be a way to scare 
me off.
Strong head girl, I stayed, 
I did my best, I came the next day and 
every day, I wasn’t thrown out. 
My laptop crashed, someone brought 
a laptop for me it crashed, 
IT team tried to fix me up a laptop, 
there was none available. 
I kept on purging from my nervousness. 
Huge terms flew over my head.
At the end of week 1, I noticed that 
the Javascript class had reduced 
drastically. 
That was when I realised Andela was 
serious, they actually sent some 
people home. 
I felt they didn’t send me home 
because I wasn’t even under consideration. 
By the way, I ate the lunch I said 
I didn’t want.
It got harder and tougher each day, 
I barely slept or rested. 
The young men in my class were 
really helpful. 
I told them I was a mirage companion. 
Sometimes when I felt the stress 
was too much, compounded by the 
laptop issues and it wasn’t like 
I was being considered for employment 
they encouraged me to keep on.
We were given projects to do and told 
to prepare for a presentation. 
Two days to the presentation, 
I was still battling with my laptop, 
I walked to the bus stop with a lady 
that evening, she asked 
‘how far I had gone’, 
I tried to explain why I had not 
even started. 
The conversation ended with me 
feeling like a failure.
A day to the presentation…
Me: Python cohorts, I don’t think 
I will be around tomorrow. 
My presentation will mean nothing 
and also I have nothing to present. 
I have no idea how to create a 
server, or what a django is.
Python cohorts: Blessing, you have 
made it this far, everyday for 2 weeks. 
Some men even dropped out, others 
were sent home, you have stayed put 
why not just finish it. 
Here are some videos that could 
help you in your project.
Later that evening…
Lagos Mum: How are you preparing for 
your presentation? 
You will get that job in Jesus Name.
Me: Hmmm, Amen ooh (She had no idea,
 I wasn’t even actually part of the 
boot camp).
Lagos Mum: This your Amen is not a 
believing one at all, you don’t believe?
Me: (Smiling) I believe.
This was one tough night, if I 
slept at all it would have been 
for a maximum of two hours. 
I fought the night, I fought my laptop, 
I fought python. 
I really had no idea what I was doing.
I went for the presentation late 
that day as I was still contemplating 
going. 
The application I built wasn’t 
working or coming up. 
I got there, took a seat at one end. 
The presentation started at the other end. 
I sat there watching what others did.
Later on I decided to do my own 
instead of just watching others. 
That was how I started, 
asking my neighbours question, 
‘how do you create a table in html’, 
‘what do I use to run the server’, 
‘what does this red message mean’. 
Soon enough I had a webpage, 
containing a table with single data 
entry from the database, input boxes 
and a button.
It was my turn to present, 
I stood up with all the authority 
and confidence in the world. 
They had rejected me once,
 I can’t be rejected twice. 
So there was nothing to fear because 
there was really nothing on the line.
My presentation….
Me: I built a contact application 
to help you manage your contacts, 
the plan is for you to be able to 
view your contacts, add a contact, 
edit a contact or delete it.
Instructor: Add a contact.
Me: The button is not working yet.
Instructor: Edit a contact.
Me: The button is not working yet.
Instructor: Let’s go to your code.
What is a csrf token?
Me: (Without even trying to think about it), 
I don’t know, (I could see some folks 
looking at me strangely).
Instructor: He faced the class and 
explained it. You can go and sit down.
I presented, Yippeee!!!. 
I couldn’t believe I had a page 
to present. 
The two weeks had finally come to an end. 
I felt like I went for a military 
training, it was tough, it was rigorous, 
it was thorough, it tested everything 
in you, it challenges you, it breaks 
you and makes you.
They were going to send out appointment 
letters to those that made it in a 
few days. 
I wasn’t expecting anything, 
but I decided to take time out to 
pray for wisdom to tell my family 
about it. 
About how I had fooled them for two weeks.
I sat at the table that early morning, 
a call came in from one of my 
Python cohorts.
Cohort: Blessing, check your mail, 
you made it I can see your name.
Me: This is the thing, I am not a 
boot camp member at all. 
Maybe they forgot to remove my 
name from the board. 
I will still just check.
Right there in my mail, 
I saw an appointment later. 
I gave Mr Ops a 100 missed calls. 
I didn’t celebrate or smile. 
I sat by the phone waiting to 
speak with him. He finally called.
Me: Good afternoon, sorry for 
the plenty calls. I saw a mail. 
I think its another error.
Mr Ops: What did it say?
Me: It said I got the job and 
I should resume next week.
Mr Ops: It is exactly what it is, 
you got the job. Congratulations, 
welcome to Andela.
Me: But …………………………………..
Me: ………………………………………
Me: (Blessing you are fainting, 
you should be happy and scream) 
Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh, oops sorry thanks.
Mr Ops: Yeah, bye. See you on Monday.
I made it, finally the word God 
spoke to me when He said programming 
was now made manifest. 
For the first few months, I kept 
feeling they will come one day 
and sack me. 
It never happened its almost 3 
years now. 
I can start an application server, 
I know my html tags and can build a 
fully functional contacts management 
application. Apparently it was about 
how much progress I had made, and not 
necessarily how much I already knew.
Thanks for reading, I hope this piece 
changes your life.
P.S I made use of fake names, 
also the conversations and mails 
used here are basically a summary