The power of social media has been underestimated for far too long and people are gradually waking up to the strength of the internet. It has the capacity to cause harm as well as much good than can be imagined. It can spark unrest, cause disruptions in industries and sectors of the economy while creating a community of people with shared interests and like minds to support each other in growth and development. While this may seem almost generic, it is not.
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DevCareer is a not-for-profit tech company that supports the rising tech ecosystem in Africa. The beginning started with the founder, Sultan Akintunde, giving out free software development course on Twitter. Later, he discovered there were other problems prospective developers faced like access to laptops, internet, and a space to learn. As a result, using social media as a tool, he began a campaign in 2019 to raise ₦1million to buy laptops for 10 developers. The turn up was more than the goal he set with donations reaching £21,000 and Jack Dorsey, CEO Twitter, donating £5,000 for this cause. This is how a goal of providing laptops to 10 developers became a cause that has helped several individuals kick start their career in tech.
The first cohort of DevCareer was made up of 22 people (8 female and 14 male) who were able to get laptops, course trainings, working space and mentorship from the £5,000 earlier donated. Now in the second cohort, 50 people would be trained over three months and has participants from 5 states in Nigeria and 3 countries in Africa unlike the first cohort from three states in Nigeria.
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Interestingly, there was a stall in donations for the second cohort as the goal fund was £10,000 and it had reached £7,000 with no increase in several weeks, yet with another push on social media, it reached its goal of £10,000 and more with Jack Dorsey’s donation. It’s hard to say what it felt like pursuing a goal that seems to get bigger and bigger but the results are not just in the numbers but the lives that have been transformed through the action of one man to dream and put it out and the actions of several well meaning individuals to be a part of something bigger than them.
With 22 developers trained, more than 48 donations and 30 patrons, DevCareer uses a four stage assessment to reach its mission of supporting the tech ecosystem in Africa. This assessments starts with a tweet pitch, aptitude test, coding test and a physical interview. Successful candidates then get a laptop, course and get paired with a mentor to support their growth. During and after the mentorship program, suitable jobs will be linked for individuals and they would be prepared for the interview.
Interested in getting your feet wet in the tech ecosystem? Apply to the DevCareer to help you with your journey.
To keep up with updates on the next classes, check DevCareer’s twitter page.
And now to the last words,
“Never trust your fears; they don’t know your strength.”
– Athena Singh
Featured Image Source: Techpoint Africa
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