Tochukwu was introduced to computers and the internet at a young age. That, and the curiosity it birthed, has led him to become the software engineer he is today.
How did you get into Tech?
I had early exposure to computers and a gaming console at about the age of six. This was in the days of Microsoft Windows 98. When I was in primary school, my aunt used to program in Java which birthed the ideal environment for curiosity. Also, the primary school I attended gave us weekly assignments that required us to research on the internet. I had a friend who exposed me to building websites with Microsoft Frontpage (Macromedia Flash was very popular then).
Other things that also pushed me down this lane include:
1. Family members - my brother and cousin were into web development when I was in junior school
2. A friend I met in junior school introduced me to modding Symbian/J2ME applications to add custom features. It was indeed the hallmark for me 😂
Why Software Engineering?
This question is quite challenging to answer. Before I decided to focus on engineering, I initially dabbled into other things. In my junior school, I was into Adobe Photoshop (specifically CS4).
In my senior secondary school, I got exposed to Networking because Cisco (Networking) instructors were in charge of our computer classes all through. Subsequently, I eventually delved into ethical hacking after watching lots of related movies (I was privileged to have a mentor for that brief period).
After not gaining admission into the university for one year, I began learning C# programming for desktop application development. After a while, I saw endless possibilities in programming after knowing that I could build robots and mobile apps with it.
What inspires you?
While growing up, there were certain things I wished I had gotten but wasn't privileged to, so I disliked being average or at the bottom. Hence, I unconsciously cultivated the habit of striving to become a better version of myself.
Secondly, I draw strong inspiration from my faith in God. It resulted in a mind shift from impossibilities into possibilities - while putting in the required amount of tenacity, patience, and endless desire to learn no matter the cost.
Lastly, a profound statement that continually influences me is from my brother. It says, "There's nothing like luck; what people call luck is preparation for opportunities." It certainly helped me realize that I'm 100% responsible for the outcome of my life.
Which of the technologies you currently work with excites you the most, and why?
I'll say Rust. Rust has been a language that has piqued my interest since 2017. I got super excited about it because it helped mitigate my knowledge gap in systems programming and computing fundamentals.
When I was in school, I was contemplating learning C++ in-depth, but I felt that it was too deep and broad to grasp it at the level I wanted to. Considering Rust was at an early stage at that time, I concluded that it was an opportunity to grow with the ecosystem without missing out on all of the language's decisions.
Another striking thing about Rust is that it's a paradigm shift from how application/compilers have been built over the years. Hence, it's filled with tons of learning experiences from other languages.
Not to forget, we've been adopting Rust in Kudi lately, so it's been a dream come true for me :)
What problem does Rust solve?
Rust is a language that empowers everyone to build reliable and efficient software while presenting the same benefits you'll get from languages such as C/C++ without having to trade it for safety. The best part is that it handles these memory safety checks at compile-time without the need for a Garbage Collector.
Rust so far has one of the best tooling for Web Assembly development, which I consider the future of the web.
Tell us about your growth.
I've seen growth as mainly driven by the people who surround me. I don't consider myself the smartest in the room; but, I've made it a habit to form strong bonds with people who are far more intelligent than I am. By doing so, it has helped me grow and better appreciate the people I have around me.
I started experiencing steep and continuous growth in my second year at the university when I had the opportunity of co-founding a startup with 3 of my friends. Our startup got us into an incubator, which presented us with opportunities to meet and learn from a handful of founders of successful startups in Nigeria. We also had to get our product live in 3 weeks during incubation, iterate with user feedback, and talk to potential customers, all of which contributed to me getting stretched beyond my capacity.
In a bid to write more code and attend more programming meetups (to learn from more experienced engineers), I stayed back in school for almost the whole year. When I look back, I'm most grateful for that experience because it was indeed the turning point for me.
What does the future hold?
Most of my work in the future will centre around young people, technology, and wellness. I've started on a small scale, but I'm hoping to spend more time on them in the coming years.
In summary, these are things I'm hoping to focus on more in the future:
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,
System programming (compiler construction),
Building great work cultures where people can thrive and be their best version of themselves
Helping young people grow, succeed and attain emotional and physiological stability.
Tips for budding Software Engineers?
A few that come to mind are:
Remember, it's only a job; always put your physical and mental health first.
You're an average of the people who surround you.
Don't compare yourself with others, but be thirsty and intentional about your growth.
Always go the extra mile to see people succeed (most of the best opportunities in our lives will come from referrals),
Success replicates between like-minded people. Hence, celebrate your friend's success when you're behind, with the understanding that yours is on the way.
Grow your network/audience and constantly optimize it for sporadic growth for everyone involved.
Don't be in haste for titles; instead, be passionate about learning the fundamentals and going through the process.
Mentor upcoming engineers; you know something someone else doesn't know, no matter how little.
Money is essential, but instead, be passionate about gaining and adding value. I've always understood that the world trades in value; the more value you add to yourself, the more indispensable you become long-term.
Plan long term, but iterate in the short term.
What have you been working on lately?
I've been working on building an interface for a double-entry accounting system and library that facilitates communication between services involved (it leverages ZeroMQ & Kubernetes API). P.S: They are both implemented in Rust 😉
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