An interesting interview on how she started her career in software development, http://moatacademy.com/blog/2017/08/22/moat-academy-is-the-best-academy-you-can-ever-choose-for-your-career-in-software-development-i-now-have-a-job-as-a-developer-mariam-adedeji-2/ .

Below is the excerpt from an Interview we had with one of our ex-trainee at Moat Academy, Mariam Adedeji (Now works as a Developer with Concept Nova Ltd)

Moat Academy (MA): Can we meet you?

Mariam: I am Omobolanle Mariam Adedeji, I studied Petroleum Engineering with no prior knowledge in programming before coming to Moat Academy.

MA: What were you doing before joining Moat Academy?

Mariam: Well nothing really, just applying for jobs and preparing for interviews

MA: How did you come across Moat Academy?

Mariam: My aunt suggested moat to me

MA: What exactly do you want to achieve with the software development skills?

Mariam: To be the best female developer and build a world – wide known application

MA: How has your life changed since gaining software development skills?

Mariam: Hmmm, that’s a big question… it has made me so confident of myself, like; I can boldly talk about my career with anybody without being scared of the next question getting thrown at me. I now feel like am needed in the industry, and unlike before when I didn’t know what I want and would go for any interview, I now have a full understanding of what I want and standing by what I want got me here today.

MA: What was your biggest fear before coming to Moat Academy and what do you feel about it now?

Mariam: My biggest fear was if I can ever be able to understand programming and the fear pushed me away from actually studying computer science in Uni. How I feel now? I am ready to go at any length to become the best in software development

MA: How will you describe your experience in Moat Academy?

Mariam: Moat Academy is the best academy you can ever choose for your career in software development. Their trainers made sure we understand no matter how much it takes to learn. Moat was like a home to me, felt like I was in the midst of family that I didn’t want to leave at the end of the training.

MA: What advice do you have for those coming into Moat Academy?

Mariam: Just give your all and you would be surprised at what you can achieve in 10 weeks.

MA: What have you been able to achieve with the training?

Mariam: I have been to develop a web application from the scratch to the end and I now have a job as a developer. I have also been able to achieve a whole lot than I can list here.

MA: What is your future outlook in software development industry?

Mariam: Watch out for me as one of the best female developer in the world -> future outlook

Another interesting interview with a Moat Academy Alumni,
“I got my first job as a software developer less than 2 weeks after my completion of Moat Academy training” – Aribo ‘Toba
http://moatacademy.com/blog/2017/08/26/i-got-my-first-job-as-a-software-developer-less-than-2-weeks-after-my-completion-of-moat-academy-training-aribo-toba/

Below is the excerpt from an Interview we had with one of our ex-trainee at Moat Academy, Aribo Oluwatoba (Now works as a Developer with dipoleDIAMOND Ltd)

Moat Academy (MA): Can we meet you?

My name is Aribo Oluwatoba, I am a graduate of Civil Engineering and have a love for how things work.

MA: What were you doing before joining Moat Academy?

Toba: Just like most Nigerian graduate, job hunting after service.

MA: How did you come across Moat Academy?

Toba: I was searching across the internet for a good boot camp where I could get trained on software development. Several search led me to Moat academy. I came across the advert again on Nairaland. I was scared, but I just gave it a shot. “You wouldn’t know how good the taste is until you try it out”, I consoled myself. It ended up the best decision I have taken.

MA: What exactly do you want to achieve with the software development skills?

Toba: I want to reach the pinnacle of the IT industry, and in the shortest time possible. I am somewhat a latecomer though, yet I strive to be able to build software that is scalable, matching any standard across the world.

MA: How has your life changed since gaining software development skills?

Toba: It has changed tremendously. Since I completed my National Youth Service Corp program in October 2016, I got my first job as a software developer less than 2 weeks after my completion of Moat Academy trainings. The kind of training given at Moat Academy prepares us with the skills and requirements to function effectively in any software developer position you encounter. The confidence imparted to us is a plus.

MA: What was your biggest fear before coming to Moat Academy and what do you feel about it now?

Toba: How could I gather two years’ experience within ten weeks? I feared. It seemed impossible. I remember vividly during the introductory classes, I asked that question with skepticism. After checking the curriculum, the fear grew fatter. “ Abi this people dey ‘bobo’ us?” (English meaning: is this a joke?), I wondered. After intensive classes, assignments upon assignments, and projects, it became clearer: it was very achievable. Right now, the fear has turned to confidence today.

MA: How will you describe your experience in Moat Academy?

Toba: It was a lovely one. The knowledge imparted to us was standard. The hospitability was second to none. In fact everything we got out was a worth it, even worth more than we put in. I looked forward to every day. The environment was lively too. I made good friends with a lot of people. In fact, we still keep contacts till today.

MA: What advice do you have for those coming into Moat Academy?

Toba: Well, my advice to them is to be diligent. That’s all it takes. There is one thing I am very certain of; Moat Academy will do their best. The rest lies with you. What you make out of the training is a measure of how much efforts you put in. Give your best to life, in due season, life will give its best back to you.

MA: What have been able to achieve with the training?

Toba: I achieved a lot. At the end of the training, I was able to build a forum for engineers, where they can come together to help themselves through challenges in the industry. Too much for a 10 weeks trainee you think?

Two weeks after finishing with the training, I landed a software developer position. I’m learning and growing everyday with industry experts now. Moat has set the foundation I lay my career on now.

MA: What is your future outlook in software development industry?

Toba: The IT world is growing every day. There are new technologies and software emerging every day that ease the way people live and Nigeria is part of this movement. There are lots of potentials and it is wise to join the train. Software development is growing and will continue to grow.

We shared the success stories of Mariam and Toba, you can be the next: register for our next batch of training starting October 17, 2017, visit www.moatacademy.com.

Please visit www.moatacademy.com to accelerate your career path in the software development industry.

A very interesting article:

The unemployed and the employable applicant: A chasm between the academics and the industry

Sometime ago I worked with a corporate organization and there was a need to recruit more hands in my unit so the application process was opened up to the public. We had several applications pouring in, day in and out; short listings were done and interviews were carried out but yet we could not find suitable applicants for the jobs as weeks went by, even months! Then I came to a conclusion that it is paradoxical that in a country where we have high level of unemployment, employers still find it difficult getting suitable hands to fill up skilled labour vacancies.

Coming home to the software industry, take a search through most job listing sites in the country, you will find a large number of unfilled vacancies for software developers; yet we have a large number of computer science graduates unemployed. This point was buttressed by the case of a female computer science graduate that carried a placard on Lekki expressway soliciting for jobs. The most alarming part of this scenario is that such job adverts run for months – meaning the company is finding it difficult getting suitable hands for the jobs thereby incurring more cost on their recruitment process.

Where lies the problem, and what are the solutions? It is unarguably true that there is a chasm between the tertiary institutions’ curriculum and the industry’s needs. While everybody believes the university community is to groom the youths for the job market; yet its curriculum is more theoretical than it can be applied immediately to solve real life challenges. And, that is where the industry generates their revenue: from solving real life problems. The industry is a highly demanding environment where newly recruits should hit the ground and run, they want youths that will from the first day start solving real life problems. The fair truth is that the tertiary institutions have done their own bits; the focus of the university/polytechnic is to churn out youths that are well refined for the society: vast in different subjects’ areas. Its curriculum usually digresses into subjects which are not primarily focused at solving a particular industry’s need.

How do we bridge this gap? At Moat Academy we have come as an intermediate in bridging this consequential chasm so that the unemployed can be armed with skills that can solve real life problems thus making them fit for the industry’s need. Our approach is more of an apprenticeship where you learn software developments from experts in the field and it is 100% practical and job-oriented.

Our curriculum has been designed in a way to fit in the missing link between the university and the industry so that our graduands can hit the ground from day one and run in any software company in the world; making them highly demanded professionals by employers.

Registration is now open for our next batch, please visit www.moatacademy.com to register

Training starts October 17,2017.

Cohort 5 Classic Batch, Featured Second Week Projects

We started the present batch as scheduled on October 17, 2017 with a great news from one of our alumni, Daniel who gained employment with Insidify. Now, the present participants are already on the path of entering the software industry to make impact. With just two weeks at the bootcamp, there were able to deliver their mini-projects. Participants have learnt so much right from laying out web pages using HTML tags and using CSS DIVs to develop websites by overriding browser defaults .Please see the featured two out of lots:
http://moatacademy.com/five/org/
http://moatacademy.com/five/school/pindex.html

I got a developer job in less than a month after my training….I can tell you that coming to Moat Academy ranks among the best decisions I have ever made in life”- Afeh
An Excerpt of the interview we had with one of our alumni.

MA: Can we meet you?

Afeh: My name is Araromi Afekhafe; my friends call me Afeh. I am an Elect./Elect. Engineering graduate with a Masters degree in Telecom Engineering. I am of the opinion that whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. I came down to Lagos from Benin City for the sole purpose of attending the Cohort 6 Bootcamp of Moat Academy, and I was greatly privileged to have been the class captain of the Cohort.

MA: What were you doing before joining Moat Academy?
Afeh: I was an International Support staff for a program (MAST Nigeria) sponsored by Wycliffe Associates, USA. By God’s grace, I was part of a two-man team serving as Team Leads tasked with the responsibility of preparing for, and managing Bible Translation workshops (held in Jos, Plateau State) for language groups from all across Nigeria. My contract was fully executed with them by August 2017 so I returned back to Benin City to map out my next course of action as regards my desire to go into software development, a plan I dropped before moving to Jos.

MA: Why choose Moat Academy?
Afeh: The thing is, my previous job had conditioned me to work with “quarters,” a three-month time-frame. So I decided to investigate further by going to the Moat Academy website, then I saw the detailed course outline which was to run for 10 weeks. I was like “Wow! This is pretty impressive… but is this really possible or is it just a very good scam?”

MA: What exactly do you want to achieve with the software development skills?
Afeh: To become a part of those (Nigerian youths in this generation) who employ programming as a means of proffering solutions to some of the challenges (social and economic) around us in this country—solutions that will spur individual and societal development as well as place Nigeria on the world stage of IT.

MA: How has things changed for you since gaining software development skills?
Afeh: If I am to pick just ONE thing, it would be perspective and this is in two-folds. First, whenever I see any webpage now I subconsciously begin to figure how it was put together and what technologies were used. Second, I now frequently examine the world around me and ask myself how software development can be useful in certain situations and environments.
Another is my thought process; it is one thing to say you are a programmer and another to think like one. A third is that I got a developer job in less than a month after my training.

MA: What was your biggest fear before coming to Moat Academy and what do you feel about it now?
Afeh: At first I feared that it was a scam and if not, maybe a programme that will not deliver all that has been promised on its cover. I did some research online and one person in particular I really did look at was Toba (his Facebook profile and the dipoleDIAMOND website). I was like, “If this is a scam then these guys must be very good! But if it is not, how then is it possible for a newbie like me to obtain two years worth of experience in ten weeks?”

I decided to take the plunge albeit taking the precaution (do not laugh), of asking if I can resume by paying just the first installment, I told myself if it ended up being a scam or a huge joke then the losses I shall count shall be bearable.
Lo and behold, based on my experience of the first three weeks, nobody reminded me to pay the remaining instalment. At that point, my fear was now; whether I would be able to cope and finish the race… but thank God for how Moat Academy is set up, not only did I finish the race, my expectations were surpassed. And today, I can tell you that coming to Moat Academy ranks among the best decisions I have ever made in life and of course, the positive consequences of that singular decision shall reverberate through the future.

MA: How will you describe your experience in Moat Academy?
Afeh: The learning environment in Moat Academy is a fantastic one. Though it is a family affair between the faculties and the students, yet there is that constant push from them to keep students on their toes. I discovered that, embracing it all, even the different approaches and teaching methods of the different facilitators, helped to re-arrange my thought process and the way to analyze a situation. I have learnt to think on my feet, to approach any problem the way a developer should, and to come up not just with a solution but the simplest solution possible. I was taught by facilitators who not only know, but have been integral parts of various IT companies and are also well-established tech-entrepreneurs in their own right. It is this industrial angle from the faculties that makes it more rewarding for a beginner compared to if that beginner decides to be self-taught.

MA: What advice do you have for those coming into Moat Academy?
Afeh: Every instruction you are given is meant to serve a purpose, you will do yourself much good to follow and adhere to each and every one of them no matter what issues they touch on, or how they may sound at the time of giving

MA: What have been able to achieve with the training?
Afeh: I developed a web app titled “debateNaija” (now called shareViewNaija) which I am currently on, expanding on its features with the aim of making it live soonest. A representative of an IT firm (dipoleDIAMOND Ltd) was present during our demo day, and that singular contact was the means through which God gave me a job with the organisation. At my workplace, even though I get to hear and see incredible things being done, it is the training at Moat Academy that has given me the solid foundation on which to build upon and acquire more skills.

The time is now to kick start your career as software developer, join our next coding bootcamp. Apply onwww.moatacademy.com .

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