I got my first internship!

I have always been a fan of doing the work (mastering your craft) and talking about it. Thanks to Aaron Francis and Kelvin O. Omereshone.

I spent months improving myself in the best way I can, some days were easy and some were tough but I was laser focused on making one percent improvement. I kept asking myself when is all this going to pay off, little did I know the opportunity that was coming next.

When it was time to start applying for Primary Place of Assignment for my Youth service, I decided to take a bold step of faith to apply in an actual company instead of taking what the government offers.

I applied to various Nigerian companies using the same steps David Herbert showed in his tweets but in my own way.

Steps I took

• Craft a simple direct message.
• I purposedly search for Nigerian companies.
• I went under their employees section to see the reputable employees and also apply for the job.
• I sent the crafted message to at least 2 (if possible).
• I applied more than 5 times a day.

The crafted message was simple: “Hi my name is X, I am X and I do X. I am proficient in X and X. I am confident I can be of value to your firm.” However, you can freely craft your own message.

The deadline was approaching, I had barely gotten a reply from any of my applications. I really felt downcasted and like I was not still good enough, I had already made up my mind that a day to the deadline, I will go ahead with whatever the government offers.

5 days to the deadline I got a message from a lady, who promised to share my profile with someone, that I should make it to an interview venue. It felt ecstatic and I was glad that at least one person replied.

I prepared and went for the interview. I sat patiently waiting for my turn, wondering how long it would take and anxious about the questions I might be asked. The anxiety skyrocketed when I realized I was the only one without a pc, funny how I forgot to bring mine.

I almost decided not to go in because I felt like I already threw out the window the chance I had of proving myself. However, I decided to go in anyway.

I took some lessons and advice I got from a mock interview hosted by Kelvin, I went in there not looking timid and I didn’t act like anything was wrong. Before I could answer the questions, the interviewer said “I like your spirit, you’ve gotten the internship. Just do this little test, show me what you can do your position is already secured.”

I did the test and he was impressed. He gave me all necessary documents I needed for my Youth service. As of the time of writing this, I immediately got my first project to work on.

If you are wondering how much I am being paid, it is not much but imagine how much I could learn and grow in one year of working side by side with more experienced developers, I would have access to read the codes and improve. Also, it is mostly remote.

Lastly, I give God the glory for the whole event.

Thanks for reading, See you on the next one.