Hackfest 2022 was our first physical conference. It was such an amazing experience! We had fun and we learnt so much from our speakers.
We were intentional about the speakers and topics we would have during the panel sessions. We wanted our community to learn from the very best! And every single speaker delivered!
Here are 5 things we learnt;
Tech is a leveler to give Africans access to opportunities.
This was emphasized in every session. Tech gives an opportunity to everyone irrespective of gender, race, sex, age or even social status. Ingressive for Good has committed to giving 1 million African youths access to the resources needed so they can leverage these opportunities. With tech, you can learn along the way, there is nothing stopping you. You are your only limitation. Our theme “No techies left behind” simply means there is a place for everyone who is willing to take it.
Tech applies to everyone regardless of their field.
The tech industry is wide and diverse enough to accommodate everyone. You can be your authentic self while making an impact. One major key to excelling in tech is to identify a problem and develop a sustainable solution. Tech is the future as every industry needs the value it brings. In a very empowering and educative keynote session, Odunayo Eweniyi, Co-founder/COO of PiggyVest said “Wherever you’re starting from, be it the health, finance or agricultural sector, there’s a space for you as long as you are willing to take it. The only limitation is your ability to imagine and act on it!”
Sharing your story gives you access to global opportunities.
The internet makes it easy to access global opportunities. Sharing your journey as you build your tech career gives you an opportunity to showcase the skills and knowledge you have. Content creation gives you access to people and organizations in different parts of the world. There are no limits with the internet.
To succeed in novel areas of Tech like Web3, you need to be innovative
The Web3 space incorporates concepts such as decentralization, blockchain technologies, and token-based economics. It is fast becoming a rewarding space for techies to be involved in. Unfortunately, there seems to be more information about the risks rather than the benefits of Web3 and blockchain which has discouraged many from this area. Akinyemi Akindele, Founder of Stakefair and Shodipo Ayomide, Developer Relations at Polygon shared with us reasons to keep being innovative despite the challenges faced. According to Shodipo Ayomide, the Web3 space is beyond cryptocurrency and can be very rewarding for people in various arms of tech including developers, content writers etc. Digitization is the future! For Web3 to work in the African tech ecosystem, we need to be innovative.
Your self-worth as a techie should be rooted in a healthy foundation
Your mental health is an important part of your personal and professional growth that should not be overlooked. It would always affect your productivity. There’s only so much you can do when you’re mentally unstable. This isn’t an illness, it could be a lack of self awareness. Having a therapist or someone you can be vulnerable with gives you a safe space to share, this would in turn help you to be your best self. You cannot save others if you haven’t saved yourself.
Were you at HACKFEST? Tell us something you learnt