The Beginning of a New Beginning
- I became a Google Dev Library Contributor
- I became the Flutter Track Lead with the Google Developer Students Club of my University Community
- Won Swags from Invertase for a content creation contest
- Spoke at Google Extended Ibadan ‘23
- Got an iPhone
- Got a Mac
- Started making cool cash with Flutter
- Was part of the organizers for a Tech Event
- Got an opportunity to speak at DevFest Lagos ‘23
- Re-deployed two apps
- Got an opportunity to work outside of Nigeria
- Started a YouTube Channel
- Had more than 2k views on my Medium
- Got to have conversations with amazing senior devs.
- Trained some interns at work with Flutter
- Built my portfolio website
- More than 100 Subscribers…..and many more
2023 has been a glorious year and I believe it has been the same for you too. It is that time of the year to reminisce about all that I have been through which involves my wins and losses with Flutter.
So, sit back and enjoy! I hope this piece doesn’t only make you laugh but also stirs you to follow your dreams.
CHAPTER 1 — Dey Play
I decided at the beginning of this year to be very intentional with my Tech journey.
I was using an HP ProBook laptop with battery problems. It was a daku-daji system.(Daku-Daji in Nigeria means very very bad). I remember that I had to stay awake at night to be able to code. I wasn’t concerned if I got the necessary tools or not. I was just passionate about getting the job done. I wasn’t employed.
I wrote a Turing Test in 2022 and passed. They reached out to me in 2023 that I was shortlisted for an interview. In my mind, I had already started calculating the number of dollars that I would be earning as a Student. I had even priced the Jeep that I would be driving…. E mi Big Boy!
My walking steps changed. I started thinking about how I would build my workspace and be giving advice to the younger devs.
******************Be playing********************
It was time for the interview which was scheduled for 6:00 am and I was ready. The interviewer liked me. Until the question popped…… “how many years of experience do you have with Flutter?”
He told me that the rule is for people with at least 3 years of work experience will be placed in their job market.
Omo, my heart broke, broke, and even Brooklyn sef. I was encouraged by my roommate not to give up and to just stay consistent.
It was during this period that I joined the FlutterBytes Community. At this time, the Community Leads started a 100-day consistency with Flutter. I decided to hop on this challenge. I joined Twitter because of this challenge. I never knew the big universe of Tech Twitter.
I was working on building a portfolio website with Flutter Web. I picked a Figma design and decided to replicate it. It was at this point I learned Hosting, Web responsiveness, and Animations. Having learned all of this, I decided to help people who might have similar problems by documenting my approach to solving the error. That approach opened my eyes to so many possibilities with Technical Writing.
It was also during the Holiday that I decided to challenge myself by building a meditation app that uses Firebase for its authentication system, Hive for its local storage, GETx for its state management, and Spotify API to curate playlists for users. I had little knowledge about software architectures or other complex state management systems.
One particular night, I was thinking about my career. I was getting tired of my laptop, pressured by all the Mac users. I didn’t have a stable income, no job, no referrals. It was Jesutoni and his daku-daji system against the world. I decided that perhaps Flutter was not the way and I should opt for another stack. I decided to major in the backend.
At this point, I wrote a couple of Node Js. I learned how to write the MEN stack.
R is not there. Just MongoDB, Express Framework, and Node Js.
I was so tired of what was going on. It was at this time that I wrote the article “Built to Last in Tech”. I was not even making $1 since I left my previous job.
CHAPTER II — NO GREE FOR ANYBODY
The stormy road began to be clear when I saw on the FlutterBytes Community Page that two of the community members were celebrated for having their works recognized by Google. I was shocked at how possible that was. So, I decided to send a personal DM to one of them. His name is Aso Orji. He told me how he submitted his work and how many days it took for him to get a response.
So what did I do?
I decided to submit one of my works — “Hosting your Flutter Web with Firebase”. An article I wrote while being frustrated on my Flutter journey and interestingly, I got a congratulations mail about 7 days after that my work had been accepted.
I didn’t know this was a big deal until I spoke with Damilola Alimi. She told me to share this on all my social media accounts. This was how things changed. I was added to the Discord Page. I started receiving lots of personal messages. It was here I knew that if Flutter no gree for you, you too no gree for am( which means no gree for Flutter… how do I translate?).
I decided to continue my articles with Flutter and kept submitting them for reviews. The articles made me a better software boy.
One day while I was waiting for my lecturer to come into class, I saw a content creation competition organized by Invertase on Twitter. I clicked the link in a hurry and submitted my portfolio. I never knew that I would be announced as part of the winners. Weeks later, I got an email from Invertase stating my win and that I would be receiving my swags.
I thought this mail was a scam. I called Dami again to tell her what I found and to confirm if it was legit. Again, it was and I received my first swags. This is to someone who had barely spent a year in Tech.
It was the month for Google Extended Ibadan. I had never spoken at a Tech event before. I did not even think I was fit enough to speak on such a platform considering my expertise. But well, if is Flutter, I know my onions. I decided to submit my entry to speak. This was in June.
I got a confirmation mail in July.
It was at this event. I met with Samuel Abada for the first time. One of my Bosses who makes me strive to be very good at my craft.
I made lots of connections and memories on this day.
I will be back. Let me go and take cold zobo cos I look like Metro….. I dey blush.
CHAPTER 3 — LET’S HIT THE GROUND RUNNING
I was getting more active on my social media accounts on what I do with Flutter. It was at this time I got my first referral from Bukola Olopade. A company needed a Flutter Developer. It was at this job that I learned a lot of concepts with Flutter. I started to write one of my most dreaded state management systems — BLoC. I learned how to work with Play Store and App Store apps and create CI/CD pipelines. I knew what standup meetings were, and worked with other team members too.
At this time, we had new intern students who just started with Flutter. They interned for 3 months. I had to monitor their growth. We solved lots of dart algorithms. They learned how to use git. I remember having a virtual call session with one of the interns for about 3 hours trying to debug her codes. It was at this time, that I learned other state management tools and how to write complex software architectures.
I have other opportunities that I won’t be speaking of yet. Perhaps in my next few articles, I will update my bio.
CHAPTER 4 — WHO IS THEIR DADDY?
There was a particular day at work when Bukola and I had a chat about what was going on with the Google Developers Students Club of my university community and our plans. At this point, I never had in mind being the Track Lead for the Flutter Community. I was just passionate about solving problems.
The application to be a lead for the Flutter Track came out and I submitted my entry. I had an interview and yes, I was selected. It was such a big shoe to fill. Although I am not done with all I planned for the community, I am still very proud of the growth of my community.
These wins gave me lots of boldness. It made me confident. I may not sabi all of Flutter but the part that I sabi, I sabi am wella.
It was at this time. I learned what it meant to have beautiful interactions with people outside the Flutter World.
GDSC UI held its first major event this year, titled “Tech Quest” and I was part of the organizers. It was crazy cos we had meetings almost every day to plan for the event. I stabbed many sha. Before you crucify me, I didn’t have data…..
Before this time, I took the bold step of submitting my proposal to speak on Firebase and Flutter at DevFest Lagos. My proposal was accepted.
Furthermore, my articles started having more views. From being shy about releasing Flutter content to having this many views. My medium followers grew significantly.
It was even more amazing when Google recommended one of my works for a Google Search.
CHAPTER 5 — WHAT ABOUT THE STORMS?
I had a couple of losses this year too. Wahala Wahala Wahala(“In Portable’s Voice)
- My proposal to speak at DevFest Ibadan was rejected.
- My proposal to speak at HackFest was rejected after I had made lots of plans
- I didn’t speak at the FlutterBytes Conference because of my inferiority complex. I felt that I wasn’t good enough. It’s a loss my mind can’t get over
- I couldn’t make my dream of being at the FlutterBytes Conference because I had another event that required all of my time. I needed to be at TechQuest.
- My content creation reduced drastically because I became so busy with work. My writings and YouTube video content were not up and running as they should. Work demanded my time.
- I lost lots of gigs too. I submitted my application letter and got rejected too. “Na Daily breakfast things..”
- My sleep routine and eating habits changed a whole lot. I had a trauma at some point from notifications.
- My WhatsApp became so buggy from unresponded messages.
- I didn’t get to meet Adora Nwodo, Czar, or Developer Jamiu…..but we go harder next year.
Let me stop here… I don’t want to remember…
Give me tissue make I wipe my tears….dey play my fans.
Make I go drink water, they don tell me that I look like Metro….
CHAPTER 7— MORAL LESSON
The lack of self-motivation is why the chicken cannot fly, she isn’t the biggest bird. Believe in yourself like an eagle, not a chicken.- Layi Wasabi
So, who are you? The chicken or the eagle? Introspect, please.
Although I didn’t achieve all I wanted to, this article brings me into remembrance of my growth. It took a lot of frustration and consistency. I didn’t write this article to put anyone under pressure but rather to remind us that in consistency lies the power.
In whatever field you have chosen, Tech or no Tech, you can always strive to be a better person each day. Each day brings new possibilities. Don’t give up on your dreams. There will be times when you want to give up. I did too. I still do but I get encouraged whenever I see people whom I adore do splendid things.
So, just like me, you can still get a Mac in 2024. You can still work with a company outside Nigeria. You can still speak at events. You can still participate in Hackathons. You can still be a contributor in the Google space. You can be all you can be. All you need is just to stay consistent.
To show you how much I have grown, check out my last year's E-O-Y review.
I might not earn what others who have been in the field before me do, but I am happy with what I am doing. I am happy that many lives are changed because of the software I released, a blog I wrote, or even a video I made.
Be happy in 2024. No rush. We no go gree for anybody. It is the beginning of a new beginning.
One thing I am sure of is that I will take more bold steps with Flutter. Hoping to share my knowledge at DevFest Akure, Abuja, Ilorin. I know that I will speak at FlutterBytes next year. I would contribute more to the Flutter Framework. I am hoping to also travel a lot and do lots of vlogs on what I am doing with Flutter. So, get ready for me!
My name is Jesutoni Aderibigbe, a Nigerian Law Student and an aspiring GDE for Flutter.
