Technology in Our Own Words: Dynamic, Flexible, and Open for Everyone – A Collab with Princess Mbamalu.

The idea of technology not only being for exceptionally smart, A+ students, is one that has been existing all along, but hasn’t been emphasized enough, I daresay. If technology was just for really smart people, it would become boring, and lose the zest and flexibility that makes it such a desirable career field.

I collaborated with Princess Mbamalu, on such an interesting topic to let you know that you don’t really need much, other than the primary passion for solving world or community problems and creativity, to begin in technology.

In this writing collaboration, we define technology from our viewpoints, and show how adaptable and inclusive it really is.

Technology in Our Own Words.

When defined plainly, technology is the science of the application of knowledge to practical purposes. It borders a wide range of fields like computer hardware, software development, data storage and management, networking, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

But Princess defines technology this way:
Technology is about solving problems, creating changes, and making a world of difference through various technological aspects.

And for Vanessa:
Technology means a change in mindset, a new approach towards things that have already been. Technology means looking at things from a different angle, using creativity to think up ways to solve a problem and make change.

It’s important as techies, and as anyone looking to venture into the tech field, to have your own personal definition of technology based on your individual perspective and how tech and its branches have impacted you. Because when you do that, it gives you a better understanding of it, how flexible it is, and all the amazing things that can be achieved through it.

A Little about How We Began and How Tech Has Made Us Better.

From Vanessa’s perspective:
I wouldn’t exactly call myself a math-wiz, or someone who is exceptionally good in maths. And this was one factor that made me hesitate before going into tech. If you’ve ever come across one of Google’s search suggestions: ‘Does coding require math?’, know that I’m one of those that made that search!

I was afraid that I’d get stuck along the way when the advanced part of programming came up, but the truth of the matter is that although programming does make use of math concepts and operations, it isn’t too far from the maths we learn in school. And even if you were terrible at maths in school, your boldness to take up the challenge determines how passionate you are to make change and solve problems.

And from Princess’:
I got into technology first because of my love of cool technological devices and my quest for more knowledge. As I grew older, I came to a realization that there is a lot more I can do and achieve in the tech industry. I became very much interested when my Technovation teammate and I took up solving one of Africa’s biggest health problems. The process we took in solving the problem made me understand more about tech and improved many aspects of my personal growth.

Tech has absolutely changed my life (I will always testify). I can write a book about how tech has changed and is still changing my life, especially in areas of my confidence, writing skills and wealth of knowledge, time management, and the shocking opportunities it has brought my way.

Technology exists to make us better and solve problems.

Technology is all about solving community or world problems. It’s not just about building cool stuff or coding up great apps that no one asked for. All the big names in tech today, solved problems – some problems they solved, people didn’t even know existed, neither did they know that they needed to be solved.

From Tim Berners Lee, creator of the world wide web, who solved the problem of the inability of people to interact with each other and with machines for information sharing at the global level, to Gladys Mae West, the woman who invented GPS, and solved the problem of the inability to exactly pinpoint the location of something on the Earth’s surface. The big and upcoming names in tech solved and are solving problems existing in their communities and in the world. And that is the purpose of technology.

Coding or engineering aren’t all there is to being a techie.

The fact that almost everyone in tech you see on social media codes apps or is into a tech field that involves the use of computers and programming languages, doesn’t mean that you’re good to go once you learn to do that. Coding, engineering, and their likes, are applications of technology.

Big thinkers like Albert Einstein, Max Planck, and Isaac Newton would have died as ‘one of those guys with big ideas’ if they hadn’t worked to create real-world applications of their ideas.

But before coding or engineering can be done, a thought process must take place. To be a good tech person, you should have these skills/qualities:

• Resilience/Perseverance
• Creativity.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Self-motivation.
• Good communication skills.

No matter how brainy you may be, you would be a half-baked techie if you don’t have these skills, because without them, what are you then doing?

Careers in Tech That Don’t Necessarily Involve Coding.

Certainly! Tech isn’t only about numbers and code. Here are some careers in tech that don’t necessarily involve coding but are still very important in the tech industry:

• UX/UI Designers: User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) designers design the look, feel, and functionality of websites, apps, and software. They work with developers, product managers, and stakeholders to create intuitive and engaging user experiences for technology products.

• Project Managers: Project managers plan, execute and monitor software development projects. They oversee timelines, budgets, and resources to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.

• Technical Writers: Technical writers create documentation, user manuals, and training materials for software products. They work with product managers, developers, and subject matter experts to ensure that documentation is accurate, comprehensive, and user-friendly.

And if you still need a little convincing, have a look at some people in technology who are using it to do things in other fields no one ever thought were possible:

Mina Markham, a “‘sasstronaut,’ front-end architect, self-taught technologist, and public speaker,” according to Forbes. She plays several roles, including designer, programmer, and speaker. Markham showcases her designing works and vision on her website. She stands as an inspiration for young creative minds who cannot afford a college degree but can still realize their dreams.

Linus Sebastian, YouTuber, presenter, producer, and the founder of Linus Media Group, makes amazingly-directed videos of product reviews, technology tips, and PC build guides, which are responsible for his rise as an influential person in the tech world.

Tim O’Reilly, founder of O’Reilly Media and the person who popularized Open Source and Web 2.0. In the age of Internet and technology, Tim is recognized as an influential pioneer and thought leader. His views and books bring hope to job seekers in a world that is cynical about the relation between automation and employment.

It may be a little harder, but tech is for us Africans, too.

In Africa, we believe so much in ‘when I grow up’. But know that today, it’s no longer about ‘when I grow up’. It’s about now. What you can start doing NOW in respect to the career you aspire and the person you want to be.

It’s far easier said than done, especially in Nigeria where most parents don’t support their children’s ambitions unless they resonate with theirs, and where most families sometimes don’t have enough money to take care of their needs.

Remember that technology is about problem solving, and to solve a problem, you must look at it from different angles. In the same way, you have to think beyond your limitations and circumstances, find ways past them, and get the skills and knowledge you need for your career in technology.

You really don’t have any limitations. You can begin with your smartphone, the old laptop you have at home, the laptops or desktop computers in your school. Make research on how best to begin in the field of technology that interests you the most and start somewhere, anywhere.

In conclusion, everyone can learn and excel in technology, regardless of their background or perceived abilities. You just need to:

Believe in Yourself: The first step towards any accomplishment is to believe that you can do it. You must believe in yourself and your ability to learn new skills and overcome challenges. Remember that every expert was once a beginner.

Start Small: You don’t have to become an expert in tech overnight. Start small and focus on learning one skill or technology at a time. You can start with simple coding languages like HTML and CSS, and then gradually move on to more complex ones.

Find a Mentor: Seek out people who are already working in tech and ask them for guidance. Having a mentor can provide valuable insight, advice, and support as you navigate the tech industry.

Join a Community: There are various tech communities online and offline that you can join to learn and network with like-minded individuals. Joining a community will help you stay motivated, learn from others, and find opportunities.

Be Consistent: Learning tech skills requires consistency and practice. Make a schedule and stick to it. Set achievable goals for yourself and celebrate your successes, no matter how small.

Take Advantage of Free Resources: There are numerous free online resources available to learn tech skills. You can start with online courses, tutorials, and forums. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek help when you need it.

Be brave enough to be different from those around you, to look at things differently. And be creative enough to think up new solutions to things. Let your own unique voice shine out, as a techie, and as a person.

Looking forward to celebrating your unique exploits in the tech space soon. 😊

Are you a newbie in tech? Or are you an established techie, and have anything to add? It’d be great to hear your thoughts and answer any questions you might have in the comments!

I took on this collab with Princess Mbamalu, an AI and Software Engineering enthusiast. You can connect with her on Twitter, LinkedIn and follow her on Medium.

And for more interactions and updates on posts, feel free to follow Ọlaedo on Facebook.

Ciao, 💋

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A Little about My Unconscious Gap Year.

Hey, readers!

Ever heard about a gap year? I think I’ve heard the term before, but I only just learned more about it recently.

Turns out I took (and am still taking) a gap year. And in this week’s post, I share my experience.

En-joyeeee! 🌮

The other day, I saw a post by Eniola Osabiya about how the gap year he took after secondary school helped him improve personally and career-wise. And then I asked myself, “Did I take a gap year?”

Well, all things being fair: no, I didn’t – not by intention.

After I saw that post, I searched up the meaning of a gap year. It means: taking a year off, typically between high school graduation and college.

I didn’t intentionally take a gap year, so how did it then come about?

ASUU strike.

Let me explain a little:

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) went on a 8-month strike beginning from February 2022 to October 2022, putting a majority of the state and federal universties in Nigeira on hold – and causing the academic careers of us innocent students to be truncated. 😭

Although ASUU had a good reason to go on the strike, one of which was non-payment of lecturers’ salaries by the government, the strike still had a HUGE effect on us Nigerian students.

Continuing on…

Things going the way they were supposed to, by now, I’m supposed to at least be preparing to enter 200 level (my second year in uni), thereabout. But today, I’m barely at 100 level. 🤦🏾‍♀️

At first, the whole thing got me frustrated, especially when towards the ending of last year, I heard news that my uni would merge sets, meaning that by January this year, my set was supposed to have started school.

And then it was pushed it to March, and then July, and now August. 🥲💔

But good news: I got over my frustration and choose to see this time I had at home as an opportunity to learn skills, improve on the ones I already knew (and REST, too 😅🙈).

One of the first things I did after my realisation was to take part in the November 2022 Writing Creativity Challenge, hosted by the Creative Writers and Influencers Network (CWIN).

I didn’t make it out tops, but it was an experience.

From there, I began to reach out to and make connections with writers, people in tech, and generally, impactful people. I began to network and grow (and am still doing so).

This might pinch some people, but the moral of this story is that while most of my mates are spending this 1 year+ we have at home doing things that dullen their minds, I chose to work and learn and network and grow – even before I knew I was unconsciously taking a gap year.

It’s not late, though. From what I hear, by August (all things working out okay) all students in our currently pending set should have started school.

So, to Nigerian undergraduates in this pending set reading this, and to anyone at all who’s taking a gap year or something similar, don’t waste what’s left of this year you – we – have at home. Get a job, volunteer at an organization, learn skills, reach out to people who can be beneficial to you (career-wise, especially), and generally do things that’ll keep your mind active and learning.

Let’s not waste this gap year.

Ọlaedo is on Facebook. Feel free to surf on over there, give the blog a like and a follow for more updates.

No dulling. 🔥

March Wrap-Up

I’m that kind of person that often doesn’t know what date it is until something prompts me to check.

So, it’s no surprise that I didn’t even realise it was April fool’s day till I recieved a prank message from my classmate! 😅

It’s been a loooong while since I last wrote a monthly wrap-up blog post. I’ve wanted to get around to writing one, but the thought of sitting and reflecting on my past month seemed like a chore.

Bad, bad habit to me.

That’s also one of the reasons why I haven’t gotten around to having a reflection for the first quarter of 2023, and even a reflection of last year!

At this point, it’s okay to say I’m layzeee.

All the same, though, here I am once again with my wrap-up post for March 2023. Feel free to check out my wrap-up post for March 2022. 😊

Enjoyeee! 🍰

Blogging.

I didn’t really do much as a blogger in March, except read other blogs and drop a few likes and comments.

I did just about all of the writing on my social media pages. 😅🙈

My Personal Life.

This year has actually been quite hard for me, because I experienced a major shift in the roles I have to play in my family, so it’s often that I take on more responsibilities that I’m meant to handle normally.

This threatened to make me a sad, depressed person when the shift first came, but I overcame and am still overcoming it, because I’m looking at the bigger picture.

From the endeavours I’m making in my career, to my network and few real friends, to the steps I’m taking for my personal and professional growth. These are things that helped and are helping me see past the kind of overwhelming present.

This month, I also ended a relationship of mine. ☹️
One piece of advice from this experience is: You never really know somebody, so the safest thing is to guide the way you give yourself to that person.

I’m not necessarily talking about getting physical, I’m mostly referring to the emotional commitments and how much of the vulnerable part of yourself you let the person see.

What I have to say about it is plenty, sha. But I think one paragraph sums it up just fine.

Read this book again after so long. Glad I did!

My Spiritual Life.

You know that feeling you get when you’re with someone you know you can just be yourself around, or someone who’s always there to give help here and there whenever you need it?

That’s how I feel with God.

Although I can’t say I was following through with God’s will 100% of the time, but whenever I realized I was wrong, I always went back to God to forgive me.

And that’s the beautiful, refreshing part of having God as your constant companion.

School life.

Okay, so remember this post of mine I wrote when I was preparing for JAMB and WAEC? Well, I’m done with both JAMB and WAEC, and guess what? I’ve been admitted into the university!!! 🥳🥳🥳

I’ll be starting school by July, by God’s grace, and it’s exciting to think of life as a uni student away from home.

Although, I’m kind of okay with how my life’s going now: On weekdays I go to work as a grade school teacher, and after work hours from about 7:30pm to about 9pm (or later on nights when there’s power supply till the early hours of the morning), I work on our team’s app for the 2023 Technovation Girls Challenge. On weekends, I do chores, rest and spend more time on our app.

I’m already making plans to develop my Python for machine learning skills after Technovation, so uni life is all of a sudden looking less attractive. And my friends already schooling there aren’t helping matters by saying that uni is stressful!

So, I guess I’ll just enjoy life as it is till I start experiencing the foretold ‘stress’. 💀😫

My Career.

This is a new heading of my monthly wrap-ups, because since November 2022, 3 months after I had graduated secondary school, I began making intentional efforts towards my career as a software engineer.

Beginning from my participation in the November 2022 Writing Creativity Challenge organised by CWIN Africa, to my taking part in the Hashnode Dev Retro 2022 campaign contest, to my signing up for this year’s Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program, to my participation in the Technovation Girls Challenge for this year, to my connecting with notable young people in tech, to more other exploits still to come. 🚀😌

But my current activity and the one I’m most proud of is my role as the developer of our team’s app for the Technovation Girls Challenge. Our mentor for the Challenge, Maryam Bello, founder of ITIS 4 Dev Global, is truly amazing. She’s so supportive and she always encourages us directly and indirectly through her own endeavours and achievements.

Honestly, I’m very optimistic about my career this year. I’m already smashing my goals for this year (even goals I don’t have in my goals list!), and I really hope and pray that I’ll have something tangible to hold on to by the end of the year.

Let me just put this out there: As I said in my Academics heading, after the Technovation Girls Challenge, with it’s submission deadline by April 18th, I am going into Python (to refresh my memory) and then Python for machine learning. I will also continue with the AI-themed project I’m working on with a friend of mine.

And by this year’s end, I’ll be able to confidently add ‘Proficience in Python for machine learning’ to my resume. 🙏🏾😌

And that’s that.

I love monthly wrap-ups, actually, even though I procrastinate a lot before writing them!

Cheers to an awesome remaining 19 days of April.

Ọlaedo is on Facebook. Surf on over to the blog’s page, give a follow and like for more updates. 🤗

Happy Easter season. ✨️

My Account Got Hacked!

One thing I’m sure about is that in our journey to success, to making impact and change in the world, something we need to keep close in mind is that we should not get ourselves involved with just anybody, whether it be as a friend, as a close associate, or as a love partner.

For a person like me, the topic of ‘trust’ has never sat well with me, because of some personal experiences of mine regarding it. I find it hard to trust someone, no matter how well they pass all my checks and barriers. And I still maintain that it is a good thing, because for a person who aspires to make impact, even the smallest relationship with the wrong person can send you and your work crashing down.

In my case, it was the subject of my account – my Facebook account. I got hacked by someone who was at the time, very close to me, probably as a result of the issues we were having at the time. And when I asked for my account back, he refused. I was actually seething: You broke into my account, deleted my device from it, changed my password, and you’re bluntly refusing to give it back to me?

I had allowed myself into a relationship with that  kind of individual. When I think of it, it was something like the case of Richard and Debby in the novel Friends and Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey, if you know it. 🥲

Key points to take away from this are:

…the kind of people we surround ourselves with matters a million

You may think little of it, but as people who are working to impact change in society and in the world, the kind of people we surround ourselves with matters a million. Having people in your circle of friends or contacts that cause you to feel bad about yourself almost every time you talk to them is bad for you.

Sure, there’s the case of criticism often dampening our spirits, but when  the criticism becomes a constant feature, it’s then for the bad.

…connect with, build ties, and give out sensitive information to the people you enage with MUCH less.

And as far as networking goes, this doesn’t mean you should stop networking, both in your professional and personal life. This only means that you should connect with, build ties, and give out sensitive information to the people you enage with less – much, much, MUCH less.

And if you’re a person who easily gives into emotions or trusts just as easily, try to get a tough skin.

It also helps to reach out your friends and connections who have passed through the route you aspire, and ask them about how they were able to balance professionalism with thier personal relationships.

It wasn’t until it hit me hard that I understood the need for two-factor authentication…

It wasn’t until it hit me hard that I understood the need for two-factor authentication. Although, one certain time, after listening to a webinar by Okoye Ijeoma Dicta, where she talked on the importance of two-factor authentication on one’s social media accounts, I tried it out on my Facebook account. But I didn’t make it to the end, because my Google Duo (which is now Meet) refused to accept my phone number. I actually just gave up, feeling that my account was already safe, and that setting that up would just be ‘in case of necessary necessities.’

Well, the joke was on me! When my Facebook got hacked, I immediately went to my Twitter to protect it, by downloading 1Password authenticator app and following the steps. Luckily (maybe because it was relatively easier to do it) I had already protected my Telegram account with two-factor authentication.

Being careful with the kind of people we associate with, build relationships with, share information with, and generally let into our lives, is something that everyone needs to hear. It’s not all about the professional taglines and recognition, what goes on behind the scenes is far more important, because a weak link could cause it all to fall to the ground.

Don’t let a relationship (I’m not only referring to love relationships here) – no matter how real it appers to be – cause you to do things that could backfire. Be sensible, think with your mind, and don’t take two-factor authentication for granted!

Ọlaedo is a teen lifestyle blog, written by a Nigerian teen from a Nigerian teen’s perspective. And aside from my blog I’m an aspirant of a career as a software engineer, I write about my tech journey and as well pen down some tips I’ve uncovered based on my personal experiences, on my socials and on the blog.

You could connect with the blog on Facebook. Surf through the blog’s page and give Ọlaedo a follow.

Does the topic I shared here relate to you? How are you able to keep from mixing personal feelings into your professional connections and relationships? Are you a techie also, or looking to go into tech? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Let’s interact! 😊

Stay motivated,

What I Think About Being an All-Rounder.

Hey, readers!

So, I’ve found that recently, It’s been really hard to write on my blog. In other words, I’ve been finding it hard to write blog posts. I think one of the major reasons is that I’ve been trying so hard to sound…

What’s the word?

Like an authority? I guess that’s it.

You know, since I took part in the CWIN Writing Creativity Challenge and got to meet a lot of other writers and really amazing, inspiring people, I realized that they were all ‘intentional’. And it was this word, ‘intentionality’, that pushed me into writing in a boring way, and that made me lose faith in those ideas that came to me naturally when I thought about writing. I’d always wanted to ‘give value’ and sound… ‘like I 100% knew about whatever topic I wrote on’.

And so, I changed – or at least began to change my writing style.

But the good thing about this phase is that I became a lot more active on social media, Facebook to be precise. And even though I wasn’t posting content on Ọlaedo, the blog’s Facebook page was (and is) frequently being updated and promoted.

But I believe I’m back to normal. After listening to a masterclass by Okoye Ijeoma Dicta, founder of CWIN Africa, for us members of her Inner Circle Program, the point she raised from a question I asked her, about ‘writing from daily experiences, not in a stiff way’ made me realise how much I’ve been trying to write in ‘one particular’, ‘stiff’ way.

So, in this period, a lot of things have changed about me, I daresay:

My writing style.🌺

It’s not a good thing, really, because in my case, my writing style is what makes me stand out, I daresay. I HATE boring articles without a few jokes or everyday lingo here and there. And in recent times, whenever I open a Word document to start a post, that’s exactly how I write.

The thing is just that I was trying to sound like an authority, and at the same time write about ‘intentional’ topics: topics that matter to people working to live purposefully. But I didn’t know that I was just being plain boring.

My fluency in typing with a PC.😩

Yes. Very, very, very, very, very sad to note.

Y’know, since I got my Android phone, I’ve been spending a lot more time on it, with researching, social media, etc. And although I still do not like typing/writing with a phone, I find that that’s the option I go for, because of its ease of access; my phone is always nearby.

And so, when I make out time to use my PC to write, I find myself just typing, hoping on autocorrect to fix my typos as I go!😂

It’s frustrating when I then remember that I’m on my PC, so no autocorrect. And I have to start correcting myself manually, because I don’t really use the Microsoft Word Spelling & Grammar feature!😬

And even when I code, typing regular text (strings) and even some syntax of the programming language has become a little less easy.😭

But using a PC to type, and using a PC in general will always be better for me. I always miss the Microsoft Word Thesaurus and synonyms/antonyms feature, because my phone’s notepad app doesn’t have something like that!

My blogging consistency.😥

Of course, this can be linked with my change in writing style and the feeling of my words no longer feeling ‘okay-enough’, but it’s also about the WordPress community.

About 99.5% of my blog traffic comes from social media, through the referrals I make to the blog. But from WordPress, I have little or no views.

I know that maybe it’s because I’ve been away for quite some time, but even when I try to reach out to my blogger friends, most of them just answer plainly.

And that aside, I don’t know if it’s just me, but the WordPress community is getting colder and colder. All the people who used to show up with tags and fun updates are either less frequent, or have taken long breaks away from this space.

The inconsistency is – was – there for some reasons, but I have faith that I’m back now. Back to my weekly posting schedule.😁

The part of my professional life I’m more focused on.🚀

Although I might have mildly been hinting it on this space, I’m an aspiring software engineer by profession. And ever since November last year, I’ve been taking some big-little steps towards networking with the right kind of people, and making some projects of my own. I even wrote an article about my tech journey for the Hashnode Dev Retro 2022 campaign here.

I’m also taking part in the 2023 Technovation Girls Challenge, as one of my big-little steps. I have a team, and we’re working hard.

Wish me luck!

So, expect to see posts from my tech journey, either in my monthly wrap-ups, or as individual posts.👩🏾‍💻

I believe that the beauty of Ọlaedo is in its teen voice. The fact that I talk about the lessons I learn from the different aspects of my life as a teen – and almost-adult – are the beauty of this blog, and any lifestyle blog, for that matter.

So, I, Vanessa, am all-rounder. I write, I code, and in recent times, make digital designs as well. It feels good to have it figured out now, because now I’ve acknowledged it, I can focus on what aspects of my professional life I want to make most important and spend the most time on. It’s a therapeutic feeling, really.😌

Look out for more of what has been, and more of things to come. I’m introducing a monthly spotlight where I’ll be doing collabs with peeps in different fields on not-so-boring topics.

Stay tuned. 🤗📺

Ọlaedo is on Facebook, feel free to surf on there and give the blog a follow for more updates. And if you’d like to reach out to me to be a part of this monthly spotlight, you can indicate in the comments, so the line-up can begin. In January, I spotlighted Happiness Uduak. We both took part in a collab post on a really interesting topic.

Stay motivated, 🔥

Gender Bias: A Threat to Women’s Self-Confidence. ~A Collab with Happiness Uduak~

Hey, readers!

The tittle of this article is a sensitive one, and one I care a lot about. I’ve had it in mind for quite some time, and I’ve decided to write about it.

And joining me to pursue this line of thought is Happiness Uduak, content writer, ghostwriter, editor, and proof reader.

Happiness Uduak, apart from being a seasoned writing expert, is also a really nice friend of mine. I got to know her from the CWIN Writing Creativity Challenge I took part in last year.

And so, without much more intros, here’s Happiness’ article. This is a collab, so we swapped articles. You can read my article on her page, here.

Enjoyeeee! 🍰

Self-confidence is a key ingredient in the recipe for success, and it is especially important in the journey of intentionality. It allows individuals to set and pursue their goals with conviction and determination while believing in themselves and their abilities.


However, society has unconsciously conditioned this quality to the male gender over the years, leaving the female gender to fill in the gaps. Even in the 21st Century, some people still walk around with the ideology that men are more competent than their female counterparts.


Have you ever had a man interrupt you during a meeting or talk over you in a group setting? This type of behavior sends the message that a woman’s voice and ideas aren’t as valuable as a man’s. And when this happens repeatedly, it can make a woman question her intelligence and abilities.


It’s no secret. Women have been fighting for equality for decades. But what many people don’t realize is that gender bias doesn’t just affect women in the workplace, it can also take a toll on their self-confidence.


Nigerian society expects a woman to have a perfect body, perfect hair, perfect character, and perfect composure. The average woman is expected to go to school, get good grades, bag a rich husband, and pop out kids. And when a woman doesn’t live up to these impossible standards and tries to disrupt the system of ‘the ideal African woman’ they’re often criticized and shamed for wanting more.

This gender stereotype constantly bombards the minds of young girls with messages that suggest they aren’t good enough to explore male-dominated professional environments. Brilliant young ladies aspiring for more, are met with opposition and are accused of breaking the ancient system of ‘what a woman is supposed to do’. But, is this belief morally right?


The scary part is that if the unspoken belief that females should be comfortable in 2nd place continues to thrive, brilliant girls might listen to society and end up forfeiting their dreams and living with a deteriorating level of self-confidence.


The good news, however, is that we can all play a role in changing this narrative. We can ensure that this vicious cycle is trashed for good.



To do this, women should be prepared to counteract the negative effects of societal stereotypes and bias. They should invest in building supportive networks of friends, family, and colleagues to enjoy a sense of belonging and validation, which can counteract the negative effects of societal prejudice.


They should also be aware of various forms of bias that exist and be prepared to challenge them when they encounter them. Women should also build an unshakable sense of self-confidence to resist the negative effects of stereotypes.


Furthermore, they should have role models and mentors who have successfully navigated and overcome societal stereotypes. This can provide inspiration and guidance to them as grown women.



As individuals, we can also contribute to saving the self-confidence of young women by speaking up when we witness gender bias, and by supporting and lifting the women around us.


So, next time you’re in a meeting and a woman’s ideas are being dismissed, speak up and give her the credit she deserves. Be sure to remind every woman out there of all the amazing things she’s capable of. Because when we support and uplift each other, we can break down the barriers of gender bias and help women to reach their full potential.

And so, there you have it.

Go on over to Happiness’ page to read my article on the topic.

And if you’d like to share ideas on this topic, or reach out if you’d like to do a collab with me, the comments section is open. I’d love to hear from you.

You could also connect with the blog on socials. Ọlaedo is on Facebook. Follow the blog on there for more updates. ☺️

Thanks for reading. 🌺

Ciao, 💋

And then, Repeat It All with Purpose.

Hey, readers!

I’m glad we’ve made it so far in this series, and I’m glad to have been able to write about the lessons I’ve learnt from valuable experiences of mine.

A kudos to me, and a kudos to you. 👍🏾

After having followed up the series, from here, it’s just intentional repetition. Living a more responsible and accountable life doesn’t require much more than what you’ve been told in this Intentionality Series.

My articles in this series on personal branding, planning and scheduling, consistent effort in one’s craft, beneficial networking, and now intentional repetition, are the heart of the everyday actions of those people we say have their lives figured out.

The only thing that differentiates them from the ordinary, average person is how willing they are to constantly repeat these steps that produce results. It’s their consistency, and the fact that they continuously develop their personal value that make them stand out.

As I said in the first article of this series, I gained a lot from participating in the Creative Writers and Influencers Network (CWIN) 28-day Writing Creativity Challenge for November 2022. It opened my eyes to what it means to take charge of the pace and direction a person wants their life to go, and in line with my vision for this blog, I knew I had to share it on this space.

I advise you read every article in this series. Give yourself that jolt this new year.

You could also read my entries for the CWIN 28-day contest on Facebook here.

I’d always love to answer any questions you might have, or simply to connect. Drop me a comment below and let’s keep the conversation going.

And if you’d like to be closer to the blog, or to interact with me through a direct message, Ọlaedo is on Facebook. Feel free to give its page a follow.

As always, thanks for reading.

Stay motivated.🔥

Networking.

Hey, readers! Happy new year!☺️

The tittle of this post reminds me of the article I wrote for the Hashnode Dev Retro 2022 campaign. In the article, where I shared my three-year journey in tech, I talked about my lack of ‘connections’ as one of the things that really slowed down my progress and learning.

As a beginner coder, I relied on Sololearn, YouTube tutorial videos, and (at a time) Girls Who Code at Home weekly code projects for my learning.

That was great. Not bad, actually. But what I lacked was community.

We all can agree that in the average classroom, it takes the input from other classmates for there to be actual teaching and learning.

Be honest and admit to yourself that if it wasn’t for the questions, jokes, and random statements from members of your class while learning, you probably wouldn’t have been able to understand most of your lessons.

And that’s exactly what I’m talking about.

Don’t be daunted when I use the word ‘networking’. A better word to use would be ‘community’, and they mean the same thing in this context.

If you want to live your life with purpose and take responsibility for your actions, you need a network, you need to be in a community of people with interests and goals similar to yours.

In a less formal light, it’s simple logic to make friends with people who’ll be beneficial to you. It’s not only about those who’re ‘in your field’, you can as well make friends with people from all walks of life, from different backgrounds, as long as their being part your life will make you a better person.

Now, the question:

How Will I Find that Network?

Honestly, if you asked me how exactly you could find such a community of ‘like-minded people’, I have no proven line of action to give you.

You see, back when I just started out, and had just created a Facebook account, I made endless searches like: Nigerian teen coders, Teen coders, and phrases like that, but all the groups and pages I found were outdated and empty.

In hindsight, I take it that it wasn’t yet the right time for me to stumble across the amazing communities I’m in now, because I wasn’t ready for them.

But with the little experience of mine, I can tell you this:

My best advice on is to begin with making like-minded friends. I use Facebook as an example because it’s my most active social. Make searches on people you already know in your field, and send them friend requests.

And if you don’t have anyone in mind, you can go over to Google and search up things like: Nigerian teen coder 2022, Nigerian programmer 2022, Nigerian teen web developer 2022 (that would be in the case of a techie). You’d be sure to get relevant results.

And once your results are out, you can then hit the socials. It must not be Facebook, as long as you connect with that person: through a follow or a friend request.

And the good thing about social media sites is that from the people you follow or become friends with, you’re given friend, group and page suggestions based on your activity. So it becomes a lot easier to find more people and communities once you reach out.

The perks of making friends with the right kind of people are lot. Here are some benefits, with proof from my personal experiences:

A network keeps you motivated.

I knew this before now, but I’ve just recently been given a reminder. You wouldn’t believe the creative rush I felt when I saw updates from my friends in tech as we entered the new year. And although I was in my village, with my network on EDGE, I found a way to get Internet connection, even if it only came once a day.

My friends, the like-minded peeps I’ve surrounded myself with, motivated me to push limits and start work this year, notwithstanding the serious network problems I faced.

A network keeps growing.

I can’t really remember the first teen techie I followed on Facebook. But since that day, I’ve kept on meeting more and more people. I’ve made REALLY amazing friends in tech, and we’re already making plans to execute projects this year.

In fact, through my Facebook friend, Abigail Johnson, (a fellow girl in tech), I just found out about Princess Mbamalu, who is working with her to build an AI-powered tech innovation.

And I look forward to future interactions with her.

But the other side of this is that YOU have to stay in motion. Don’t fold your arms and deceive yourself by saying you’re satisfied with the friends you have, and the level you’ve gotten to.

Such a mindset is dangerous, because one thing I’ve learned about purposeful people is that they cease to hang around you once you stop being productive.

So, if you really want to grow, you stay productive, keep working at your craft. Once you’re in the right circle of people, it’s only a matter of time before great opportunities come your way.

When you walk with five wise people, you become the sixth wise person.

Every beneficial network influences you positively.

If I hadn’t put the lessons I’d learnt from participating in the CWIN Writing Creativity Challenge into practice, I wouldn’t have developed myself to this point. I wouldn’t have known enough to keep reaching out to like-minded people. I wouldn’t have been enlightened on the importance of making investments for my personal growth.

The major point here is that when you come in contact with the right kind of people, they must SURELY influence you in one way or another.

And it’s not just professionally, in our everyday lives as well.

I take an example from my own life: In my workplace, I’ve met two really amazing women. One of them taught me a lot, actually, about being a young woman of QUALITY and CONFIDENCE; but one of the best things she taught me was that age is just a number, especially where it seems like a factor stopping me from pursuing what I want.

The other amazing woman taught me –  although not directly – that your personality is everything. She’s actually a young pastor’s wife, but she’s so cool. Most times, the way she presents God is so refreshing.

I really treasure these women.

The same should be for you.

Points of action.

What kind of an article would this be if there were no in-your-face points of action?

A network, a community of people with goals similar to yours, can only be of benefit to you when you put in your own efforts.

Here they are:

Keep showing up. Keep putting yourself out there.

One of the closest people to me, Franck Mve, is an aspiring footballer – and in recent times, a delver in all things photography. He is known wherever he goes as a football lover, and the best part is that he actually shows his skills whenever and wherever he can.

He’s actually made lots of friends from this, and lots of cool opportunities have come to him.

The moral here is that you should be consistent. Although similar to ‘staying productive’, this is more in-depth in a sense. It’s about getting to work and not stopping. It’s about not just covering yourself up with labels and professional taglines, but rather about working to produce results that will gain you the opportunities you need.

It’s not enough to talk about your ideas, it’s not enough to boast about your skills. The main thing is to NEVER shy away from an avenue to show what you can do.

Don’t live on past glory.

Don’t compare yourself with others.

This, every once in a while, is a big problem, actually. In one of my entries for the CWIN Writing Creativity Challenge, I wrote on this.

Sure, there will ALWAYS be people who’re doing better than you are, no matter their age. Just look at Claire Charles, a 14-year-old Web3 developer. But instead of that to demoralize you, let it motivate you.

Claire Charles, 14-year-old Web3 developer.

In my own case, when I look at my mates like John Oseni, Clinton Imaro, Abigail Johnson, Sumayah Adegbite, and many others making waves in tech, it makes me feel bad that although I’ve been into tech since 2019, I haven’t been consistent enough with it to actually produce much results.

But I soon get over the ‘failure’ feeling, and let their stories inspire and motivate me to keep going – consistently this time.

It’s important to always share your story. Not necessarily, while you’re still building yourself up, but rather when you’ve reached a level of success. It helps to motivate upcomers, and also helps you keep track of your progress as a person. Always keep records, and share when you’ve overcome.

Vanessa Ndikom.

The same should be for you. The ‘guys on top’ are there to motivate you, so you can push your limits and be better.

Be nice and friendly.

You know, it’s normal for people at a point to no longer listen to others. They become so concerned with their own life’s problems and the work they’re doing that they no longer care so much about what other people are doing.

This problem can rise up in any network, especially one of intentional people.

As a teen blogger, I always love to connect with fellow teen bloggers, especially those who’re Nigerian like me. But many a time, I find myself losing some relationships on this space.

Yes, I sometimes, get so concerned with putting out my own content, growing my blog’s audience, and all other things I have to do professionally that I fail to check out what other bloggers are up to: read their posts, drops some friendly comments, and give a few shares.

What you need to know is that being friendly is important. Underneath the labels and professional taglines, the things that keep MANY influential people going are the shows of care and genuine friendship they receive from friends and family.

I hope I’ve made this three-syllable word, networking, sound a bit more doable, and I hope you get to work on it.🏃🏾‍♀️

Networking can begin from here, you know! It’d be great to connect with you. Drop me a comment if you have anything to say. And also if you have any pointers for me on getting the most out of Twitter, I just created an account on there in December!🙈

For now, Ọlaedo is on Facebook only. If you’d like to follow the blog there as well, or just check out the page, surf on over here.

Cheers to you living more purposefully. 🥂

Stay motivated, 🔥

Get to Work.

Hey, readers!

For the fact that you’ve taken the decision, for the fact that you’ve spared a few moments to draft a game plan, I think it’s right to say that you have purpose.

Welcome to the 4^th post in the Intentionality Series. A blog series where I create the awareness on how important it is for us young people – and, indeed, everyone – to live intentionally. And via this series, I also share my experiences in the journey of living more purposefully.

In previous posts, I’ve been talking about changing your mindset, preparation, and gathering momentum for the big move.

And in this post, I’ll be guiding you to that big move.

Let’s begin…

This morning, before I began writing this post, I came across a Facebook post shared by a friend of mine. The post, a rather inspiring one, talked about purpose, resilience, determination, as the things us young people need to bring about innovations and solve world problems.

Here’s a screenshot of my favorite part/s:

And from this, I got inspiration on how best to structure this post.

✨That only goes to say that surrounding ourselves with beneficial, inspiring and like-minded people goes a long way in helping us develop ourselves to become better people. ✨

You see, when we decide to take up a task, start a job, establish a business, go into a career, or just make a move from the things we ordinarily do, we often do so out of purpose. And that’s the kind of ‘work’ I’m talking about here.

And so, from this purpose, let’s say we take action. We make a plan, and decide to start doing things RIGHT NOW. Why? Because our purpose motivates us.

But then, a month into your here-and-now craft, and you experience a MAJOR setback. Worst case scenario: your phone crashes, and at that point in time, you’re seriously broke. 💔 In a time like that, it’s your resilience that’ll help you think clearly and reason out a way to get through the setback with as little bruises as possible.

Mind you that this part of the journey isn’t for everyone. MANY give up once things get really hard, because they feel like the hard times are an indication that their dream, or their craft, isn’t right for them.

But say you get through it, head high. That’s a big kudos to you. 👏🏾 And what’s better is that from the challenge you encountered you learned lessons, your brain worked to create different lines of action to take when faced with a problem like the one you did. And so at the end of it, you have a strategy that works, with you as proof.

In my case, when I’m trying to reason a way out to a problem I’m facing, and I’m getting demoralized thinking out the solution, I remind myself that: There’s more than one way to kill a rat.

From there, you place your lessons as landmarks to guide you next time you make a similar move. And one of the best things about this is that it gives you confidence in your actions, and your ability to get through things.

And when you’re confident, you begin to work and think at a greater capacity. You begin to explore, you get creative, and you begin to innovate.

I want to grab this last word: innovate. When I, and I guess most people, hear ‘innovate’, the first thing that comes to mind is ideas and then execution.

Our purpose generally forms our ideas, and the work we do to realize that purpose is the execution.

I don’t know what you were expecting from this post, but if you’re truly serious about getting to work to achieve that goal that made you decide to be intentional, all you need to know is that:

As long as you have that core determination, that thing you want to achieve, that world problem you want to solve, that dream or aspiration, hold on to it very firmly, and don’t waver in your conviction. Expect setbacks, maybe not even from the career aspect of your life, setbacks that’ll make you cry and dare you to give up. Be wise enough to mellow down and think – there is always more than one way to kill a rat – and let your purpose, dreams, aspirations, and the people in your life who make you truly feel like yourself motivate you to keep going.

The setbacks aren’t a one-time experience, sorry to say. But I’m telling you that if you could get through once, the lessons you learned can get you through again… and again and again.

I want to believe that you’ve been following this series, penning down the lessons you learned from each article, because the truth of the matter is in taking responsibility for your life, every step depends on the other: You need to make that unwavering decision, you need to prepare for the new step you’re about to take and have a plan, before you can get to work.

I hope this article motivated you to begin working to achieve your dream RIGHT NOW, no matter your age.

The next article in the series will tell more about surrounding yourself with beneficial people as you continue to your creative efforts.

It’s very okay if you have any thoughts on this you wish to share. I’m open to interactions, and would be glad to answer questions. And even if you just want to connect, or say hi, the comments section is open. Let’s keep the discussion going. 😊

And if you’d rather prefer socials, Ọlaedo is on Facebook. Connect with the blog, and let’s interact.😚

Thanks for reading. 💕

Stay motivated, 🔥

Have a Plan.

Hey, readers!

Okay. So you’ve decided to live purposefully; you’ve taken the step after that to fix up your Internet identity in preparation for the new wave of content that you’d soon be putting out. What’s next?

To actually get to work, right?

No. 😐

The worst thing that can happen to you is when you rush into something – anything – without a plan.

You want to be intentional? Have a plan.

You want to become valuable on Internet spaces? Have a plan.

You want to finish a course? Have a plan.

Having a plan makes things look more organized, and saves you from feeling overwhelmed at a point. Deciding to live a more purposeful life might be easy, but forming the habits you need to keep up with it is the hard part.

Luckily, as I said I would, I’m here to help.

When I say, ‘Have a Plan’, know that there are two types of plans you need to have: the long-term plan and the short-term plan.

The Long-term Plan.

I would be misleading you if I said that it’s okay to have just one goal that’ll cover all the aspects of your life. The truth of the matter is that for the different parts of our lives: academics, religion, work, career, family, relationships, etc., there should be individual long-term goals.

Sound overwhelming?

You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.

So, since we’re talking about INTENTIONALITY as a broad concept, you should know that when you decide to be intentional with your life, you decide to be intentional in every part of it.

In this series, I’ll be sharing tips that can be most helpful in the career, academics, and work aspects of our lives. But they can generally be useful in every part of your life with a few adjustments here and there.

Now that we’ve established that, let’s continue…

The long-term goal is that sum total goal you want to achieve.

Take for example, you’re making a plan for your career.

Long-term goal: To become a graphics designer.

The problem is: I feel like I’m not making any steps RIGHT NOW towards my career, I feel like I’m too relaxed and unserious.

The solution is: I’ll take up a course on digital design to begin with (in the case where my career is in design).

The action plan is: For a week, I’ll take lessons in my course for an hour a day to get accustomed to it. From there, I’ll ease into learning for two hours a day. If I learn for two hours every day, I would have completed the course in two months’ time.

Deadline for completion of the course: Two months from the day I started it.

You see how I’ve made the broad statement of ‘make a plan for your career’ seem so doable in five headings?

That’s what the long-term goal is all about: breaking the broad intention into doable parts.

The Short-term Plan.

The long-term plan breaks up your intention into doable parts, and makes it seem less scary and overwhelming. But the short-term plan further breaks those parts into daily points of action that will lead you to achieving the long-term goal.

The short-term plan is very important, because as I said earlier, if you want to succeed at being a purposeful person, you need to have habits that put you in the right direction. And when you have a short-term plan consisting of daily, routine actions aimed towards the long-term goal, those actions for success you carry out every day become part of you; they become your habits.

A good way to look at your short-term plan is thinking of it as a timetable. Many people cringe at the idea of making a timetable for their activities, feeling that it’ll restrict them, but that’s the more reason why people like that spend their day responding to the day’s prompts and circumstances, instead of letting the day be structured by their own actions.

And it’s people like that who, at the end of the month or year, feel like they haven’t done anything meaningful with their life.

To be honest, I was once in this category of people. I used to HATE the idea of a timetable. Back in my JSS1 in secondary school, when my Igbo teacher first told me about a timetable, I just told her I would try it to make her happy. But it was only in my JSS3, when I was to write my Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) – AKA Junior WAEC – that I tried having my first timetable; and that was a reading timetable.

So, what am I saying in essence?

A daily timetable might sound and even BE boring to create and follow up initially, but believe me, it helps. I can’t say I follow my timetable all the time, but whenever I miss an activity, I feel it and scold myself against repeating it. And I often don’t. 😊

Because a short-term timetable can differ from person-to-person, I’ll just be giving you tips to note when crafting yours:

Have two timetables: One for your working/school periods, and one for your holiday periods.

Yup. You have to have a plan for your holidays, too. 😏

The worst thing you can tell yourself is that the timetable you use when you’re working or when your school is in session, will work for you when you’re on holiday.

During work/school periods, you have limited free time which you have to try to slice to accommodate all the extra things you have to do. But during the holiday, you have a lot more free time.

So, make two timetables.

Be realistic: You know how you are. You know whether you’re the kind of person that MUST sleep for two hours every afternoon before you can actually feel rested. You know the time of day – or night – you’re most productive.

In this heading, I advise you to make your timetable bearing in mind the way your body functions.

Taking myself as an example, I don’t joke with sleep. But since I started working, I haven’t been able to get the sleep I need. And that’s why I dedicate my Sundays for sleeping. 😂

In my previous timetables, I always put in a compulsory hour for sleep during the holidays, because on weekdays, I often find it hard to sleep in the afternoon. 🤦🏾‍♀

The same should be for you. I didn’t say you should get lazy and put in five hours for sleep, or three hours for ‘rest’ and ‘watching TV’. No. Even as we’re realistic, we should know enough to let go of or reduce the time we spend on activities in our day that don’t produce much results.

Always remember to put in emergency time: Of course. No matter how much you try to plan your day down to every detail, there will always be unexpected things that’ll just pop up out of nowhere. An example is how, yesterday, I planned to finish cooking, have a bath, and immediately finish writing this article. But then, I forgot that that day was the World Cup finals. 🤯

And so, when my dad clicked on the TV, I just had to spare some time to watch. 🙃

But good for me, I always have space for contingencies in my daily timetable.

And you should, too.

And just an addy: It helps, at the beginning of every day, very early in the morning, or before you go to sleep in the night, to list out all the activities you have to carry out the next day.

For me, I make my list when I wake up in the morning, not the night before.

And it’s also a good idea to start such a list for the next day with the things you weren’t able to do or finish for that day.

Start from the most important activity to the least most important. That’s what I do, though. You can order it however you wish. 😉

And so, however way you wish to mix and match these points I shared here, know that if you want to be purposeful, you’ve got to have a plan: a long-term one and a short-term one. Without these, anything you may claim you’re doing or ‘working on’ may not give the same results as it would if you had a clear plan with daily points of action.

Try this out, and see how much more confident you’ll be in your ability to plan and execute things you put your mind to. 👍🏾

Look out for the next post in this series, and keep staying enlightened as you journey towards intentionality. 🐱‍👤

Have any thoughts to share on this? Anything you wish to add? Or do you just want to connect? I’d be pleased to hear from you in the comments! 👇🏾

You can also connect with the blog on socials! Follow Ọlaedo on Facebook. Let’s boost the interaction. 💕🤗

Thanks for reading. ☺️

Stay motivated. 🔥