What do you do after learning coding in Kenya? It is somehow unfair for us to teach you how to code and fail to prepare you for the future. We advise aspiring developers to perfect and diversify their skills as a first step.
Employers consider your skill set more than your academic papers. We all know how long it takes our academic system to update its curricula. You cannot use its shortcomings as an excuse. Coding schools in Kenya such as Allenhark Digital Academy will help you update your skill set.
The reality is that even with the best coding skills, it can take a while to get a good job. An internship is advisable because you get to apply your skills and learn how to serve clients. However, you cannot be an intern forever. You need to make a living out of your passion.
Entrepreneurship is a great idea in an economy that offers no employment guarantee even for the most qualified. However, before you take the leap and launch your business, you need to minimize your risk of failure. We offer some tips that will set you on the path to success as a developer.
Who is a developer?
Before we talk about entrepreneurship, let us define a developer briefly. Most people confuse “coders” with developers. Learning programming languages and syntax is enough to make you a coder. In fact, many aspiring developers aim to write quality codes.
Such a goal is good but not good enough to make you a developer. You can solve problems and complete small projects as a coder. However, that is still not enough to make you a full-time developer.
A developer goes a step further from perfecting their coding skills. You learn coding in Kenya not just to write codes to solve real problems. Developers turn software or tools into solutions. You understand the business world and the kind of solutions that will solve people’s problems.
If you are a developer based on this definition, then you can consider entrepreneurship. Here is our advice on how to navigate this path.
How to succeed as an entrepreneur
1. Identify real problems
Your relevance as an entrepreneur depends on the problems you solve. The day your solutions or applications become obsolete is the day you begin to fail. You may have perfect coding skills but clients want solutions.
Before you develop any software, understand why you need to create the solution. What problem will it solve? How well will it solve the problem? You can only get these answers if you identify the real problem that your client is trying to solve.
Do not be quick to recommend a solution before studying your client’s business or field. Understand the dynamics of their interactions with their clients or software users. Ask questions about their business even if they have nothing to do with the software.
The more you learn about a business or field, the more prepared you are to offer a sustainable solution. In addition, realize that your solution may need an update if the business environment changes. Be prepared for such updates.
2. Avoid low-quality codes at all costs
One of the reasons why we recommend that you learn coding in Kenya from experts is learning to write quality codes. Developers often run into the trap of writing poor codes because of time restrictions. You either underestimate the time required to complete a project or take too many projects at the same time.
The result is poorly written codes that are hard to use while developing solutions. Companies often require that you hand over your code to their engineers or internal developers after a project. In this case, the developers will have a problem using your codes.
Low-quality codes require a long debugging process. Do not assume that you will have time to go back to debug or fix issues with the code. Write quality codes from scratch even if it takes more time. You spend either time writing or fixing issues.
3. Understand the importance of UX and UI designs
The next thing to consider after writing quality codes is the design. Users do not understand the coding process that makes a solution or application work. The design matters more to users than the functionality.
Give every solution a professional and appealing look. In a world where every business has an app, you need to make your clients’ software competitive. Understand the preferences of users beforehand. Ask your clients to describe the users and their preferences.
It is possible to learn coding without mastering design skills. As an entrepreneur, you can either take extra design lessons or outsource the design part to skilled design. Do whatever it takes to give each application an outstanding design. A lack of design skills is no excuse.
4. Delegate
Entrepreneurs will tell you that delegation is a hard thing to do for various reasons. You may not trust junior developers to write codes or apply your codes as you would in real projects. Most entrepreneurs want to remain in charge of all projects.
You will burn out fast if you step into entrepreneurship with such an approach. Allow other developers to handle some tasks while you focus on growing the business. If you are unsure about their capacity to write quality codes, teach them how you do it.
Delegation saves from stress. You have enough time and a clear mind to see the important aspects of building a sustainable business. You have time to study market trends, meet with new clients, assess your progress, and identify new opportunities in the market.
Final remarks
Entrepreneurship is an interesting journey. Every day in your business is different. Every client is different. You can succeed in entrepreneurship and earn well from it if you are willing to put in the work. Be willing to keep pushing even when your efforts do not give immediate results.
The best part of it is that you get to create jobs and platforms for other developers. You grow from learning coding in Kenya to taking part in solving the unemployment puzzle.