THE WINNING MINDSET: Turning your skills into career breakthroughs.

The Spaces brought together a product designer (Joshua), a data analyst (Jide, MTN Nigeria), a product manager (Emmanuel), and a network security engineer (Adebola) to unpack how continuous learning, community, and execution turn skills into career breakthroughs. Across journeys from career switches (pharmacy to design, transmission engineering to cybersecurity) to rapid upskilling in demanding roles (core banking at a digital bank, automating operations with SQL/Python/Power Automate), speakers stressed structured learning (bootcamps), mentorship, and communities to avoid skipping fundamentals and to accelerate growth. They highlighted soft skills—ownership, trust-building, communication—as decisive in landing roles, and showed how public proof of work (case studies, LinkedIn posts, GitHub commits, certifications) attracts referrals and HR outreach. Practical job-search tactics included ATS-optimized resumes, networking and cold outreach to hiring managers, and being open to internships and startups to gain autonomy and breadth. Motivation came from knowing one’s “why,” curiosity, and the impact of one’s work. Q&A covered breaking into saturated entry-level markets, startup vs enterprise trade-offs, sustaining motivation, and building a credible UI/UX portfolio via real problem case studies and experimentation. The session closed with a call to take one concrete action this week toward the next career step.

Tech Rush Alumni Webinar — The Winning Mindset: Turning Your Skills into a Career

Session overview

A practical, experience-driven conversation on how to turn skills into a sustainable tech career. The through-line across all speakers: continuous learning, visible outputs (projects, portfolios, certifications), trust and ownership at work, and relationships that open doors (often more than job boards do). The discussion emphasized structured learning paths, community, and the courage to take on stretch assignments.

Speakers and roles

• Host/Moderator (unnamed)
• Emmanuel — Product Manager at a digital bank; prior experience in fintech (loans/credit engines) and capital markets products
• Jide — Data/Operations Analyst at MTN Nigeria; previously at Konga (data scientist) and an earlier-stage startup
• Joshua — Product Designer (UI/UX); transitioned from Pharmacy to Computer Science; research and consulting across HCI, AI, immersive tech, and tech-for-good
• Adebola — Network Security Engineer (telecom); earlier career as a transmission engineer; CEH Practical; active in applied security and hardware security research

Core themes that cut across all journeys

• Continuous learning opens doors: it is the non‑negotiable career moat; invest time and money in learning, and revisit fundamentals regularly.
• Stand out by delivering more than asked: ownership, initiative, speed and quality; make your impact visible (LinkedIn, portfolios, case studies, internal automation wins).
• Relationships and referrals move faster than job boards: build mentors, network with senior practitioners and HR; many roles are never posted.
• Structure accelerates growth: bootcamps, cohorts, and communities give sequence and rhythm, help avoid skipping basics, and compress timelines.
• Communicate value: soft skills—clear stakeholder communication, persuasion, and ability to articulate your thinking—are often decisive in hiring for high‑ownership roles.

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Emmanuel — product leadership in fintech and banking

• Breaking in without every checkbox: Came into a digital bank lacking direct core banking system experience but earned trust by demonstrating clear product thinking, ownership, and fast-learning capacity. He connected prior fintech experiences (loan management, credit decisioning, capital markets) to the bank’s needs and showed enthusiasm to learn.
• Trust and ownership: Product roles require management’s trust to own a business area. He underlined the need to quickly build credibility with engineers (technical fluency), operations, and compliance.
• “Walking into a building on fire”: In his first months he found the bank’s core infrastructure was causing transaction issues. He took ownership, aligned teams (ops, regulatory, engineering), and upskilled quickly (technical fluency courses) to lead remediation.
• How to land that first PM role:
  • Don’t rely on luck; show work. Even if you haven’t shipped in production, present artifacts—PRDs, research plans, validation results, pitch decks, no‑code prototypes—to demonstrate capability.
  • Invest in structured learning; paying real money increased his commitment (“skin in the game”).
  • Mentorship matters: copy effective career patterns; learn from those a few steps ahead.
  • For entry level: be proactive and not picky; use networking to find roles that are never posted; optimize CVs for ATS with role‑specific keywords; target interviews as an early success metric.

Jide — data/operations, from pivot to high-impact delivery

• Pivoting into data: Began with basic Python at school; tried frontend but pivoted to data in 2021. Secured an internship at a startup and rose to team lead in under six months by consistently “over‑delivering.”
• Tools and visibility: Learned SQL deeply for analytical querying; posted work on LinkedIn, triggering inbound interviews (e.g., Spotify) and direct outreach (e.g., Konga). Konga hired him as a data scientist, where he supported seven business units in three months and was slated for a leadership role.
• Telco operations at MTN: Moved into a large telco role focusing on operational efficiency using SQL, Python, and BI. He emphasized automation and “time to insight.”
• Structured learning and community: Saw peers compress multi‑year trajectories into ~1 year via regimented programs. Communities prevent skipping fundamentals and keep learning sequenced.
• Automation as leverage: Introduced database integrations and Microsoft Power Automate to replace manual reporting with scheduled, resilient delivery (e.g., hourly or twice‑daily emails to stakeholders). Outcomes: faster cycle times, less burnout, faster decisions, and visibility to senior management.
• Reputation and referrals: “Over and beyond” performance drew management interest and subsequent referrals; credibility precedes you into rooms your feet haven’t entered yet.

Adebola — security engineering anchored in proactive defense and fundamentals

• Early exposure, non-linear path: First contact with security as a student experimenting with penetration testing; worked as a transmission engineer post‑graduation while self‑studying cybersecurity.
• Hard credentials the hard way: Earned CEH Practical (6‑hour exam) via self‑study over ~2 years. Posting the achievement on LinkedIn generated immediate inbound opportunities.
• The break via referral: Despite low social media activity, sustained networking with in‑house security teams led to a referred network security role; chose the more challenging option over higher pay because it promised growth.
• Reality of security work: It’s broader than “hacking”—defending infrastructure requires proactive detection and prevention; expect to handle tasks beyond your formal remit.
• Continuous improvement: Revisit fundamentals (e.g., protocol ports) because small details surface in interviews and incidents. Invest money and time; not everything worth learning is free. Engage in adjacent domains (e.g., hardware security research) to widen perspective.
• Motivation: When tired, return to “why you started”—impact, curiosity, and yes, legitimate earning potential are all valid drivers.

Joshua — from Pharmacy to Product Design, research-led growth

• Intentional career change: After 4–5 years studying Pharmacy, switched to Computer Science; had already started learning UI/UX (2019–2020). University tech hub and mentors accelerated the transition.
• A defining internship: First internship entrusted him with a full product that shipped within 3 months; he was retained but prioritized completing his studies—proof that early, real responsibility catalyzes capability and confidence.
• Learning beyond interfaces: Went deep on research, design thinking, and HCI across AI, immersive tech (AR/VR), and sustainability/tech‑for‑good. That specialization unlocked a Google‑funded research assistantship in HCI capacity building.
• Craft depth: Invested in micro‑interactions and advanced UX practices; now also consults as a design lead. Self‑powered learning stack: YouTube, Coursera, IBM content.
• How continuous learning opens doors: Being unafraid of stretch challenges builds a reputation; many opportunities came from LinkedIn visibility and referrals from prior work.

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Q&A highlights

Q: “Entry-level roles are scarce and ATS makes online applications daunting. How do I compete?”

• Emmanuel:
  • Be strategic: many entry roles aren’t posted; leverage community, mentors, and senior engineers/HR with direct outreach.
  • Show credible work: projects, docs, research; your first goal is to secure interviews—track that as a metric.
  • Use ATS-aware CVs: mirror job description keywords and responsibilities; tailor per application.
  • Consider structured learning communities for momentum and shared tactics.
• Joshua:
  • Cold outreach works: message HR, team leads, and senior developers; sometimes teams shape junior roles around promising candidates.
  • Keep profiles alive: update LinkedIn, GitHub, and portfolio with fresh commits and case studies; some recruiters screen for evidence of recent activity.

Q: “What keeps you motivated to keep learning?”

• Adebola: Reconnect with your “why”—impact, curiosity, and legitimate earnings. If you can’t answer why you’re learning something, reconsider the path.
• Jide: Let curiosity and impact guide you. Growth today creates tomorrow’s opportunities; align learning to visible outcomes for your team and company.

Q: “For a first role, choose a startup or an established enterprise?”

• Joshua: Structured environments can be helpful for interns; personally thrives in startup contexts where builders test and iterate quickly.
• Jide: Startups often accelerate learning—you’ll wear many hats, ship faster, and build a broader toolset. Enterprises provide scale but streamline roles and add process; select based on opportunity and the learning curve you need.

Q: “How should a UI/UX beginner build a credible portfolio?”

• Joshua:
  • Build case studies around real problems: show end‑to‑end thinking (research, problem framing, constraints, ideation, usability validation, outcomes) and the visual craft.
  • Reverse‑redesigns can work: pick a public product, conduct independent research, propose improvements, and narrate your decisions.
  • Show modality range: web, mobile, and experiments in AR/VR (e.g., Apple Vision Pro, Meta/Oculus) to signal versatility.
  • Keep it honest and process‑oriented: recruiters can tell when work isn’t yours; depth of reasoning differentiates you.

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Moderator’s synthesis — the “Triangle” of career momentum

• Stand out: Deliver beyond baseline, automate what slows teams down, and make impact visible.
• Credentials: Structured learning, certificates, and tangible artifacts (PRDs, dashboards, case studies) signal readiness and discipline.
• Relationships: Mentorships and networks lead to referrals and insider opportunities that rarely hit job boards.

Practical actions to take this week

• Identify one gap blocking your next role (technical or soft skill) and commit to a focused learning sprint.
• Make an internal impact visible: ship one automation or process improvement and circulate results.
• Refresh your public footprint: update LinkedIn/GitHub/portfolio with a recent project or case study; optimize your CV for ATS using target role keywords.
• Initiate three meaningful outreach conversations (a senior practitioner, an HR contact, and a peer who recently landed a role) and ask specific, respectful questions.

Closing note

Careers rarely advance by accident. The shared playbook: keep learning, communicate value, take ownership of messy problems, and cultivate relationships. When you do these consistently, opportunities start finding you as much as you find them.