Ms Firdaws Lamidi, a Medical laboratory science student from the University of Lagos is here to share some exciting and knowledgeable things about herself

‘I love money’ — Ms Firdaws
But wait! Who doesn’t love money?
Join us, as we read through, learn and get inspired

Tell us a little bit about yourself

Hi, I’m Firdaws Lamidi. I’m a 400 level medical laboratory science student currently studying at the college of medicine, University of Lagos. I’m also a front end developer.
What are your career aspirations?
To become a senior front end developer and also explore more fields in tech.

What prompted you to start a career in tech, how did it all start?
I have always been curious about how the tech world works and I definitely knew I was going to try out some skills some day just out of curiosity and for fun, but I didn’t know I would be totally into it.
I guess it all started when I was picking a career path during my JAMB application. I actually wanted to be an engineering student, but I wasn’t so confident in my further mathematics, so my parents decided to make me choose medicine and surgery. Fortunately for me, I did not meet the cut off mark so the university gave me medical laboratory science (MLS) instead. And that was the first time I heard about that course in my life. I did some research and found out it wasn’t really my thing and I don’t think I see myself doing that in the future, but I still had an open mind and heart for it.
By the end of 100 level, there was this short ASUU strike we had before crossing over to medical school from the main campus. I was idle and tired of staying home, then a friend of mine told me about ‘Code Lagos’. Code Lagos was a free program created by the Lagos state government for people to learn about tech. I started the program pretty late, so I did not understand the basics and everyone seemed to be ahead of me. Eventually, I gave up during that period.
Okay, fast forward to 2020, during the covid-19 pandemic there was a nation lockdown, everyone was asked to leave the school premises. During my stay at home I started thinking about my life and what to do. I still had no interest in MLS, I even found out the pay isn’t good at all and I am such a material gworl, I love money.
While I was brainstorming on what I could do during the lockdown, my brother, who is a Tech bro, prompted me to go back to tech, start all over again and find the one that suits me. He told me there was plenty of money too. Well, I guess that’s how it all started. I went online and found out what I was capable of doing and also would be enthusiastic about, which was front end development. I sought out some of my friends in tech for guidance and my brother also connected me to some of his friends in the industry.

Could you brief us about some of the challenges you faced?
I faced many challenges during this journey.
I am usually skeptical about my skills normally, but when it came to this tech thingy it became worse. I can’t count the number of times I cried just because I wasn’t getting things right but each time I cried, I always got back up, I didn’t give up and it made me believe more in myself. This is what has brought me this far.
Another issue I had was the whole online way of learning and talking to my mentors. Personally, I love meeting up with people physically whenever I need clarification. Doing all these online was quite tough but I soon got a hold of it. I can say I am now getting used to it.

Tell us about your wins
For me, each project I successfully completed was a big win and seeing myself progressing each time made me proud of my skills.
My biggest win right now is getting an internship at a Fintech company.
I am really improving my skills and learning as much as I can and I can’t wait to see what I can offer to this company. I also cannot wait to gain a lot of knowledge and experience.
What programming language are you familiar with?
HTML, CSS, Javascript, React JS and Tailwind CSS.

How do you handle work-related stress?
By sleeping or watching movies or going out to have some fun.
Cute.

What piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?
Never belittle your skills.
If things aren’t working out, it’s okay to check out other options that might work. It’s okay to cry as well, irrespective of gender, it’s really okay to cry as much as you want, but not for too long so that you can get back to work.
My last advice would be, join tech communities, connect with Tech bros and sis, especially the ones doing your related course. You can do that on twitter or LinkedIn.
THANK YOU MS. LAMIDI💖