Testimonial

In 2020, I was working as a store assistant when the coronavirus pandemic changed everything. I got retrenched, and suddenly found myself locked down at home like millions of others, unless you had an essential job and a permit, you weren't going anywhere. Days turned into weeks of scrolling through my phone, searching for something meaningful to do with all this unexpected time. That's when I stumbled upon an app called Codeliber.

I knew absolutely nothing about coding back then. But as I started researching, I discovered something incredible, one of my neighbors, someone I'd grown up with, was a software developer working from home. Seeing him still employed and thriving during the pandemic sparked something in me. My interest in tech didn't just grow, it ignited.

I made myself a promise that if another lockdown ever happened, I would never lose my job again. I started teaching myself to code on Codeliber, learning bit by bit, driven by that determination to build a future I could control.

In 2023, I landed a temporary position as an Educator Assistant and used that opportunity to buy myself a laptop. It wasn't new, but it was mine, and it was good enough to keep me moving forward. Still, learning on my own meant my consistency wasn't always where I wanted it to be. I was figuring things out in isolation, without structure or community.

Everything changed in 2024 when I saw a post on LinkedIn about TechBridle Foundation. I applied immediately, went through the interview process, and before the year ended, I received the news that would transform my journey: I was accepted into the 2025 cohort.

2025 became the best year of my tech journey. I built real projects, collaborated with talented colleagues, and attended my first hackathon. I was even invited to collaborate with Mbeutech Solutions on the Goto-app. I completed my FNB app, evolving from a self-taught frontend developer to a fullstack developer. More importantly, I began to truly understand how systems work, not just writing code, but solving real problems.

What started as scrolling through my phone during a global crisis became a complete transformation of my life and career. From retrenchment to software development, from isolation to collaboration, from uncertainty to purpose—this journey taught me that sometimes the most difficult circumstances can lead to the greatest opportunities, as long as you're willing to take that first step and keep going.