Nigerian Lives: 5 Nigerians On Misconceptions About The Nigerian Tech Industry

A lot of misconceptions abound about the Nigerian tech industry. If it’s not about tech being a dollar field, then it surely is about it being one of the easiest career paths nowadays. The Nigerian tech space has witnessed massive growth in the past few years, and tech bros, as they are not so fondly known, are becoming more expressive about their financial gains within the industry, which has spurred the misconceptions of an easy entry avenue to make some quick cash.

Is the Nigerian tech industry a minefield of dollars? or is this only true for a specific group? We asked five people across different roles about the most common misconceptions they’ve encountered about the Nigerian tech industry.

Henry, Product Manager

I pivoted from med lab to tech in 2022, and the most selfish reason I went into tech was because of the dollars the tech bros then flashed. It was a lot. I saw the tech sector as a dollar-field and didn’t wait long to join. I first started as a technical writer because I loved to write, the first gig I got, I think was 20K. I was on cloud nine because the article wasn’t even up to one thousand words. After that, I didn’t get any gig again for almost six months. I kept searching but kept getting rejections. I applied for a full-time job in different companies as a technical writer, and what they offered was half of what I earned as a med lab scientist. Well, I took up a role by the end of 2022, it was 120K/month. I saw it as the beginning of my journey. However, that changed my mindset of how I saw the industry. I resumed in a new company as a product manager last quarter.  I don’t earn in dollars yet, but my salary is a decent sum. The industry is not a dollar field. Those who earn huge salaries in dollars didn’t get there overnight. It might sound cliché but that’s the truth. They have had loads of rejections, and reinvented themselves, over and over again, before they landed that one role that changed their career trajectory, maybe forever. 

Seun, Software designer

I think the most common misconception people get about the tech industry is easy entry. It may seem easy to enter, but it’s certainly not easy to navigate. The first thing to note is that the industry is fast-paced. You have to know the latest skills for you to excel if you’re not an OG, or you’re exceptional. It’s not easy at all. This is not to discourage you but to prepare anyone coming into the industry. Tech influencers make the industry seem like a bed of roses, but it’s certainly not. When I started off, I found it really hard to land a job. Even internships were looking for people with experience. Experience for internships?? It explains all you need to know. 

Claire, Content marketer 

Tech = Software engineering, that’s what a lot of people automatically think, but it’s actually more expansive than just software engineering. Even under software engineering, there are subgroups. Then, there are designers, data analysts, and marketers. There are content guys working in tech, but people tend to limit it to just software engineering which is restrictive. Tech is broad. All you need to do is look up different careers to take on, and slowly build from there because if you don’t have a plan, you will be drowned by the rave. Product design is the rave now, it may change tomorrow to DevOps engineering, and the next, it might be the turn of content guys, you can’t be changing. Just double down on your path, and build. 

Abdul, Front-end engineer 

So because there is sometimes more coding work in tech, people think you need the knowledge of mathematics to excel, to burst your bubble, you don’t need the knowledge of mathematics. I don’t think there’s any special skill except attention to detail and creativity for you to excel in this field. If you have the knowledge of math, it’s cool, but if you don’t, there’s no roadblock for you because this misconception has driven people to paths like design, and content where it’s believed has no link to mathematics. Knowledge of math is not a criterion and won’t ever be a criterion.

Jason, Software engineer 

I think the biggest misconception right now in the Nigerian tech industry is that UI/UX and marketing are quite easy. Anyone starting off, and is clueless about the career to take on is advised to start from the two. Well, the truth is that just like in every tech field, you will see shege. I think the people in design make their work seem very easy, and so people live under the impression that it is easy. As someone who was a product designer before I transitioned to software engineering, it’s not easy o. There are some days you will feel like crying, and there are some days, you will just be smiling. I would leave out marketing because that on its own is another kettle of fish. 

Nnenna, Product manager 

Entry into tech might be easy, however, it’s not as easy as it seems. Nigerian tech bros are tough, and hence the work seems easy, but in the actual sense, it’s not, if poverty has sat you down on a Monday morning, you will have no option but to work hard. So, from university, I knew I wanted to work in tech. I became fascinated with computers from a young age. I left my job in 2018, did a couple of courses, and transitioned into tech. I knew from the start that it was going to be worth it, but I needed to work hard to get to that part. When I see young folks starting at N250K/month, I’m always happy for them, because I started at N70K, well, the economy isn’t what it used to be anyways. I didn’t focus on the financial part, I upskilled and I’m still upskilling. I currently work in one of the biggest tech companies in the world, and I earn in USD.