Mary Job kicked off her career simply by roaming the internet between 2002 and 2015. She then proceeded to join the WordPress community, and things pretty much kicked off from there. Currently, she’s a project manager at How Do You Tech. The company builds digital systems, teaches people how to build it and curates answers to specific tech problems. Currently, she lives in Ijebu-Mushin where she works, has her office space and teaches people programming.
Job is a strong advocate for blogging. She believes everyone should have a personal blog and document their stories from time to time. It makes it easier for you to leave your digital footprints online and for people to meet you on a personal level. She says WordPress gave her a place to sit despite having no technical background. Being a member of the WordPress community has helped her create an impact in the tech space.
Job got her first job documenting her life and progress on her personal blog. She believes that with an active personal blog online it is easier for you to sell your tech products. She has been able to use the platform she has to touch lives, teach others, help people and impact them.
The art of sharing ideas
Job says one of the things that give her joy is being able to share trade secrets and business ideas. She thinks empowering others should be something more people would get involved in. Her mantra is that knowledge should not be hoarded. She says,
“There is enough market for everyone. If you go to the market, pepper sellers stay together, yam sellers stay together, they all sell. If they were not selling, they won’t be staying together. So why should we keep information to ourselves?”
A source of inspiration for her was her Knowledge Management teacher during her Masters at Babcock University. Job says Professor Okpeke enlightened her into looking for ways to contribute to ‘Open Source.’ She says,
“She used to tell us that, today, you could have an idea to build something and somebody else might have the idea to build the ending part. If you share the knowledge, you will find that person. She said the fear is usually of the idea getting stolen. She thinks if the idea is creating an impact, it does not matter if it’s stolen. It also does not matter how many people are doing the same thing. They will certainly not do it in the same way.”
On the future of technology in Nigeria, she says, “Nigeria is just getting started as regards technology.” Starting from the basics is the way to start. The young ones should be integrated into the nitty-gritty of technology as early as possible.
Challenges
Speaking on her biggest challenge so far in her career, she says she found learning JavaScript very difficult. “The first time I tried to learn JavaScript, I usually would not eat eba. But on the day, I was looking for eba to eat everywhere. I had to eat a big bowl of eba. I kept asking myself, how do these oyinbo people do JavaScript on vegetables like carrots.” Joy said. She said she is a very curious person and likes to delve deep into any craft. And she needed to know all she had to about it.
She admits that she was a WordPress junkie. She has been able to learn the intricacies from HTML to Javascript to PHP. It fascinated her that she could build a website using WordPress.
She says everyone needs to know the basics of programming, notwithstanding their career interests. Because of the direction technological advancement is going, people need to learn the basics to know exactly how to apply technology to their craft.
Job says the highlight of her career has been the many friends she had been able to make in the WordPress community. “The fact that people you have never set eyes on know you and want to meet you is satisfying.” She says that she has friends from all over the world because of the WordPress community. She is also looking to start a community from different parts of the country to form a network of WordPress enthusiasts.
Job lightly chips in at the end of the conversation that she will be Speaking at the WordCamp Europe in Germany later in the year.