Lessons from Unanswered Messages in the Tech

A while back, I used to feel really disappointed when I messaged successful folks in the tech world and got no response. I guess you could call them tech bros or sis. Some people even tag others in comments to grab attention. Yeah, it works, but it doesn't feel quite right. I'm not saying you shouldn't try reaching out to people in tech, but maybe let's lower our expectations a bit.

Back when I started with UI/UX, I followed two successful designers - one in Nigeria working at Interswitch and a white lady at Google. Both responded, but my Nigerian brother was always busy. He didn't really give me what I needed, but hey, at least I got a response or responses. Meanwhile, the lady from Google responded, and we had some really motivating chats. I think I should drop her message right away.

A few days ago, I dropped a DM to someone I follow on IG. I like his posts, reels, and stories, I didn’t see any of those during christmas, so I decided to drop a DM and wish him well. Am I expecting a response? Not really. You either get one or you don't. It's better to accept that. Just drop the message and move on.

Oh! Someone send “You should visit their website and and send an emaill” Lol!!! Where are the emojis here? Well email addresses works too. But the real fact is this; Just so that it won’t seem like you’re stalking these people,I don’t think it’s necessary, you are confused and you just needed some guides from an experts. Email is a long way. Anyways, guess what? 2023 taught me something important - they weren't ignoring me on purpose; they were just busy. How do I know? Because I got busy too.

I got so caught up in my own work that I couldn't even pick up calls from tech newbies who needed help. Some of them I made schedule meetings, and there was this one person who showed up 20 minutes late, saying I should've called her. It was funny and sort of sad. I wanted to help, but time just slipped away.

Especially in the last two months of 2023, my schedule was jam-packed. I even had four days off because I was a bit sick.

Being busy is a good sign of progress, as long as you're seeing results. And for those reaching out to mentors on socials or WhatsApp, here's my advice: greet them and get to the point.

If you're desperate for a tech mentor, there are platforms for that. I've used ADPlist, and it's pretty great.

Okay, I've got to go. See you next week!