Taking Stock: Few Lessons(for me and maybe for others) from 10Years as a Technologist in Emerging Markets.

10 years ago, exactly the night of 31st of December 2006, my first day fully back in Kigali(Rwanda's Capital city). After a long period in and out and two years working for both a financial institution and involved with some work for a prestigious public institution in Rwanda, I had finally decided I would go back to school and become an Engineer.

There were no smartphones and I remember I had to travel miles and miles to "borrow" 15min of internet at my cousin's office who often did not understand why I was so obsessed with it(After all, I had no work and nobody to communicate with - Outside my circle)!

Anyways, from writing a business proposal borrowing for my first laptop, repairing computers, selling downloaded movies and installing WhatsApp on phones for few dollars to becoming a Start-up builder, a tech product Go To market specialist and an aspiring leader, 10 years have passed and they were full of lessons that I thought I should put down not only for myself but also for a young me seated somewhere today deciding as I did that time.

1.You will never know for sure the road ahead: Forget about the " you have to find what you love and then start doing it" buzzwords! Finding what you love, means trying multiple things and accepting to pivot and embrace new things. As the world evolve, we also do. I started as a Mechanical Engineer and negotiated all my way to become a computer scientist( Had I refused to first be a Mechanical Engineer.... I would not have gotten a chance to negotiate a transfer). - I used to be very hands on as an IT Security specialist( what people call Ethical Hacking) and thought it will be my career and that was it! Later, I found out I had come a little bit before time if I wanted to be an entrepreneur and not an employee in that area. Just do whatever you are doing to the best of your abilities as it will lead to the next thing you will be passionate about! You will discover what you like at each moment but also and very importantly: what you do not like and what you are not good at.

2. Networking and Traveling: Connect, connect and Connect! Remember the story of my 15min on Internet? Well, those were my baby steps in exploring the World and removing boundaries of time and space. Meet people, go to conferences, seminars (do not hesitate to spend money on tickets and fly if you can to attend them), use LinkedIn! Some of the best jobs I got, I got them directly engaging hiring managers and CEOs on this platform and pushing for an interview over Skype!

But: While connecting with people is great, always keep in mind to have something to offer( spend a lot of time preparing yourself and improving your skills and knowledge of a field or a business) and be selective like a leopard when at a gathering. Accept to be a newbie and do not pretend to be an expert when you are not yet. Be patient. Great relationships take time to form. Be authentic and honest above all and all the time.

P.S: Your network is your most valuable asset.

3. Always a student: There is a lot we do not know, there are lots new stuff everyday, keep reading, keep learning, keep a student/open mind, never get too comfortable or overconfident because we know nothing. The good news: Google knows almost everything and technologists have a culture of sharing everywhere in the world.

4. Get involved: Do Projects and Volunteer. The more you share what you know, the more you get involved, you will be interacting with your future co-founders, investors, teammates, advisors, you name it. You get to know what they are good at and vice versa. There is no single successful product or company, that was built by one person. Do not fear sharing your ideas to get feedback( Ideas are free. Execution is costly.)

5. Take failures as lessons: You will surely try things and not succeed. You will trust people and get disappointed. This happens in every sector but when it comes to technology, chances of trying something and find out people do not like it, are high. Fail fast and fail forward.

6. Aim high, be humble, achieve: Ten years ago, a young boy without knowledge, no experience of where to start from and with no tools, wanted to achieve something... It was not too ambitious looking backward. Great things take time to materialize but they start from a dream and one works to reach it, allow yourself to dream big, be patient and consistently work to achieve.

I am not an expert to find 10 lessons to share( otherwise I would be successful today) but looking back, I thank God who put on my path people who supported, mentored, helped and gave me opportunities to try things and gave me chances to try again(and those who did not, which resulted in new opportunities).

Looking forward to the next 100 years! To be continued...