Unleashing Creativity: Finding Inspiration in Everyday Life as an African Developer

Remote Software Developers in Africa

Africa's past is a testament to its resilience and ingenuity, with a history rich in diverse cultures, technological innovations, and ancient engineering marvels. Today, as we look to the future, there is a collective aspiration to empower the next generation of African children with the skills and mindset to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. By embracing engineering thinking and problem-solving, we can pave the way for a better future, where African innovation leads the charge in addressing global issues and ushering in transformative change. The future of coding is automation, this means most kids by the time they grow up will be building very different solutions to what we are building today.

Engineering Thinking: A Catalyst for Progress

As Africa looks to a future of progress and development, engineering thinking becomes a powerful catalyst. As remote developers you can think of the problems in your society, and clients and solve these using technology, yes sure not all problems are solved by technology but a whole lot can be solved by it. We are problem solvers; we fix things and analytical problem-solving is something you need. Programming operates on CRUD operations everything you are doing is based on these actions. You need to understand your first language well enough to move into learning new languages. Engineering thinking transcends the boundaries of specific technologies, equipping us with a versatile skillset to adapt and thrive amidst the rapid technological changes that lie ahead.

Human Innovation: The Heart of African Advancement

While technological advancements and automation have revolutionized industries worldwide, the human element of innovation remains irreplaceable. By emphasizing problem-solving as a universal skill, we celebrate the innate ingenuity within every African developer. This celebration of human innovation fosters an environment where developers are encouraged to explore, take risks, and envision new possibilities, enabling them to become trailblazers in their respective fields.

Preparing for a Brighter Future

In preparing African developers for a brighter future, we acknowledge that the road ahead is filled with both challenges and opportunities. Embracing engineering thinking and problem-solving ensures that developers are well-equipped to navigate this evolving landscape. By providing them with the tools to excel in a technology-driven world, we lay the groundwork for a generation that can harness the power of innovation to address pressing African/Global issues, from sustainable development to healthcare advancements.

?Collaboration: Uniting African Minds for Global Impact

The future we envision for Africa transcends borders and embraces collaboration on a global scale. Engineering thinking encourages teamwork and interdisciplinary learning, fostering connections between young minds across the continent and beyond. Through collaborative efforts, African developers can pool their diverse perspectives and talents to address shared challenges, leaving a lasting impact on a global stage.

Embracing Diversity and Unique Perspectives

One of the most significant strengths of African developers lies in their diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives. Creativity thrives in an environment where ideas from different cultures, experiences, and knowledge intertwine. Remote work allows developers from various regions in Africa to collaborate seamlessly, fostering a rich pool of ideas that can lead to groundbreaking innovations. We are seeing more women get into the space and the fact that technology is now open for everyone means we can start seeing some real solutions based on real African experiences.

Navigating Challenges with Creative Problem-Solving

African developers often face challenges such as limited access to resources, internet connectivity issues, and time zone differences. These obstacles can dampen productivity and hinder progress. However, creativity enables them to adopt innovative problem-solving approaches. Through creative thinking, they can find alternative solutions, leverage existing resources creatively, and establish effective communication methods, transcending the barriers posed by remote work.

Communities are also a good place to get help, I have found that by being active in communities you meet people, who are inspired by what you are doing and inspire you in what they are doing.

Lack of a machine - Pseudo-code can be written on paper, lack of internet – download the files, lack of funding – most new developers still live with their folks, negotiate for a laptop, and wash dishes for the next two months. There is always a way to get started, find it.

Human-Centric Design and User Experience

Creativity plays a pivotal role in human-centric design and user experience (UX). By integrating creativity into the software development process, African developers can craft user interfaces that are intuitive, visually appealing, and culturally relevant. This approach enhances the overall user experience and ensures that the software caters to the needs of its target audience, regardless of their geographic location.

We may not be designers, but we can structure our code better, document it, and learn to use tools like docker to move files in a portable way. Some of the best innovations are borrowed from mother nature.

Engineering Thinking and AI: Simplifying innovation by scaling human beings

We are at an interesting crossroads, AI, we need to embrace it and understand that humans ever since homo habilis have built tools to support them in the art of living with intelligence. We are now at a place where we are scaling human beings, human beings are becoming the tool with which other human beings will live easier lives. AI will give us developers specialization and personalization. AI allows for personalized and targeted experiences for users. Developers may find value in tailoring their products and services to specific niche markets to address unique needs and preferences.

Developers will need to specialize in particular niches where they can gain a deep understanding of the subject matter and develop more effective AI solutions. The age of developing across different industries is over, now you will build small programs running over larger systems, from programmable gaming skins, and metaverse environments, to building over blockchain layers 2 and 3. AI will allow normal users to put a little extra effort to build some basic applications, most developers will need to refocus on building core layers for large organizations or building small personalizations they can resell for themselves or their clients.

So, what is an African tech to do?

How do you learn to code? Through coding every day, getting stuck, looking for help, and moving along again.

You need a good understanding of the new developments coming up. Know what is currently going on, mass layoffs have made it such that most companies now are asking for developers with multilingual capabilities but most likely the pay scales will keep lowering. To branch out on your own the best way to start is to learn while working for more established companies whether directly or remotely. This is how you will usually see tested and viable gaps; in the process, you learn to work in a team and on huge projects and various programming tools.

In early 2000 I was working on a medical system built using C++, we needed to build a SOAP interface on the accounting module to SAP. I kept getting an error about the inability to correlate IDOC #xxxxx, it took two weeks and the help of a German developer to realize that SAP had shared an older Windows DLL.

Use the tutorials, communities, and paid learning to solve your blockages and yes, some days you will have coding blocks, take a break, and do something you like, I usually order a big well-endowed burger and a small whiskey and listen to the top trance tunes of the week, sleep, in the morning tackle the problem again. You started this journey to solve problems and learn, do not let unknown bugs stop you. Coding is 20% typing and 80% debugging.

Lastly, have FUN, developing solutions is an exciting path, you learn something new every day and for the rest of your career.

“Doing nothing is very hard to do… you never know when you’re finished.” – Leslie Nielsen

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