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The Odd2Tips Journey: From Classroom Project to Thriving Startup 🚀 Three months ago, I embarked on a journey that started in a classroom and has since grown into something much bigger than I ever imagined. Odd2Tips began as my final project for the alx_africa Software Engineering program, a way to showcase everything I'd learned over the past year. But as I worked on it, I realized this was more than just a project—it was the beginning of something special. Turning a Project into a Startup 💡 After successfully presenting Odd2Tips, I couldn't walk away. I was hooked. Every day brought new ideas and challenges, and I constantly added features and improved the platform. The best way to learn is by doing, and Odd2Tips became my canvas for experimenting and growing as a developer. Taking the Leap into Monetization 💼 One of the biggest steps I took was integrating advertisements—popunders and social bars. This was a significant move, not just to help the startup begin earning but also to simulate the real-world challenges that come with running a business. It was a learning experience that pushed me to think about Odd2Tips not just as a project, but as a viable product. The Traffic Challenge 🚦 Building a great platform is one thing, but getting people to visit it is another. I knew I had to get creative to drive traffic to Odd2Tips. That’s when I turned to Twitter (or X, as it’s now called). I automated tweets using the Twitter API to reach a wider audience, and I didn’t stop there. I developed a system to scrape trending hashtags worldwide, helping us connect with more football fans and enthusiasts. It’s been a game-changer for visibility. Embracing Automation 🤖 One of the most rewarding aspects of this journey has been the power of automation. Odd2Tips is now a well-oiled machine, with many tasks running automatically. This has freed up my time to focus on other projects and freelance work, all while knowing Odd2Tips is running smoothly in the background. What’s Next? 🌟 As the platform grows, so do the requests from our community of tipsters. They’ve asked for a payment gateway to monetize their predictions, and I’m excited to say that this is in the works. It’s incredible to see how Odd2Tips is evolving, shaped not just by my hands, but by the community that believes in it. A Journey of Growth and Learning Odd2Tips has been more than just a project; it’s been a journey of growth, learning, and discovery. From its humble beginnings to where it stands now, I’m proud of how far it’s come, and I’m even more excited about where it’s headed. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Odd2Tips. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey with me. 😊 🔗 Check out Odd2Tips at www.odd2tips.com

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DAY 14, 100 DAYS OF TECH TIPS I would spend hours debugging my code, not until I learned in my alx_africa #ALXSE program the power of Code Linters. I used to be in the boat of confusion until I discovered the magic of using a Code Linter for Code Quality. Let me tell you, it's a game-changer! You will catch those pesky errors early on, and also ensure that your code is clean and easy to read - what an easy world! I've seen a significant improvement in my coding efficiency and the overall quality of my work since I started incorporating this tool into my workflow. So if you're looking to get better as a programmer, I highly recommend giving a Code Linter a try. Your future self will thank you for it! #100DaysofTechTips #100DaysofTechTipswithOKEmmanuel #TechTips #codingtips #codelinter #debugging #juniordevelopers #softwareengineers

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So, I decided to start documenting my startup journey online. Mainly on Substack, but I will occasionally be posting here too. Building Tools for African Businesses: My Journey with Taaskly [2] - Jun-15-2024 We had a holiday on the 12th, and another is coming on the 17th and 18th. Yayyy, more time to work on Taaskly! At least, that's what I would have said if I weren’t fast approaching burnout. A 60-plus-hour work week is not exactly good for your body, you know—mentally, physically, or in any way. Enough rants; let’s get back to business. What did I get done this week? One of the things I carried over from last week was bookings. I mainly worked on the last aspects of it this week, which basically included validations on both the frontend and backend, and notifications on both WhatsApp and email. Done with all that, and you can actually create a booking on Taaskly. Secondly, I got a lot of authentication complaints and whatnot from folks, so I decided to add more auth methods, and so currently you can authenticate on Taaskly using phone number, email and password, email link, and Google Auth. This also meant that I had to change a couple of flows and cloud function implementations. Still working on this as I write this article. Lastly, what I want to get done before the holiday is over is to complete the feedback tool, taking inspiration from Canny and Insighto. I will be making this project open-source, and I believe it would be very important given that Taaskly will be working on multiple tools, and getting quality feedback will be very important. And also it is another tool African businesses can use on their way to success. In other news, I am thinking of creating a tester group chat. I have gotten friends who said they would be interested in testing Taaskly, and together with the feedback tool, I believe a group chat of testers would make sense. Also, I am looking into making video content, but I am too busy building. I will probably start making video content when I get back to Lagos. That’s all for now. Till next week, bye!!! link to the substack: https://lnkd.in/ehAuPrRc

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A little over a year ago, I embarked on a journey that I never thought was possible. I started the ALX Software Engineering program as a complete newbie, with little knowledge of coding and development. Today, I’m proud to say that I can create fully functional web applications as a full-stack developer! This journey hasn’t been easy. When I started, I was battling addictions, struggle’s that often felt impossible to overcome. But this program became more than just a learning experience; it became a lifeline. With determination, grit, and the unwavering support of the ALX community, I’ve been able to break free from my addictions and build new, positive habits that have transformed my life. I’m incredibly grateful to the entire ALX team, Julien Barbier and Fred Swaniker for creating such a life-changing opportunity. This program didn’t just teach me how to code; it taught me the power of resilience, discipline, and continuous growth. As I look back on this journey, I’m filled with gratitude for the personal growth, the skills I’ve acquired, and the amazing people I’ve met along the way. I’m excited for what the future holds as I continue to push my limits and strive for excellence in the tech industry. To anyone out there who’s struggling or doubting themselves—keep going. The road might be tough, but the destination is worth it. Here’s to new beginnings and endless possibilities! 🌟 #ALX #FullStackDeveloper #SoftwareEngineering #Resilience #PersonalGrowth #TechJourney

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𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 The recent product marketing podcast by Techfreak Podcast and Techclout Africa, anchored by Nathaniel Ike with Ikedichi Egwu as the guest speaker, was nothing short of insightful and informative. I highly recommend this podcast to startups and anyone considering a career in product marketing. You can listen to the podcast at https://lnkd.in/gdnv6CxY. I thoroughly enjoyed every topic discussed, from the fundamentals of product marketing—described as the force that takes a product to the market and ensures it stays there—to the structural approaches for analyzing and positioning a product in the market. Key strategies included understanding the target audience, identifying their pain points, associating unique value propositions with these pain points, and providing effective solutions. The discussion also covered the importance of storytelling and the product-market fit principle. One point that stood out for me was the benefits of storytelling in product marketing. Here are a few takeaways: 📌 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵. 📌 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. 📌 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁. 📌 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁'𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲, 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀. In summary, having a product marketing team setup is crucial as the successful launch or survival of any product heavily depends on their input. Product marketing should be integrated into the development phase of every product and not treated as an afterthought. Thank you to Nathaniel Ike, Ikedichi Egwu, and Techclout Africa for such an enlightening podcast. Hope you found this post insightful, kindly give a like and comment here. Thank you! ✌ #ProductMarketing #TechCloutAfrica #Storytelling #MarketingStrategy #Startups #ProductDevelopment

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Unfortunately, exploitation of African contractors, even in the tech sector, seems to be a recurring issue. I, myself, have encountered this unfair treatment on multiple occasions including the most recent one. While the need for work is a motivating factor for many, it shouldn't come at the expense of fair compensation. African contractors deserve to be valued for their skills and expertise, just like any other freelancer. The economic structure shouldn't be a justification for unfair practices. I urge companies to treat all their African employees, especially freelancers, with fairness and respect. #africans #fairness #freelancers

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The current state of the developer ecosystem, especially here in Africa has caused multifaceted, talented engineers and developers to become ad-hoc gears of the economic machine , stifling their growth. The next evolution of #DeveloperBranding and the #AfricanDeveloperEconomy is somewhat of an 'independent artist' as we mobilise the African youth to take their power back and own the next African solutions I have developed https://lnkd.in/d-66dQrN, my own creative platform where I will showcase and have a voice on: - Leapfrogging Africa into the current present through innovation - Closing the imposter syndrome gap by sharing my industry experience - Changing the narrative and telling the truth about starting your tech career Over time this will evolve into a social network , a marketplace and a stage for spreading enthusiasm and removing the widespread fear and misinformation about technology on our Continent. 🚀 Lets Take #TechInAfrica to Infinity and Beyond 🚀

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So I started the ALX AiCE programe and this is my first video generated with haiper AI video prompt: A Nigerian Programmer working in a good workspace in the night to be able to meet deadline #AIStorytellers #aice #aiced2024 #alx_ai

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Still afraid AI will take your job? Let me expose you to how you can even use AI to get your desired job 😎 As a participant of the alx_africa #AICE program, one of the best AI uses I have learnt is how to leverage AI in job applications. From the program, I learnt how you can leverage #LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, etc. to fine-tune your cover letters and interviews preparation through #PromptEngineering While many still do these tasks in the old way, some of us who uses AI for them still don't get the desired results because of bad prompting. In this post, I will share with us the prompting techniques I got to get a good cover letter from #LLMs 1. Start with a hook: Many of us starts our cover letters with, "I am @Ayomide Ajayi, a seasoned product manager and ..." Funnily, #HRs receive tons of this type of opening statement. You need a hook for your cover letter to be unique, get the desired attention, and communicate to HR that you know the day-to-day life of the role you are about to take. Getting your hook with AI:        • Prompt 1: Based on this job description what is the biggest challenge someone in this position would face daily <paste job description>.    • Prompt 2: You're currently working as a <your role or qualification> in the <your industry> and you're applying for this <position you want to apply to> write an attention-grabbing hook for your cover letter that highlights your experience and qualifications in a way that shows you empathize and can successfully take on the challenges of the <role you want to apply to> consider incorporating specific examples of how you've tackled these challenges in your past work and explore creative ideas or ways to express your enthusiasm for the opportunity keep your hook within a hundred words. 2. Remaining part of your cover letter: Now, we need to get the remaining part of our cover letter with this prompt:    • Prompt 3: You're writing a cover letter applying for the <position you want to apply to> at <company>. Here's what you have so far:<paste the hook that was previously generated>. Finish writing the cover letter based on your resume and keep it within 250 words here's your resume: <paste your current resume>. Now you have a unique cover letter that will single your application out. But then, go through the output of the #LLM that is used. Yeah! That is it. Sharing is good. But there's more from the source. Apply for the alx_africa #AICE program via https://www.alxafrica.com/ to learn how you could use AI to build your resumes, prepare for interviews, and ease your life. #ALXNigeria #DoHardThings #ALXAfrica #ALX

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Thrilled to announce the completion of the ALX AICE program (AI Augmented Professional Development Skills in Digital Age ) ! This journey has been transformative, filled with invaluable learning and growth. Grateful for the support of mentors ( Fred Swaniker : CEO of AL Group , Jaco Jansen Van Rensburg : VP of Learning ,ALX ) and peers. Excited to apply these new skills and continue contributing to the tech community. Onward to new challenges! WEEK 1  :  Battle of the LLMs (Large Language Models) : From lyrics to music! While some models like GPT-4 and Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Meta.ai, Llama 3, Hugging Chat,Mixtral (8 x 7B) are used to generate images, LLMs mostly exist in the realm of text. It will be a while before we get to see a single model or interface that enables us to create text, images, video, and audio in one place. Luckily, we don’t have to wait. We can just use an LLM to create something for us and another AI to create something incredible. In this project, we used the creativity of an LLM to write the lyrics to a song on UDIO. WEEK 2  : Will AI take Your Job ? A very critical and sensitive question. WEEK 3 : Brainstorming with AI ,Creating Content with AI, The Art of Persuasive Communication. WEEK 4 : Using AI For Good ,AI Assistants, AI-Powered Decision-Making, Predicting the Future with AI : Data visualization is a powerful tool in data analysis that helps us tell the story hidden in the data. It helps in interpreting and understanding complex data patterns by representing them graphically. WEEK 5 : Will Our Heritage Get Lost in the Innovation? The entrepreneurial spirit might ignite within all of us at some point. That spark, that flicker of an idea, whispers possibilities of building something new, something impactful. But between the spark and a thriving business lies a vast unknown – a landscape filled with questions and hurdles. Traditionally, navigating this path has demanded a hefty dose of grit, a tolerance for uncertainty, and a bit of luck. But the winds are changing. Is AI becoming the entrepreneur’s secret weapon? AI doesn’t guarantee success but can unlock doors previously shut. It empowers dreamers like Myself to pursue visions with a newfound confidence. Let’s delve into Maya’s story and explore how AI can transform the journey from a whisper of an idea to a flourishing reality. WEEK 6 : Notion ,an AI tool Repository and Reflecting on the Art of AI Prompt Engineering. WEEK 7 ,WEEK 8 : PRACTICE ,EXAMINATIONS ,KARIBU CEREMONY #ALXAICE #TechJourney #LifelongLearning #DoHardThingsAlways

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Enhancing Skills with Sentiment-Based Task Manager: My Journey and Future Plans Hi LinkedIn community, I’m excited to share a project that’s been a significant milestone in my journey as a developer. During my time at AICE Africa , I developed a web application that not only honed my skills in frontend, backend, and UI/UX design, but also brought an innovative approach to task management using sentiment analysis. 🎯 Project Overview This project is a task manager with a twist: it ensures that all tasks added are free from negative sentiment. By leveraging state-of-the-art machine learning, specifically the toxicity model by TensorFlow, the application assesses each task's sentiment before adding it to our task list. Here’s a brief walkthrough of the application: -UI/UX Design: The top left of the image shows our clean and intuitive interface, designed for ease of use and aesthetic appeal. -Next.js Application: The bottom left shows the application in action, built using the powerful Next.js framework -Codebase on VS Code: The right side showcases the well-structured codebase within VS Code. 🛠️ Tech Stack -Frontend Development: Leveraged React and Material UI for a seamless user experience. -Backend Development: Built with Node.js and SQLite3. -Machine Learning: Integrated TensorFlow's toxicity model for sentiment analysis. Below is a snippet of the task form that utilizes the sentiment analysis model: ... if (model) { try { const predictions = await model.classify([task]); const toxic = predictions.some(prediction => prediction.results.some(res => res.match)); if (toxic) { setError('Task contains negative sentiment. Please revise.'); setSnackbarOpen(true); return; } ... A Big Thank You Working with the talented team at AI Tech Firm has been a blessing. Special thanks to: -Allan Kipchumba for guidance on frontend development. -Wenslous Otema , Abdul Nakholo , and Joel Osebe for their invaluable support in backend development and machine learning 🚀 The Road Ahead The journey doesn’t stop here. I have ambitious plans to enhance the application: -Text Classification for Task Categorization: Automatically classify tasks into predefined categories like "Work", "Personal", or "Urgent". -Deadlines Suggestion using Time Series Forecasting: Predict optimal deadlines for tasks based on historical data -Priority Estimation using Classification: Assign priority levels to tasks based on their content. -Named Entity Recognition (NER): Extract important entities like dates, names, and places from task descriptions. -Smart Recommendations: Recommend task categories or projects based on the task content using clustering or recommendation algorithms. and more Let's Connect I’m incredibly passionate about innovating and refining this project further. If you have any insights, advice, or just want to discuss similar interests, feel free to connect! Thank you for your time.

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It's been 2 weeks since I started my journey to explore the world of AI with alx_africa I've heard amazing things about their Artificial Intelligence Career Essential (AiCE) program, and the first two weeks have been mind-blowing. My knowledge about deep learning, machine learning, artificial intelligence, generative AI, and many more have increased and I can't wait to share my newfound knowledge with you. However, I'd love for you to keep me accountable while I keep updating you on how it's going on my end. P.S. Have you completed the program? How was your experience? #LinkedinForCreators #AI #AlxAfrica #AiCE #VVWITHMAO #ThriveWithTomide

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Reflecting on my journey through the ALX software engineering program in 2023, I feel a deep sense of achievement. From onboarding to the final phase, I acquired expertise in DevOps, Python, C programming, and TypeScript/JavaScript, with a specialisation in backend development. My standout moment was a collaborative project where I teamed up with peers to create a complex software solution. This experience taught me invaluable lessons in teamwork, project management, problem solving and technical skills. Despite many sleepless nights, I successfully developed both the backend and frontend web application, overcoming unexpected challenges like library compatibility issues. The #ALX_SE training has honed my technical abilities and enriched my understanding of the software development lifecycle. As I move forward, I carry the lessons learned and the confidence gained, ready to tackle future challenges. #FacesofALXSE #ALX_SE_2023

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Reflecting on my journey through the ALX software engineering program in 2023, I feel a deep sense of achievement. From onboarding to the final phase, I acquired expertise in DevOps, Python, C programming, and TypeScript/JavaScript, with a specialisation in backend development. My standout moment was a collaborative project where I teamed up with peers to create a complex software solution. This experience taught me invaluable lessons in teamwork, project management, problem solving and technical skills. Despite many sleepless nights, I successfully developed both the backend and frontend web application, overcoming unexpected challenges like library compatibility issues. The #ALX_SE training has honed my technical abilities and enriched my understanding of the software development lifecycle. As I move forward, I carry the lessons learned and the confidence gained, ready to tackle future challenges. #FacesofALXSE #ALX_SE_2023

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A few days ago, I graduated from the ALX intro to software engineering program. And this is how to "Do Hard Things" without giving up, even if you're not disciplined. ALX is known for doing Hard Things. ✅ The first step was to share my goal of graduating with people I couldn't disappoint. ✅ Then I divided the workload into small daily tasks. ✅ After noticing how I was falling behind due to distractions... I decided to get rid of my major distractions. At one point, I had to delete every social media app from my phone. ✅ I prioritised my goal above everything else... Additionally, I made sure to work on this goal during my peak hours, prioritizing it... I sacrificed parties and hangouts just to see that I graduated. ✅ Lastly, words of affirmation: I was not a fan of manifestation, but trust me, it works like crack. Every day I tell myself, "I must graduate." I face a serious challenge: "I must graduate." I feel discouraged: "I must graduate." I feel too lazy to work: "I must graduate." Fast forward to April 6th, and I graduated as a certified ALX software engineer. To wrap up everything: • Be accountable. • Affirmations—they work like crack. • Break big tasks into tiny blocks. • Prioritize your task. • Get rid of distractions. 🔄Repost if you agree. --- A very big shout out to Cole and – My instructors. Fred – founder of ALX. Kesed and – My senior men. Olabode – my co-labourer in this field.

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Imagine a phoenix rising from the ashes, reborn and stronger. This symbolizes my journey in the ALX Software Engineering program in 2023. I started the year overwhelmed and unsure, struggling to grasp concepts that seemed elusive. Yet, through the robust training and relentless support at ALX, I transformed my approach to learning. The initial phase was grueling. Each error felt like a setback, but with perseverance, I began to see progress. I developed not only technical skills but also resilience and creativity. By the end of the year, I could confidently turn ideas into functional code, feeling proud of my achievements. This journey wasn’t just about mastering software engineering; it was about personal growth. I learned to embrace challenges, think critically, and approach problems with a solution-oriented mindset. ALX equipped me with the tools to succeed and the confidence to innovate. Reflecting on this transformation, I am filled with gratitude and excitement for the future. My journey is a testament to the power of hard work and genuine learning, and I look forward to continuing on this path. #FacesofALXSE #ALX_SE_2023

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