{
  "id": 8885615,
  "title": "From zero to tech lead: what the AltSchool year actually taught me",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/from-zero-to-tech-lead-what-the-altschool-year-actually-taught-me",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-21T08:48:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/lawaloyinlola/from-zero-to-tech-lead-what-the-altschool-year-actually-taught-me-i8k"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "I graduated from AltSchool Africa over a year ago, and it has been an incredible journey of transformation. Having no prior tech experience, I embarked on a career in software development through this program. I started with a casual conversation that led to a scholarship opportunity. Though I did not secure the scholarship, I signed up, took the entrance exam, and joined the AltSchool community.\n\nThe months before the program began were filled with learning from the AltSchool community. I engaged with brilliant minds on the W3Schools Discord, took online courses like Jonas Schmedtmann's HTML and CSS course, and prepared myself for the challenge ahead. When the classes began in March 2023, I attended live sessions, consumed online resources, and studied independently. Our tutors were inspiring, emphasizing the importance of independent learning and providing guidance when needed.\n\nThe first semester exams and assessment projects were challenging, causing me to procrastinate. When the project deadline approached, I experienced a setback when my code disappeared from GitHub. However, this setback became a valuable lesson in perseverance. I rebuilt about 70% of the project within an hour, learning from my mistakes and submitting the project just before the deadline.\n\nWhat set this journey apart was the AltSchool community. Meeting brilliant peers, tutors, mentors, and facilitators helped me grow not only in coding skills but also in soft skills such as writing, content creation, collaboration, and leadership. Learning How to Learn by Deep Teaching Solutions on Coursera took my approach to learning to new heights.\n\nIn the following semesters, I expanded my skill set by diving into JavaScript, Vue, and React. I completed Jonas Schmedtmann's The Complete JavaScript Course and The Ultimate React Course. My capstone project, ScissorsWeb, was a URL shortening web app that encapsulated all the skills I had acquired. The project included features like custom text or emoji aliases for URL shortening, QR code generation, authentication, database storage using Supabase, analytics, error management, theme modes, and animations with GSAP—all built with React and TypeScript. You can explore the project or try the live application.\n\nUpon graduating, I received a diploma with 95 points out of 100, highlighting my progress across various categories. Since then, I have been building production software as a Software Developer and Team Lead at Tech N Goodwill Limited. I have contributed to projects like SafulPay, a fintech product in Sierra Leone, and am currently working on Trakkam, a GPS and IoT platform for fleet monitoring. These experiences have taught me the importance of security and hardening in software development.",
  "summary": "It has been over a year since I graduated from AltSchool Africa , and what a transformative ride it has been. From having no background in tech to leading software projects at Tech N' Goodwill Limited , my journey has been packed with lessons, mistakes, growth, and soft skills development. It started with a casual chat It all started with a simple, casual conversation. I was wrapping up my…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}