After five years in the creative industry, this Nigerian lady is finding her way back to tech
In this edition of After Hours, we discuss how a creative writer, brand strategist, and startup operator is transitioning into tech while building solutions for local businesses.
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Long before she began learning backend development or working on a startup idea, Mikail Ajibola was simply curious about how things worked. Although she went on to study computer science, technology did not immediately become her career path. Instead, Ajibola moved into the creative industry, spending years building a career in writing, copywriting, and brand strategy.<br />
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Today, Ajibola sits at the intersection of creativity, operations, and technology as she helps build Xilat Technologies, an e-commerce platform designed to support local producers and connect them with Nigerian consumers.<br />
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In this edition of After Hours, we follow Ajibola’s unconventional journey from studying computer science to becoming a brand strategist, and her current pivot back to the world of backend development.<br />
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Early interactions with technology<br />
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My earliest meaningful interaction with technology came after secondary school when I enrolled in a computer training programme around 2012 or 2013. I was introduced to basic computer skills, such as typing and Microsoft Office.<br />
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What fascinated me most at the time were the computer games. I had played games before, but seeing them on a computer for the first time felt different. There were card games and other simple interactive games, and I remember being curious about how they were built and why different people could access them.<br />
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Looking back, that was probably the first time I consciously wondered how technology products were created.<br />
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Another early moment that shaped my thinking was when I discovered an online platform for writers. It functioned like a creative prompt platform. Writers would log in, receive prompts, write responses, and then other writers could read and engage with the work.<br />
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At the time, I was deeply involved in writing and didn’t have many people around me to discuss my work with. That platform provided me a space to write, share, and interact with other writers.<br />
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These experiences taught me that for a product to succeed, it ...
