I get asked this question a lot. How did you do it? How did you land a job in a big tech company with your African degree and experience?

I probably was lucky, but I had a plan. Before we go to the plan, I would like to clear some myths.

Myth #1: It's not possible.

I'm not special and could do it, and you can do it. It's possible, and I know many people who did it. All you need to do is prove to people that you can do whatever you claim to know.

Myth #2: Going back to school

You don't need to go back to school to get a job. Go back to school for knowledge. I would also advise against going back to school. It costs a lot of money and all the resources you need are freely available on the Internet.

Now let's look at the plan:

Step 1: Showcase what you know.

Open up professional profiles and showcase yourself and your experience. Join Linkedin, Github, and StackOverflow. On Linkedin, talk about your resume and experience. On Github, showcase personal projects you've worked on. On StackOverflow, answers questions of fellow engineers in the stack you are comfortable with.

Step 2: Interview

Do as many interviews as you can. The plan is to look at the interview format, questions asked. This will help you gather gaps you have in your knowledge and experience. Take a lot of notes.

Step 3: Fill the gap with feedback from interviews.

Interviews will show you your strengths and weaknesses. Learn and practice on topics you are weak on and repeat.

You will slowly gain confidence, and confidence will land you a job.