From HND to Full-Stack Developer – My Dev Journey in Nigeria

Picture this: I’m hunched over a laptop without a battery in the school library. The charger barely fits in the socket. If someone walks past and nudges it even slightly, my system crashes. All my unsaved code? Gone. And yet, I kept coming back every day. Because I had no other choice.

This is the story of how I went from a curious teen experimenting with code before college, to becoming a full-stack developer, building real-world apps from scratch, working remotely, and staying online 24/7 thanks to solar and Starlink. But getting here wasn’t smooth. Especially not in Nigeria.

Already a Coder Before School

Long before I stepped into Gateway Polytechnic Saapade, I was already writing HTML, playing with CSS, and learning the basics of Ruby on Rails. I didn’t wait for any formal education, I taught myself using free resources, borrowed PDFs, and YouTube videos (when I had data).

I thought going to school would fast-track my growth. But when I arrived, I realized the curriculum wasn’t built for the real world. We spent more time on the history of computers than on building actual software. There were slides about flowcharts and logic gates, but no mention of Git, APIs, or deploying real apps.

I knew then that if I wanted to become a real developer, I had to take matters into my own hands.

Learning Without Internet

There was no constant Wi-Fi. No steady electricity. So, I got creative.

I discovered HTTrack, a website copier tool. I used it to clone W3Schools—the entire site. That way, I could study HTML, CSS, and JS offline, wherever I was. No data? No problem. I had my own local W3Schools on my machine.

The school library became my unofficial co-working space. Not for books, but for electricity. I had a laptop without a battery. So every time I needed to code, I would carry it to the library, plug it in, and pray no one shook the socket. The moment the charger slipped, my system would shut down. And trust me, it happened a lot.

Broke but Motivated

There were days I couldn’t afford data. Days when a cable would cut and I couldn’t afford to replace it. I’d borrow, save, or repurpose anything just to keep my small setup running.

Between lectures, assignments, and school stress, I still carved out time to learn React, Python, and backend basics. I was doing HND projects in the morning, then debugging JavaScript at night. It was chaotic, but it mattered to me.

Getting a Job Was Another Battle

Even after learning how to build full-stack apps, getting gigs was a whole new struggle.

In Nigeria, people often assume you can’t deliver because of “power issues” or “network problems.” I faced countless rejections, some from companies that doubted I could work remotely in Nigeria. Others ghosted me entirely immediately i mention "Nigeria".

I applied everywhere. Sometimes I heard, “You’re talented, but we need someone more experienced.” Other times, “Sorry, We can’t take the risk on a Nigerian-based developer right now.”, but the most Painful one is outright ghosting.

It hurt. But instead of giving up, I kept building.

My First Break

I built a small CRUD app and pushed it to Heroku. Nothing fancy—just a basic app that showed I knew what I was doing.

That project helped me land my first freelance gig. I finally got to work with a real client, deliver on a deadline, and earn from my skills.

I learned how to write clean commits, document my code, communicate clearly, and ship features, things school never taught me.

Power and Internet? Solved.

I knew I couldn’t keep relying on library sockets and borrowed routers. So I saved up.

Today, I run on 24/7 solar power. My system never goes off. I also use Starlink, which gives me stable, fast internet no matter what happens with local networks.

When clients ask if I’m reliable, I tell them, “Try me.” No more outages. No more excuses.

Final Thoughts

I didn’t get here because everything was perfect. I got here because I refused to stop, even when it was frustrating, even when the light went out, even when interviews didn’t come through.

If you’re reading this and wondering whether I can handle pressure, deliver on time, or work across time zones, know that I already have. Under tougher conditions than most.

And now? I’m fully equipped to bring that same energy to your next project.

If you’re looking for a developer who finds a way—no matter what—let’s talk.