How Andela’s Android Learning Community(ALC) Intermediate Track Revolutionized My Coding Journey
My Beginner’s Life as a Developer
My life as a developer actually started in January 2016 after i had my first personal computer. This was about my early 3rd year as a student of Computer Science in the Federal University of Technology, Owerri Nigeria. My main enthusiasm at that point was programming, having the ability to develop softwares for computers. Then i found an OOPL(Object Oriented Programming Language) called Java. I started learning Java as a beginner for about 3 months which ran through till April 2016, and i was introduced to the mobile Operating System called Android! Do you believe in “Love at first sight”?, well yah i do!. I loved Android from the first day i met her, she was beautiful. The code structure, being able to create beautiful and catchy layout and in summary leveraging the ability to literary command the android device with a single app was overwhelming for me!
Then Andela Came Along
I worked on Android through the second half of the year 2016. During this period, i really got to know about a lot of Java and Android related books and articles, firms and companies like Udacity, Freelancer, Andela and obviously Google to name a few. Andela became a firm i admired so much, their spirit, motivations, their zeal to transform developers like me and their relentless hard work towards achieving their goal gave me a convincing assurance i was going to get really good at coding working with them. In Jan 27 2017, i released my first mobile app on Google play store called Futo Mobile developed with the help of some friends though. During this period Andela introduced a program known as ALC(Android Learning Community) of which i obviously enrolled for.
3 Months in ALC Intermediate Track
After so much getting shortlisted and passing the challenge app, i was finally accepted into the ALC Intermediate program. I got to meet 120 developers like me and some really “Bad ass developers” too. Also got the privilege to meet with our amazing program manager Chimdindu Aneke and Awosupin olalere Solomon. The program was a scholarship sponsored by Google and we got enrolled into the Android Application Development Fast Track course with Udacity. We were grouped in team of 6 developers, for some reason I got into Team 5- Five-Star geeks where i got to meet wonderful team mates like Stephen Omoarukhe, Ugo Kingsley, Liasu Hassan Temitope, Chizoba Ogbonna and Chigozie Okeke and was privileged to be their team leader. The whole time was stressful and at the same time fun. I soon began to see android development in a way i never imagined, began to understand its core framework components and more. We had to build 3 project apps during the period of the program: Popular movies1, Popular movies2 app and Baking app. Buiding these applications broadened my knowledge of android app development including harnessing the advantage of libraries in android. We were being mentored by top android developers around the world like Moyinoluwa Adeyemi et al and got engaged in hangouts on air with these mentors, what else can i possibly want?. Sincerely the 3 months i spent with Andela was both a Life and Game changer for me.
Here comes the “Big” Part
After completing the course with Udacity, Then it finally came to proving ourselves as world class android devs by taking the Associate Android Developer Certification exam. Was definitely a scary moment for me, bet its normal for anyone in my position. I attempted the exam on 13, July 2017 without a doubt i was going to pass. Then i got my congratulatory message from Udacity on 17, July 2017. That was one of the best days of my life with that feeling of actually being a certified World class Android developer. Of a truth, the ALC program elevated me from being a “just an android devloper” to being a “Top notch world class developer(Google Certified), with professional skills as becoming a good UX designer, building Responsive apps and expanding user base through concept of Localization, Becoming a really good Team player and a Team leader.
Today, i can build Android Applications from scratch or a basic state to a deployment ready state, an honor to be one of the Google Certified android devs out there and at the same time Manage a team conveniently, Thanks to Google, Udacity and Andela.
