Hey, my name is Deborah Olagunju. I am a data engineer and I work at Capgemini, one of the largest Tech consulting companies in the world. This has brought me new opportunities and allowed me to have access to great and high-quality training to develop myself in engineering. I love helping people, so I created a mentoring business to help young people pursue their career in Tech.

My main advice would be to research, research and research exactly what you want to go into. It’s better to start something in STEM with all the right information than to just go straight into it, you might be a bit surprised if you do that. When I say research, I mean investigate the specific role you want and the industry you want to reside in. Also, don’t be afraid to start again. If you studied History and now want to go into Tech or Finance, its very possible. You should also research and network with people in that field already. This leads me to my other point and that’s to network with people who are already doing what you want to be doing. Don’t be shy to reach out to people on LinkedIn or even anywhere, there are many people doing all different careers from different starting points.

I got into my career by applying to 100s of jobs. I was offered a graduate job in software company. After I have enough skills, I moved to a much bigger company and started utilising the resources there. It was at Capgemini that I transitioned into data engineering.

I have worked with mostly HMRC, as that is my main client as a consultant. I have also worked with London boroughs when I was at Bright Network.

I am proud of being able to work in my currently role. It’s very rewarding but challenging at the same time. I am also proud of achieving or even establishing my company, as I have been able to help a lot of people realise that their dream, working in Tech, is very possible.

Normal day looks like: starting at 9 am, looking through emails and seeing if I need to attend to anything urgently. By 10am, I attend my daily stand up with the whole team and we go round, taking turns to explain our progress regarding a specific task within the project. After my turn, I usually have a meeting about my project and other meetings to develop specific skills for the project. I also work on my existing tasks and plan my completion of tasks towards the deadline. My day usually ends at different times depending on how busy I am.

My favourite part of my job is the learning aspect. I enjoy the constant ability to grow and develop in data engineering. I also like how no two days are ever the same, because one day I could be on calls all day and the next day I could be studying for another data engineering certification.

Between my job at Bright Network and Capgemini, I had a period of unemployment. This really did set me back in terms of potentially growing my career. I felt behind and I dealt with it by focusing on my end goal and trying to work towards that. Sometimes looking at the bigger picture and your end career goal can really motivate you to make the necessary steps to achieve this.

I like to socialise with friends and create content for my YouTube channel, Dee.Ola.

Yes, I have experienced imposter syndrome. When starting my job as an Engineer, I felt it greatly, but I told myself that I was interviewed and assessed before getting this role. The people assessing me didn’t just hand it to me, they obviously saw that I was more than capable of excelling in this role. Otherwise, they would have declined my interest in transitioning into Engineering. This has helped me realise, my hard work is enough to be where I am, and I deserve everything I receive as a reward.

It means paving a way for others who want to do it in the future. Making the path easier and more accessible for others as I am the first in some instances. It also means, presenting a level of achievement and accompaniment and honouring the space given.

My biggest strength: communication, I have a strong sense of communication with others and wanting to hear other people’s opinion. I am very accommodating to others. My biggest weakness: I overthink. This can be a downfall but also a good strength at work as sometimes this is useful to notice things.

I explain to people the easy work life balance and the ability to continuously grow and evolve as a career person.