What inspired you to become a developer? I'm not going to lie to you or give you cliche reasons. I want to tell you the truth as much as possible. My wife and I live in Nigeria with our daughter.

As a millennial in Nigeria, you are automatically subjected to unfathomable adversity. There are no job opportunities, no electricity, and a high rate of insecurity. In fact, the country is currently in a state of chaos. For the average Nigerian, the goal is to first leave the country and restart their lives elsewhere. At the moment, $1 equals N710. A Nigerian with N10,000 in his account is considered wealthy; this is roughly $14,000. Consider the average salary of a software developer, which is about $89068. This is N63,238,280 in Nigeria. In Nigeria, not many people have that much money in their account numbers. The great thing about being a software engineer is that you can work from anywhere. My friend works remotely as a software developer and earns around $5000 per month. This is equivalent to N3,500,000, which is more than a top bank manager's salary.

I currently work as a brand manager for a top FMCG company, and my salary does not exceed $1000. I've seen people rise out of poverty simply by taking the time to learn JavaScript. My old friend recently relocated to the United Kingdom after landing a job as a front-end developer.

At this point, I can confidently say that one of the reasons I want to become a software engineer is because that career gives access and financial freedom, and I’m in dire need of that financial freedom. My heart broke the day I realized that the money I have saved in Nigeria over the past 10 years wasn’t even up to N10,000. The sad thing is that the naira keeps devaluing. I definitely need to find a way to make money. It makes no sense to work your ass off for years only to find out it's just a few thousand dollars you can easily make online as a software developer.

Building a rich network

I can confidently say that this journey has introduced me to a vast global network. I've met so many wonderful people through tech meetups and DAOs.

I met the well-known Nadar at an open source event in Lagos, as well as many other incredible people on developer DAO. Staying informed is the most important thing you can do for your tech career. The more people you meet, the more likely it is that you will be at the forefront of people's minds when an opportunity arises.

An opportunity to travel around the world.

Becoming a software engineer can open doors to travel all over the world. There's always a tech event on the horizon, which provides fantastic opportunities to travel to exotic locations and make new friends.

To have total control over the things I build

I despise being at the mercy of others. This is one of the reasons I taught myself design and writing. As someone who enjoys building things, I enjoy having complete control over whatever I set out to build. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I prefer to have things done professionally. However, I can't always afford to pay for one, so I'd rather learn it and do it myself. Being a developer requires a lot of flexibility. Consider looking at an app and thinking to yourself, "I want this." So you go ahead and build it. I just love it when I have complete control over whatever I set out to do.

To become indispensable

Being a developer kind of makes you indispensable. Check out the available positions in most top companies, there’s always a developer position available. When a company is experiencing a recession period and needs to lay off some staff, developers are the last on the list because they are the engine house of the company. It’s certainly not easy being one, but the reward is enormous.

Continuous Learning Opportunity

I enjoy learning new things. Continuous learning is essential to becoming a developer. There is always something new to discover. The learning curve is never-ending, and if you enjoy learning new things every day, this is the career for you. Again, I'm an introverted person who prefers to spend my time indoors. Coding allows me to unwind on my own.

To be technologically inclined

I am fascinated by anything innovative and technological. I've always enjoyed buying software and learning how to use it since I was a young boy. At the age of 16, this earned me the moniker "software." I can't imagine not being involved in technology. It's who I am and what I want to be.

Conclusion.

Whatever the reason it is for you, I want you to know that it is valid as long as you are willing to see it through to the end. It's perfectly fine to want to be a software developer for the financial freedom, and it's equally fine to want to be one for the undying passion you have for it.