Meet the Team! Abisola from Engineering at Railz

In this edition of Railz’s team spotlight, Abisola sheds light on her experience as our senior software engineer. She talks about how data can be used as a force for good and life at Railz.

Tell us about yourself, Abisola. How did you get to where you are today?

I took my first steps towards becoming a software engineer by completing my first degree in Computer Science back in Nigeria. That helped me get a unique opportunity to gain experience working as an IT Specialist for a USAID/JSI project (Targeted State High Impact Project — TSHIP).

I had my first insights on how data can be transformed into information and how this information can improve a community during my time with TSHIP. This experience amongst other things fuelled my desire and genuine interest in software development so I decided to move abroad to broaden my knowledge/hands-on experience.

This is why I chose a Masters degree in Data Analytics and Computing at Saint Mary’s University. I spent the next 5 years (after my MSc) building cognitive systems, working with various teams on multiple projects (serving both as a member and as a team lead) and acquired multiple patents amongst other things at IBM.

I’ll have to say that getting here couldn’t have been easy without God and my family support.

You’ve recently joined Railz. How has your experience been so far?

My experience at Railz has been great so far! I like the culture and work ethic, my colleagues are very family-friendly and most importantly, I am genuinely convinced I can grow in this organization.

If I may add, I know the Friday games might not be unique to Railz but I must say I have really enjoyed every single game day hosted so far plus the free Uber eats meal vouchers is extra icing on the cake as well.

What does your average day look like at Railz?

Average day? Hmmm, ok…here goes:

1. Grab a cup of tea (very essential!)
2. Meeting up with my team for our daily updates (scrum)
3. Peer programming and reviews
4. Implementing new features to help take the product to the next level

Software engineering is an ever-changing field. What do you do to keep up and stay updated?

I constantly search for new learning opportunities and I try to take out time to practice this. I feel this will help me stay relevant in an ever-changing field.

What’s the first thing you noticed when working at Railz?

Right from the get-go, I found every single person I spoke to be very warm and welcoming.

Do you have any advice for someone who is interested in joining Railz’s software team?

#HaveAnOpenMind #BeWillingToLearn