Into software via Economics and Statistics

Sharon Koech (Kenya)

Sharon Koech

Wondering, and also wandering, have been key to my professional success.

They are how I found people and communities willing to take a chance on me, and also how I found open-source software and my career - technical documentation.

Choices, options and chances

I don’t have a software background. I studied Economics and Statistics and enjoyed it, but almost halfway through my degree, I began to doubt if I had made the best choice. In my first year of university, a friend introduced me to programming. I didn’t have a computer and barely knew how to use one, but I’ve never forgotten the joy I felt. I knew immediately that I wanted to do more of that.

I wanted to become a “computer expert” and decided I needed to study Computer Science instead. But I would forfeit the Kenyan government sponsorship I already had, and it would be unaffordably expensive (I didn’t even dare mention it to my parents). There was another option: a degree at a U.S. university - if I could obtain financial assistance to cover all the costs.

I interrupted my studies to earn some money, and focused on applying for opportunities offered by U.S. colleges. I did writing jobs; I managed to buy a laptop; I studied for and took U.S. examinations, and made multiple applications to universities. And eventually, I received an offer, including financial aid - but it would only cover 75% of the costs. I would need to find another USD 22000 each year, which was out of the question for me.

Doing it myself

I decided I had to become a programmer on my own.

I signed up for online courses, read books and articles, watched YouTube videos, spoke to people in the industry and attended local meetups.

I found that some things worked well and some didn’t. I discovered that I was too impatient for videos and learned better from books. I did not feel welcome at some meetups. I observed a clique mentality, and saw an unwillingness to help others. I even saw some individuals lording over others and using their positions of leadership and expertise to demean people, or gain favours in exchange for help, and I realised that communities without effective policies could be undermined by the behaviour of individuals.

I continued in my writing jobs and with the programming skills I had developed, I was accepted for a software internship, with the Linux Foundation, working on Tremor. That led to a contract developer role with a German company, and another internship via Outreachy to work on OpenStack Neutron.

After that internship, I went back to my studies, and nine years after I started it, I completed my degree.

Getting there in the end

I didn’t need a degree to get started in my career, but my studies did lead me to software.

If I could turn back time to when I was a fresh school-leaver, I would do a little more introspection, and a lot more research, before choosing a university course. I would trust my instincts more and not be afraid to pursue what I enjoy. I didn’t do that enough, and I didn’t have enough information and exposure to know what was even possible.

Now, I am in a full-time remote position at Canonical, but I don’t regret the wandering path I took because it led me to exactly where I want to be. And, I appreciate all the achievements I’ve had even more because of it. What’s more, it even turned out that some of the crooked wandering on that path was considered a plus when it came to my application for the role.

Sharon has been a Technical Author at Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, since early 2024. She lives in Nairobi and works remotely, on Ceph and OpenStack.