Starting a new journey alone can come with lots of challenges, confusion  and setbacks but imagine having a roadmap or guide to your destination, the journey becomes easier and faster 

In today’s post, we are going to look at; what is coding? Who is a coding mentor? And what are the benefits of having a coding mentor? 

Coding is the process of giving commands and assigning tasks to the computer, it’s how computers communicate with people. Codes can be used to develop apps, websites, and software. 

A coding mentor is a more experienced programmer who guides, directs and advises a less experienced programmer to help him become better with codes.

Let’s dive into the benefit of a coding mentor

Your mentor has been through the same process that you are going through right now.  They have the experience of what it means to be a developer in the actual work environment, they have knowledge of what project would be helpful to you, they also have the knowledge of how to apply what you are learning to a real-life situation. They can help guide you and also warn you if you are about to make the same mistakes that they’ve made, this will prevent you from wasting your time, resources and money. They serve as your guide.

Learning by doing is very important, it’s really nice to have someone who can tell you about the best practices that they have already tested. This way, you are learning in a much more efficient and quicker way because you are applying things that work straight away.

It is an awesome feeling to have someone you look up to as your mentor because hearing their stories and their experiences motivate and inspires you even more. It gives you so much energy and confidence which is very very important when it comes to learning a new skill and to your career development because it makes you aim higher and become more ambitious. You become excited about doing what you are doing.

Your mentor is likely to have had much more experience in the industry and may have a much more long term vision, it’s great to see your life and career from that perspective and to see what options you have. For example, imagine you are in a city that you’ve never been to before and you are walking around exploring the environment, you will be able to see things and buildings which are in front and behind you but a mentor will be able to give you a map to know what surrounds you, what streets there are and also see what potential destination you might have. Thinking long term can transform both your personal and professional life.

Sometimes asking questions can be more important than answering them. Good mentors ask questions to help you think about the process you are going through, whether it’s learning how to code or career development. A lot of times, you are the only person that can answer these questions because they are related to your direction, your path and what gives you fulfilment. Learning how to ask yourself the right questions is very important for your growth.

When you are starting something new, whether it is a habit or learning a new skill, it's important to have someone who can keep you accountable. To be honest, when it comes to learning how to code there are ups and downs and you might lose motivation along the way.  Your mentor can be very helpful by having dedicated time, it can be weekly or monthly, to sit down with you and either go over life coding challenges or a curriculum. The thing is this, whenever you are meeting up with them you will want to show up being prepared which may require constant practice. Accountability can help you keep up the learning process

The beauty of your mentor not being your friend or parents is that they can give you objective feedback, they are not biased. You are not the most talented person in the world to them, they see you as you are and they can give you honest and objective feedback which in turn will make you realistically better

Do you know a single industry where networking isn’t important? I don’t think so. Tech is the same and if you want to be a developer, you still need to work on your soft skills and on building your network. A mentor can do both, they can help you become better at networking and improve your professional communication skill. They can as well expand your horizon by introducing and recommending you to the right people in their network which is very valuable

Imagine you start learning coding on your own, you get the materials and resources you need then enrol for a course, at the course of studying, you might get to a point where you feel you are not on the right track and will need to start afresh. The place of a mentor is to help you save the time and energy you would have wasted on trial and error. They can also help you save time by providing answers to questions you should have spent hours on google searching for.  They help you speed up your learning process by offering advice from their experience

Having the guidance of a mentor when learning to code can be very beneficial to you, it pushes you to become a better programmer. The spirit of not disappointing your mentor can be a driving force towards growth. It helps you to be committed to the process which may involve constant study and practice.

Have you got yourself a coding mentor yet? And why haven’t you?

Are you thinking of how to find one, or where? As a tip, at Mentortribes you have the privilege of getting for yourself a suitable mentor who will guide and help you through your coding journey.

You may be asking, where do I start from? What do I need to know? How do I implement the knowledge I’ve acquired? It’s okay, we all feel that way at certain stages of life. Getting the right information, resources and networks can turn things around.

In today’s, post we will look at; What is web development? What is frontend development? Who is a frontend developer? And 8 tips to improve your frontend developing skills 

Web development is the building and maintenance of websites, it involves two unique parts which are, frontend development and backend development. They require different skills and knowledge. The frontend developer deals with the user interface which is what the users interact with, while the backend developer is focused on the behind the scene, these are things that keep the site running.

The last time you visited a website, did you take note of the organisation of things on the site? From the button you click on to the images you see are all part of frontend development.

This is a person that implements web designs by using codes or programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Web design is the outlook of a website while frontend development is the process through which designs get to be implemented on the web.

Works of the frontend developer can be seen in the navigation and layout as well as the looks of the site on different devices.

8 Tips to improve your frontend developing skills

The first step to becoming a better frontend developer is to know your tools. Take your time to learn the types of tools and their uses. Learn the major key shortcuts, it would help you work faster. Search the internet for different applications that can help you with the job and choose the best. Knowledge of the software you will use to work will help improve your speed.

To become a successful developer, you need to learn to plan. Lack of planning can make your work disorganise. Without proper planning, you’d waste so much time on a small task moving back and fro. Proper timing helps you save time and saves you from stress. You get to finish your work on a timely basis, it keeps you focused on the task at hand and it helps you discover setbacks early.

There are several tools that can help you plan. Examples of these tools are; Writemaps, which helps create a website site map and Trello which create a project board and cards for each of your templates and elements

As technology evolves every day, so does frontend designs. To remain relevant as a frontend developer you have to invest in knowledge. Make it a habit to read at least one article every day on frontend designs and make sure to practise whatever you learn. It might mean trying new strategies, changing tools etc.

You can stay up-to-date by using the following site:

As a frontend developer, the more time you give to practise the better you become. Coding helps build logical thinking skills, it helps developers work effectively. Try not to work yourself out with coding, one hour every day would work the magic.

Here are some examples of sites you can learn to code from;

As a frontend developer, You will need to invest in yourself in order to grow. It does not necessarily mean money-wise, you can as well invest in yourself by committing your time to learn. Research shows that it takes around 10000 hours to master a skill.  It might cost you your sleep trying to explore and experiment in order to become a master in frontend development but it’s going to be worth it.

Solving problems helps you put your knowledge into practice. Think of a personal problem that you can solve with technology and start from there. In case you don’t have a problem to solve look for other people’s problems and help them solve to solve it.

As a frontend developer, have you at some point felt like you don’t know where to start from, you do not know the next step to take in your career or you don’t know how to implement all you’ve learnt, then you need a mentor. Find someone with more knowledge and experience in frontend development who is willing to help you grow. Your mentor should be someone you respect and aspire to be like, this could be your boss, colleague or someone from an online mentorship platform. As a tip, when you get Mentortribes mentorship, it helps save you the time you would have wasted on trials and error

Have you heard of the saying “health is wealth”? If you are not healthy you wouldn’t have the strength of becoming a frontend developer. Being a frontend developer will mean sitting down in a spot for hours trying to get things done, this is the more reason why you need to take care of your body. When planning your weekly activity calendar, try including non-programming activities such as walk, run, rest, gym etc.

In conclusion, becoming an excellent frontend developer takes time, patience and constant practice. Getting the right resources and the right network would set you apart for greatness

what other tips would you suggest for a fellow frontend developer?

Let me know by leaving a comment below right now

Web development is the building and maintenance of websites, it involves two unique parts which are, frontend development and backend development. They require different skills and knowledge.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR FRONTEND DEVELOPING SKILL

We all have goals we want to achieve, it may be to learn that tech skill, to enrol on that course or maybe to become a manager, whatever it is the question remains, do you have the push or force to achieve the goal?

It is believed that when you are motivated it’s very easy to achieve difficult things and if you are not motivated it’s very difficult to achieve the simplest things. The reason why a person with great potential fails to achieve things is simply because of a lack of motivation. 

In today’s post, we will be looking at what is motivation? Types of motivation, and the 6 tips to stay motivated when learning a new tech skill

Imagine you are a student, your goal would probably be to pass all your courses with distinction. But this would not be possible without anything to motivate you, it becomes mere wishes that would never come true. What if you long to gain your parent’s appreciation and applaud or you want to be seen as a genius by your peers or you want to be proud of yourself? These reasons would push you to read your books even when others aren’t, it would push you to attend lectures even though it’s raining. Motivation is what compels and pushes you to achieve those goals and desires.

Motivation is the reason for doing something. It is that thing that encourages you to give your best performance

Motivation can be classified into 3 categories

Extrinsic motivation is an external form of motivation. Here the motivation comes externally. For example, money, praise, awards, recognition etc. A student whose goal is to graduate college with extinction would have to read, study and attend lectures while others are catching fun. the student would decide to study while others aren’t might be to get applaud from his parents or be awarded as the best graduating student. When you are motivated to perform, achieve, learn or do something based on a highly considered outcome, rather than for the fun, development or personal fulfilment, you are being extrinsically motivated.

Intrinsic motivation is a form of motivation that comes from within, these are things you do because you love doing them and not because you are compelled by someone. For example, you decide to join a fitness club because you love how it feels to be healthy and fit and not because someone told you that you’re getting fat. When you are intrinsically motivated, you enjoy an interest, a course of study or skill development solely to fulfil education and have fun

Positive motivation is a reward base encouragement method. Examples of such rewards are, recognition, appreciation, raise in salary.

Negative motivation is a punishment based boosting method. It is derived from the fear of punishment and loosing of things. For example, demotion, layoff, salary reduction etc. Imagine a marketer who didn’t meet her target for the previous month and had to suffer a lower salary. In the coming month, she would strategize better in order to meet her target and get her full pay. Or an employee may be working in an organisation with the whole of his heart not just for appreciation or recognition but because he always has a fear that if he doesn’t perform better he may lose his job

3. Financial and Non-Financial Motivation

Financial motivation refers to monetary reward of substantial value, for example, bonus, wage/salary, retirement benefits. All these can be calculated in monetary terms. 

Non-Financial motivation does not involve money rather they bring psychological and emotional satisfaction. For example, ego satisfaction, self-actualisation.

6 Tips to help you stay motivated when learning a new tech skill

Before commencing the learning process you need to know why you will dedication so many hours of your time to learn this skill. If you don’t have a reason why you want to learn that skill then it would be very easy to give up on the way when you encounter a little challenge. When I was going through the learning process, my why was pretty strong, I know that learning this new skill can open doors of better opportunities and growth. I will be giving myself access to top companies that are working on innovative projects which can help boost my career journey and give me access to a higher salary.

 Make sure you have a "why" before starting because if there is no “why” then there will be no motivation. For some people, you might have to write down your "why" and keep reminding yourself every day.

One of the main things that can help you overcome being overwhelmed is to commit to small goals. starting something new can be overwhelming, you see your limited knowledge and also see the lots of resources you have to cover to be good, but breaking thing into bits help you achieve your goal. For example, deciding to study 2hours every day can make it easier to track your goal and helps you to be consistent

Technology books and courses can be really boring, doing projects and trying to solve problems can be fun and uplifting. If you find yourself losing motivation, it might just be time to switch and start doing more project-based studying. Also, make sure that the projects you are doing are things that excite you

Find a community of people who are going through this process. For example, finding a friend or group of people who understands this process, who are also trying to reach this goal makes this process a lot easier. This community can keep you motivated and accountable throughout the whole learning process. It is also important to cut off anyone who is bringing you negativity or distracting you from the whole learning process. You don’t need such people because you are going to be dealing with lots of self-doubts. Being around positive people will work so much magic

Surround yourself with content and imagery of people who successfully did this. Success stories have a powerful way of encouraging you through the journey. Hearing that people were actually able to successfully do this will really push and encourage you to keep ongoing. You can have a folder of different success stories to keep encouraging you through the process

During this process, you are going to feel extremely stressed out because there is a lot to learn. Finding tools to manage your stress is very essential. You don’t necessarily need to spend a lot of money to find these tools, you can just take a walk, do some exercise, meditate or even just take a nap. These can help you manage your stress.

What is your "why"? And is it strong enough to carry you through the learning process?

Let me know by leaving a comment below right now 

HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED WHEN LEARNING A NEW TECH SKILL

Whether you are a professional, an entrepreneur or a student, having a more experienced person to guide and direct you can make the difference. It would save you the time and energy you would have wasted on trial and error

In this post, we will look at who is a mentor? And the 10 tips to find and keep a mentor.

A mentor is a more experienced person who offers support, guidance, advice and direction to a less experienced person. A good mentor would have the mentee’s best interest at heart, the style of mentorship would have to meet the mentee’s needs.

Let’s dive into the 10 tips to find and keep a mentor

The first step to finding a mentor is to make clear what you want to achieve, learn and get out of the relationship. The best way to create effective, easily achievable goals is to work SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timebound.

Making a short term goal help you have a clear picture of where you want to go. for example, what kind of job do you want? if you are already doing the job you want then the next thing to consider would be, what level of success or achievement do you want to reach in that job? is it to become a director or manager? 

The goal of a mentorship relationship is to help you overcome those roadblocks that may stand on your way to success and help you become better in a specific area of challenge.  

Take your time to find someone you look up to. In fact, have several candidates before committing to a single mentor. 

When trying to figure out the people in your life that may be a good candidate for a mentor, consider those who are ahead of you in terms of their careers or professional growth. Another way to identify possible mentors is to seek out those who are already in the position or level you wish to grow into in the future.

Try to know who the person is, check out his blogs if he has one. Check his social media posts

In case you barely know the person, it’s best to ask someone who knows him. See if he is really like his public persona projects. It is very important you understand his strength and weaknesses.

Here are some questions that would help with the research:

Is their presence something I can relate to?

Never make the mistake of asking the person to be your mentor at your first contact. It is advisable to invite the person for a drink and then you get to have a casual conversation with them about work and the challenge you may be facing. You can as well establish common grounds. For example, we work in the same industry or we belong to the same professional body. Tell them about yourself, your work and the purpose of the meeting.

The reason why it is not advisable to ask a person to be your mentor  on your first contact is this; at the end of your official meeting, you might discover they don’t have what it takes to be your mentor or they are just not the right fit for you

5. Evaluate the outcome of the official meeting

What are your discoveries at the end of the meeting? 

 Do you want to spend more time with the person?

 Did they offer encouragement and advice?

 Did you feel better or worse at the end of the meeting?

 Was there a connection between you and the person?

If the answer to these questions is negative, it would be advisable to get someone else. But if your answers are all positive then it leads us to point number 6  

In establishing the relationship with your mentor, you have to be opened and honest, tell them of your fears and doubts. You have to be willing to be vulnerable and honest about your challenges and weaknesses. If you don’t open up about your challenge, your mentor will not be able to help you.

7. Be specific about what you want to achieve

Be clear enough about what you want to achieve through the mentoring relationship. Tell your mentor your goals, for example, is it to reach a particular level of success like becoming a manager or direction. Whatever it is, just make it clear to your mentor

As your relationship with your mentor progresses, putting into use their advice and feedback is a great way to grow. Your mentor may recommend you to take a step or read a book. It is important to be action-oriented in order to put their advice into practice.

Find ways to reflect back on what you are learning from the mentorship relationship, for example in your next meeting, you can make reference to a book they recommended or a piece of advice they gave.

Nobody wants to mentor someone who is not committed. If you have an appointment with your mentor by 2 pm make sure you get there at least 15 minutes before time, it shows that you value the meeting and take it seriously.

Accepting to mentor you doesn’t mean they are not busy. It might mean taking out time from their resting hour or something of importance for them to give to you. Find a way to show them how grateful you are, it could be by writing a short note, sending them an email, gifting them or offering to help them with a task. You can check in from time to time to know how they are doing. It is important for your mentor to know you care about them as much as you expect them to care about you.

In conclusion, do you have a mentor yet? Or you are still searching for one? We at Mentortribes would love to help you get the best mentor you will need for excellence.

Now I’d love to hear from you; Do you have a mentor? If yes

Let’s begin by asking you a question. Would you write code without a design? Build hardware without a schematic? Configure a server without a plan? Of course not. Yet how many of us learn technology without any planning, choosing resources at random in the hope that one of them will be worthwhile? This is inefficient, and worse, it can leave critical holes in your knowledge and skills. 

In this post, you'll learn how to design a plan for learning any technology effectively and efficiently based on your own needs and goals. You'll learn how to think about learning, how the arrival of the information age fundamentally changed what it means to learn a technology. Next, we'll break learning down into core elements such as fundamentals, skills, duration, and more, and you'll see how each one of them needs to be evaluated as you create your learning strategy. For, as you'll see, time, not money, is the true cost of learning.

Many of you will discover that the way you are currently learning technology is shockingly inefficient and that many of your assumptions about how best to learn technology are completely wrong. Now, take a moment and think back at the last technology you learned. Why did you bother? Did you think strategically and evaluate whether the benefits to learning that technology justified the effort? When you started, did you take the time to plan out your course of study or did you just grab whatever resources you happened to find? How far along did you get, beginner, intermediate, expert? And did you choose the level you wanted to reach ahead of time or just kept studying out of habit? These are questions that we must answer correctly to be able to learn technology at this age. And the real problem is that common knowledge itself is obsolete. In this post, we're going to explore what it means to learn technology in the Information Age.

When we make statements like; We live in the information age. The world has changed. It's the information revolution or, as some call it, the fourth industrial revolution. what does it bring to mind? Flat-screen TVs, smartphones, and endless gadgets. These are not what makes this the information age or makes this era the information revolution. Because you see, the term information revolution is not a cliche, it is a reality. Hundred Years from now, they will refer to this period in the same way that we look back on the agricultural revolution, the Renaissance, and the industrial revolution.

The information age has brought about three significant changes. First, for the first time in human history, it is possible for any individual to communicate directly with any number of other individuals and to engage in commerce with any number of other individuals at effectively 0 costs and with 0 delays. Second, for the first time in human history, every individual can have access to virtually all human knowledge at effectively 0 costs. Third, for the first time in human history, every individual has access to almost unlimited computational power along with AI‑based software that not only assists with accomplishing tasks but can even anticipate needs and fulfil them before they are expressed. These changes are having a huge impact on every aspect of society. Many of the consequences are obvious, though we don't always see them in the context of these facts, the growth of eCommerce and online retailers, job disruption due to automation and the increasing mismatch between available jobs and people with the skills needed to fill them. The widespread adoption of social networks and the ability for many to learn and work remotely are all results of these revolutionary developments. Despite its best efforts to resist change, education has been impacted as well.

                                                                                      Learning Paths

We will look at learning as four distinct paths or tracks. I'll call them fundamentals, information, skills, and innovation. Each one of these represents a distinct journey. Dividing learning into four tracks in this way gives us a mental model to better understand both the learning process and the characteristics of different types of knowledge.

The fundamentals track is where you learn fundamental concepts relating to the technology you are interested in. It's where you learn to speak the language. Call it the basic literacy of technology. They represent the foundation that allows you to understand additional information and knowledge that is more specific to particular technologies. Fundamental concepts can be complex and difficult to learn. It would take time and effort but its value never dies.

To work in technology, you must inevitably acquire knowledge and information that is specific to that particular product or technology. A solid understanding of the fundamental concepts of technology gives you a huge advantage when it comes to learning and understanding specific implementations and applications of technology. People who go directly to the information track can be effective, but there are almost always holes in their knowledge. One of the main characteristics of knowledge on the information track is that it becomes obsolete very quickly, which is because platforms evolve rapidly. Information is also acquired quickly, especially if you have a good knowledge of the fundamentals of technology. many developers today do learn technology as it is needed rather than studying broadly with the hope that something will prove useful.

Have you ever met someone who seems to know everything, but can't do anything? Learning to do things is what the skills track is all about. Our school are doing a great job teaching fundamentals and even some information, but real skills are gained on the job. It was common knowledge that new grads didn't know anything useful, that it was up to companies to give them the skills they needed to get the job done. In a world where knowledge and information are both inexpensive and widely accessible, the value of skills has grown. Skills represent the ability to implement solutions using your knowledge. As you increase your level of expertise on the skills track, you can come up with better solutions and implement them more quickly with less chance of mistakes along the way. In most cases, it is the skills that generate income. People pay you to do things, not to know things.

The innovation track comes after competence, it can also be called the expertise stage.  Experts can solve virtually any solvable problem. That also means part of being an expert is identifying problems that cannot be solved and understand why they cannot be solved. They have access to the fundamental knowledge, information, and skills needed to accomplish that. The innovation track is a part of each of the other tracks representing the journey beyond competence.

Learning always has a cost, and that cost is one of the key factors to consider when choosing the domain you want to learn. I want you to keep one thing in mind. The real costs of learning are not measured in course tuition and expenses for books and tools. The real cost of learning is in time, and learning always takes time. Because you don't have time to learn everything. It is important to think strategically about what you are learning. Think about it. Learning a new technology is like making a purchase where the cost is your time. It's worth comparing technologies and choosing the ones you learn based on the value you will get in return. In many cases, the value is monetary. Will learning the technology help you to make more money or least preserve your current income, and will the financial benefits justify the cost? But in some cases, the value has nothing to do with money. Because the real cost in learning is always time, choosing one technology always implies limiting or sacrificing others.

How do you determine the potential value of learning technology? The easiest way is to look at job opportunities. Hot technologies are in high demand. If you see lots of openings in a field, that's a good sign. Look at salary ranges offered to see if skills in a particular technology are commanding unusually high salaries. Don't just look at languages. Remember, languages are easy. Look at platforms.

5 important questions you must answer before learning technology in the information age

In a world where information is available in vast quantities and at a low cost, curation has become increasingly valuable. Where do you start? What information is truly important to learn? In what order should you learn it? If you can't answer those questions, learning technology becomes infinitely harder than it should be. You waste time learning things that aren't important. Worse, you are exposed to content in no logical order. 

Books are a source of curation. They provide content in a logical order where the concepts build on each other. The content of the book is curated by the author, who determines which content is and is not important.  Websites, blogs, and articles are almost universally awful in this regard. Search is completely useless.

Degree or certification programs are the very definition of curation, defining a sequence of courses and required knowledge to obtain a degree or certificate.  Schools publish the lists of classes required for degrees, the books required for those classes, and you can sometimes even find detailed lesson plans. Academic degrees focus on fundamental concepts, so following their plan can give you a strong foundation on a subject.

Whether you are learning fundamental knowledge or information that is specific to a technology, the sources and approaches you will use are similar. Both involve seeking out and trying to comprehend content.

Books are curated. Buying a book saves you the time and cost of filtering through the vast amounts of available information. They are an excellent way to start learning new technology. 

Online courses and videos are other good sources of knowledge. They are ideal for those who learn better through video and audio as compared to reading. There are countless sites, blogs and forums, that contain useful information..

Schools and classes have significant value, as far as providing knowledge and information. If you need to learn a very new technology for which there are not yet any books and the documentation is inadequate, hiring an expert to teach you can be effective and well worth the high cost.

Where do you go for skills? Knowledge and information are both very nice. But skills are what bring in the paycheck. People will rarely pay you for what you know. They pay you for what you can do, for your ability to use knowledge and information to solve problems. To gain skills in technology, you have to use it. You have to solve problems with it. You have to build things with it.  There is no substitute for hands‑on experience and no excuse for not getting it. One of the ways to get skills is through challenging yourself and through play.  You learn to solve problems by solving problems, and if you don't have any problems of your own to solve, go solve someone else's

Another great way for software developers to learn skills is to get involved and contribute to an open‑source project.

4. Where Do You Go for Support and Discipline?

One of the biggest challenges to learning on your own is finding the necessary motivation and self-discipline. There are so many distractions in our lives that can get in the way.

Learning with others provides discipline as well. If you are part of a study group, you may feel an obligation to the rest of the group to carry your load. If you have a teacher, you may feel a desire to meet their expectations. There are other advantages to being part of a group. You can support and encourage each other. You can answer each other's questions. You can challenge each other

Having teachers and learning with a group can dramatically improve your learning efficiency in every learning track, whether it is fundamentals, information, skills, and even expertise, and the most common way and often the easiest way to find a teacher and a group is to take a class.

The best way to gain skills is to seek out questions and problems and try to solve them. As you do this, you will become more and more comfortable with the technology. You will gain more and more experience as you implement the solutions. In time, you may find yourself answering other people's questions.  If you want to gain expertise, just keep seeking out and solving problems. Expertise will come in its own good time. One day you'll wake up and realize that you're answering a lot more questions than you're asking and that you can answer most questions without any real effort. Enjoy the feeling, it only lasts until the next version release.

In conclusion, remember, the skills track is the one that pays the bills. It's the one that is the most fun, so it should be the one that drives the agenda. Try something, do something. If you fail, look for the relevant information you need to succeed. Then, if there's anything about what you did that you do not thoroughly understand, take the time to learn the fundamental concepts behind what you did, and don't stop until you've found them.

Do you think time is the true cost of learning or money?

Let me know by leaving a comment right now.

Would you write code without a design? Build hardware without a schematic? Configure a server without a plan? Of course not. Yet how many of us learn technology without any planning, choosing resources at random in the hope that one of them will be worthwhile? 

LEARNING TECHNOLOGY IN THE INFORMATION AGE

“Guy, forget Tech. I don’t see anything there. I have been on it for 3 years but I can’t seem to make headways. Not even a single gig. All those things are scam.” Josh vibrated.

“Hold on, hold on, I am your friend yes, but I am not guy, lol. Has it gotten to the extent of calling me, guy?”

He laughed. “All I’m saying is, Tech Skills are over hyped.”

My friend, Josh has been on this journey like he said, for three years. He is as some would say “self-taught” or “Internet-taught” and the truth is, Josh is not fit to handle gigs yet, I do tell him.

Discussing with Josh, I made him know the importance of learning from one source to avoid information overload and most importantly, having someone hold your hand as you build a career in Tech. This is known as “Mentorship-based learning.”

The UNESCO International Bureau of Education sees mentorship-based learning as a relationship between a less experienced individual and a more experienced person known as a mentor through which the mentor facilitates and supports learning. 

It can involve a one-on-one relationship or a network of multiple mentors.

The purpose of mentoring is to help mentees tap into the knowledge of those with more experience than themselves and learn faster than they would on their own. It is also an opportunity to grow their network and connect with leaders rather than just their peers.

So the internet can be likened to an ocean with all kinds of creatures, some of same species but they sure have their distinctive features. The same can be said about course materials available on the internet where you have different people teach their own perspective on the same matter. 

The negative effect on the learner? Information overload, Confusion and frustration. Take for instance Digital Marketing. There are lots of videos on YouTube about it but all are different with a thin similarity which is difficult to spot.

Relying on the internet to learn a Tech skill will leave you picking tiny fractions of information with no guidance on how to piece them together. Because, the course creators are not readily available to attend to the learners.

This is why it is important to be intentional when choosing where to learn a skill. And choosing a Tech skill service provider like Mentortribes that leverages on mentorship-based learning makes a whole lot of difference. Tech is hard already. Navigating through it without help is a journey you wouldn’t want to make.

On the flip side, Mentorship-based learning will save you all the rigors and hassles of having to figure things out on your own.

Here are some of the advantages of Mentorship-based learning in Tech:

1. Shortens the learning curve: With mentorship-based learning, you are guided by mentors on the dos and don’ts of your chosen Tech path as well as industry best practices. You also learn what you are supposed to straight up rather than experimenting on trials and errors and in turn waste time unnecessarily. Having someone mentor you will cut a journey of three years by half or even less.

2. Leverage on the experiences of mentors: The mistakes, the lessons, the toils have all been done by mentors. They know where the jobs are and how to get them. Holding your hands means you do not need to do the searching. They have cracked the code and you just have to leverage on their experiences to excel.

3. A support system: Is there a feeling greater than having someone you can call on when you feel stuck? I doubt there is. I was discussing with a friend and he said that for the past three days he has been trying to troubleshoot a particular issue but it wasn’t working. Imagine that he has a mentor, he would not have to waste such amount of time on a single task.

Having a support system also comes in handy when you feel like giving up. Because the truth is, days would come when you feel like nothing is working and you would want out. A mentor would therefore hold you down while using himself as a reference point on why you should persevere.

4. Have someone refer you to people that matter: A mentor is that one person that would mention your name in a room where your expertise is needed. You wonder why you have not gotten a job in Tech and someone whom you know when he started learning, finishes and gets one easily? Or why some people get higher paying jobs than others? They have people on whose back they ride: mentors!

With Mentorship-based learning, you get to connect with industry leaders rather than your peer.

Working in the Tech industry invariably means you get to spend a lot of time on your laptop and smartphones and for all we know, the lights emanating from these screens are not healthy for the eyes.

The eye is among the most important organs of the human body. Without it, we cannot function optimally so it’s necessary we take precautions to ensure that our eyes are healthy.

Too much screen time can be damaging to the eyes but for someone who makes a living off the internet, these lights also known as Blue Lights are unavoidable.

Blue Lights, simply put are a range of lights that contain the highest amount of energy in the visible spectrum. Your laptops, smartphones, your LED televisions all have one thing in common: Blue Lights of which excessive exposure to, have been found to cause certain damages to the retina.

Too much exposure to blue Lights can cause Macular degeneration (which can lead to permanent vision loss), and Digital eye strain.

According to Charles Awuzie, a Nigerian TechPreneur based in South Africa, one of the good advices we should no longer take in 2023 is “Reduction of Screen time”. Just like he said, we now work, study, hold meetings and carryout transactions on devices and screens. Reducing screen time will mean reducing productivity and for a large part of the world population, it will mean putting a limit to our source of income especially, people in Tech. This does not mean he cared less about eye health.

What can you then do to keep your eyes healthy and out of harm’s way even as you work in the Tech space?

1. Blue light filters: if you are always exposed to the “screen”, a convenient way to reduce exposure is to apply blue light filters to your device screen. These filters are available for smartphones, computer screens and tablets and you can easily purchase them where computer devices/electronics are sold.

2. Protective eye wears: wearing blue light blocking glasses, yellow-tinted computer glasses or glasses with anti-reflective lenses can also help keep your eyes safe. 

3. Ensure you rest your eyes: choose a time when you usually get off work and use that period to rest your eyes.it could be during the weekend when you do not have much to do on your computer.

4. Eat foods that support eye health: consuming less junks and more healthy foods will help you stay fit. Special attention should be paid to carrots, bell peppers, kale, spinach, broccoli, strawberries, oysters, salmon, eggs, meats and healthy fats as they promote and support good eye health.

Having a career in Tech and especially working remotely means we cannot totally avoid exposure to Blue lights but we can take measures to keep safe while on the screen. Do the best you can to support your eye health.

Working in the Tech industry invariably means you get to spend a lot of time on your laptop and smartphones and for all we know, the lights emanating from these screens are not healthy for the eyes.  But for someone who makes a living off the internet, these lights also known as Blue Lights are unavoidable. How then do you manage to keep your career running whilst prioritizing your eye health? 

BLUE LIGHT AND EYE HEALTH: A CONCERN FOR PEOPLE IN THE TECH

We advocate learning Technological skills. This is because there are endless possibilities and opportunities as well as flexible work environment in the Tech space.

As much as technological skills are trending, and one cannot go wrong with them, one’s reasons for venturing in matter a lot. Every action is backed up by a motive and pursuing a career in Tech is not an exception.

It is your reasons for going into a thing that help you stay put when the going gets tough and it doesn’t seem rosy and, it is definitely the wrong reasons that see people giving up on something when it turns out not being as they expected.

Here are some wrong Reasons people go into Tech

Money: Before you say “What?” please calm down, please, LOL! Are you calm now? Great! We know money is good and necessary for everyday living. We know also, that money is one of the reasons why we learn skills and go into businesses. Money is a motivation. But what happens when you go into Tech solely for the money and the money is not forthcoming? This is why passion is necessary. When you make money your only motivation and propelling force, frustration becomes inevitable.

Friends: Some people go into Tech and venture into particular area because they have friends that are in that particular niche who are hitting the money big. You do not have same passion as them so it would be wrong to toe the Tech path because of your friends.

To prove a point: The issue of “others are doing it, why can’t I” or “I can do better than what he or she is currently doing”, is a very wrong reason to take an action most especially in Tech. others are into it, and so what if you are not cut out for it?

For the title:  Some people fancy the titles “Tech Bro”, “Tech Sis”, “Programmer”, etc. These are mere titles and are worth nothing if the bearer doesn’t know his onion or, do you not know that there are broke Tech bro and sis?

Look beyond the above reasons and find what motivates you naturally. Do not go into Tech because your friends are all gone in or because you feel that it is the new gold or because it is all the rave.

It is also important to speak with someone who is in Tech to mentor and counsel you and to help you discover your why.

Wrong reasons why People venture into Tech

That’s right, you want to learn a digital skill.

It’s awesome to improve on oneself and that also includes improving financially.

You have access to the internet so it’s dumb to think that you do not know what’s trending: Technological skills!

Call it digital skill, soft skill, technological skill, it all means the same thing: A skill that requires more of intellectual/mental work than physical strength to carry out. It is all the rave and yes! It is worth it.

If you want to learn a tech skill or you wish to pursue a career in tech but seem overwhelmed with the many options that you do not know which is best for you, then read till the end and we promise you will gain clarity.

There is a surge in interest in the Tech space in recent years and it can only go up. But why the surge? The answer is increase in Technological innovations which require the knowledge of some skills (technological skills) to navigate.

This surge has changed a lot of things including the way people live and work, giving a large number of the world population the freedom to live and work remotely and smartly.

It could be overwhelming deciding which one skill to pursue a career in. This is because there are loads of these skills out there but the truth is that, there is that one skill for you and all it takes to change your financial status is just, that one skill.

Here is our take on how to know which is that “one skill” for you.

Passion: when choosing a tech skill, go for what you have passion for. It is your passion that will keep you motivated and unrelenting when the money isn’t coming in yet.

Are you passionate about writing or designing then go for skills related to them.

Your strengths and weaknesses: let’s face it, you know your strength, your weaknesses, you know what you can start, finish and not abandon half way through.

You know if you are good with numbers or letters and that informs your decision. If you are cool with numbers then go for coding/programming related field. If it’s letters, look towards writing/ copy/marketing.

Do not be a run-away science student that jumps into more complex science in Tech, LOL! Actually some guys avoided sciences not because they cannot take the heat but because they were not properly taught at the formation stage.

If you feel you can do it, go for it then. You would want to do what you do with some level of ease, right? More like it comes naturally. This aid your learning process.

Duration: some skills take longer to learn than others. So, if your goal is to learn and perfect in a month or two and start earning, well, consider skills you can master quickly.

In summary, know what you can take, what your goals for the skill are, whether they be long term or short term.

And yes, no one skill is better than the other. It all boils down to what you make of it.

It could be overwhelming deciding which Technological skill to pursue a career in. This is because there are loads of these skills out there but the truth is that, there is that one skill for you and all it takes to change your financial status is just, that one skill.

If we want to set our children up for academic success, every child should learn to code. Coding for kids not only helps improve their mathematics and writing skills but also gives them valuable skills in life and eventually in the workforce.

“why should a child/my child learn coding?”

Well, this is why I will be sharing with you 8 Reasons why every child should learn to code

Put simply, Coding is the a method of communicating with a computer. It is using a language that a computer understands to give a computer instructions in order to perform specific functions. Coding allows us to create things such as computer software, websites, apps and video games. 

Before we get to talking about why every child should learn to code, you may have come here looking to find out HOW you can teach your child to code. It’s easy to get started teaching children to code, even if you don’t have any coding experience yourself! In fact, we’ve compiled a list of coding concepts even 5 year olds can understand here.

there are many ways to start teaching your kids coding and here are some ways out of the many ways:

You can get started coding with your kids today! It’s easy, and all you need are items you likely already have around your house. To first start learning the basics of coding, you don’t even need a computer! One of our most popular unplugged coding activities involves learning to code with a deck of cards! You can find out how to learn to code with a deck of cards here, or you can find our whole list of unplugged coding activities here.

If you’re like me, you struggle with appropriate screen time for your kids. I know that I got to the point where one more YouTube video of kids opening and reviewing toys was going to send me over the edge. We try to make our screen time as educational as possible. I even taught my son to play the piano using this app!

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HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED WHEN LEARNING A NEW TECH SKILL

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8 Reasons Why Every Child Should learn To Code

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