Hanif Adedotun’s confidence when speaking is enough to inspire a generation of current teenagers who have no idea what career path they want. You will be surprised that Hanif is 18 and is already in his fourth year of higher education. He started early, really early. “When I was 10/12, I already had programming books on HTML and CSS”. Resources on HTML, CSS, and other programming books and financial support from his dad kickstarted his tech career.
The beginning of tech for Hanif Adedotun
Hanif was exposed to website design, “frontend, using basic HTML, and CSS, then I transitioned to backend, then I started using Javascript to PHP. From there, I moved to graphic design, then UI/UX.”
He learned most of his knowledge – Javascript, React, Python, Nodejs, Nextjs, etc – from books, YouTube, and online tutorials.
A career path already?
Hanif Adedotun does not waste time saying he has a career path – full-time Machine Learning Engineering. The teenager explains that he will be in his final year in 2023, and after then, he will take on a Masters in Machine Learning to cement his dream. Ultimately, he refers to himself as a Jack of all trades because he likes to know “every bit of the process in developing software. Over the years, I have gone through a lot of different aspects of tech. I can play anybody’s part in a tech project, but I am most proficient in frontend and backend.”
Hanif Adedotun is already earning tens of thousands and is sure that his pocket will become bigger as time passes.
Hanif’s most exciting project so far
He is currently working on Interna – a platform that connects students with internship opportunities and professional tools like an interview prep session, a CV generator, and a list of companies hiring for internships.
The platform, Hanif says, has a community of interns you can network with. He is trying to solve the problem of internship placement. “It is a problem that many students are facing,” he adds.
What about school?
Hanif Adedotun is currently in his fourth year studying Computer Engineering, and “everything is going great so far. I am currently on 4.78 CGPA.” He says he wanted to be 4.95, but he is happy with himself and knows he will do better before graduating.
Advice to other teenagers
Hanif insists that newbies or potentials invest in their foundation. “Learn the foundation, especially through books. Books can give what you cannot get elsewhere. There is a website called Z-library (currently unavailable), where you can download free books.”
He also says that new players in the tech space, especially young techies, should join GenZTechies where they can network with other techies and be inspired by the work of their age mates.
