Josh – How I found myself into tech
Tags: beginners, webdev, programming, myjourneyintech
Published: 2023-01-30 14:02:58

**Who: Josue Mutabazi (Josh)**

He always had a love for computers but never imagined he would become a software engineer. Growing up, he had dreams of becoming a doctor, but after a chance to encounter his brother-in-law, a former computer science lecturer at the University of Rwanda at the time, he began to explore the world of technology.

Josue's mother, who was a school secretary, was a big influence on his interest in computers. He would often accompany her to her office after class and watch her type on the computer. She had spent years in this career, from the days of typewriter machines in the early 90s and had become an expert typist. Josue was fascinated by her skill and knew that if he practiced more on computers, he could become a good typist like her – Only and Only that was the dream with computers.

Later after completing high school, Josue's brother-in-law gave him access to his computer, which was full of tutorials and algorithmic questions/answers and encouraged him to pursue a career in software engineering. He enrolled in a college program for Information Technology at the Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) and began to learn the skills he needed to become a software engineer. From the start of his college, his brother-in-law told him "

> Choose between two things: Finish the 3 years of college and your next life is full of success and opportunities or your next life will be filled with the complete opposite of that, it's all in your hands.

He encouraged Josue to work hard, and the results of that hard work can be seen today.

## **Intermission**

As he progressed in his studies, Josue joined a developer community called GDG Kigali, where he gained valuable experience and met other passionate developers, and eventually became a lead. GDG stands for Google Developers Group, which is a developer community where developers can learn, connect, and build with Google technologies. It's a global community of developers who are passionate about Google’s developer technologies and want to learn, share, and connect with other developers. He also joined a public speaking/Toastmasters club, Techy Talkers at CMU, and became a proficient public speaker. He also had the opportunity to interact with professors from Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU), which was a great opportunity for him to learn from different perspectives and from experienced people in the field.

After college, Josue secured his first internship at HISP Rwanda, a recommendation from some kLab fellows who knew HISP Rwanda was looking for SE interns (Thanks to him). He spent many hours at the lab, learning and experimenting with different technologies, and soon gained a reputation as a skilled developer. This led to his first job as a Software Engineer at HISP Rwanda, after the internship, where he worked on several national and international digital solutions for governments, and NGOs, specifically in the health sector.

Over the years, Josue continued to gain experience and move up in his career, taking on roles at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) as Software Coordinator in the Hepatitis program and later at Akros Inc. In CHAI, he helped with the implementation of software solutions in the field of health and had the opportunity to work with different teams, developing scalable products that helped to improve the health sector of Rwanda. In his current role as Informatics and Data Use Advisor for the USAID-funded project, Ingobyi, he is able to use his knowledge and experience to help improve the health sector for the people of Rwanda.

He is now a proud software engineer, public speaker, and community leader, and is grateful for the support and guidance of his brother-in-law, who helped him discover his passion for technology.

In 2019, Josue took another step in his career, he registered his software development consulting firm, Global Kwik Koders, Inc. in Rwanda, where he currently serves as CEO, this company is helping many other companies, NGOs and individuals bring their software need to reality. He holds a bachelor's degree in Information Technology and pursuing his Master of Science in Information Technology from the University of Kigali.

Josue's journey in tech has been a testament to the power of hard work and perseverance and also has been filled with growth, learning and opportunities. Despite facing many challenges and obstacles, he never gave up on his dreams and continued to push himself to achieve his goals. He is now a proud software engineer, public speaker, and community leader, and is proud of the impact he has made in the tech industry, and continues to as well as being grateful for the support and guidance of his brother-in-law, who helped him discover his passion for technology.

Thanks for taking the time to read a short story about me!