Please can we meet you?

I am Daniel Makonor, a Product Data owner. Actually, I would say that I have been able to navigate my way from a non-tech background into Data science and Analytics. At the start of my journey as a Product Associate I worked with software developers and product designers. I began with an e-commerce start-up and now I currently serve as the Data Product Owner of a bank project with Bluechip Technologies.

As a kick off to my career growth, learning PHP served as an door to opportunities with a few organizations coupled with the Data Science Program I took at Utiva. This helped me connect with like minds in the field and I was able to learn Data Analytics packages like Excel, SQL and Python.

That was an interesting one, but why did you find so much interest in data science?

I would say that there’s absolutely anything you will build today as a start-up or an established business that you won’t need data. You can’t possibly make some solid decisions without a significant amount of data, that’s why I am very excited to have studied data science as a course at Utiva.

In the world we live in today, data is very vital for any business or organization to stay relevant. Coming from a non-tech background, I think there are no hard-and-fast rules to learning in any field because the importance of technology in every industry cannot be overemphasized and there is a need to learn it especially in building a career. I also have a strong believe that in the nearest future there will be more data roles and data driven specializations than we have today in software. I believe you know software is literarily forms but data is what drives any relevant software in existence today.

This is really an interesting insight, many people believe skills like data analytics and data science are for people in core tech roles, so what will you say about acquiring those kinds of skills and how valuable are they to you?

Anyone can learn anything. In fact, recently, I was having a conversation with a lady who is in her mid-40s and she is learning data science. She was telling me how interesting it is for her to pick up Python and SQL. 

I asked some questions and discovered she isn’t learning it to get a job, rather she took the decision to understand some level of technology. I don’t think this career path is for core tech people, core tech people got into the space by learning, and learning never ends.

So I would say that you don’t have to be in core tech or have any previous background in tech to take any of these tech courses. Once you have the core personal disciplines like curiosity with a mind to apply the learnings once you find an opportunity, I think learning technologies will be a delight.

What are your thoughts about tech skills in a non-tech role? Like roles that are not related to technology.

Tech is one skill or tool you cannot separate from any role in any industry.

You might not have as much tech skill as a software engineer but your ability to use and adapt to tech tools, understand tech concepts, and self-manage along the lines of your career with the sole aim to constantly grow and develop puts you on a different kind of pedestal over the years. As we know, consistency is key in anything you do and I would gladly say especially in tech. A little drift from learning something new and staying in touch with tools and technologies, and one could lose touch as tech skills could be very slippery.

So, it’s always important to have some level of tech skills to grow and develop within any industry, be it tech or non-tech role.

What’s next for you? Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

That’s a very interesting question because I asked myself that question recently. First of all, I have always desired a strong balance between technology and the business of technology. There’s a business angle to technology that most people do not give so much attention to, and a couple of people that operate within that space understand this and really, it’s what brings about the delivery of the technology itself.

To keep things simple, I would be happy to move from a mid-level manager to being a senior-level or say c-suite. That’s my desire for the next five years.

What are your final words?

It is relevance that will keep one in this industry, and this can only happen by improving oneself, taking courses, continuously learning online, doing lots of research, and attending events to network is very important.

Finally, I would say anyone can take up any opportunity in tech; the sky is big enough for us all to soar. The opportunities in tech are enormous. New roles and more responsibilities will definitely emerge, let’s all watch out for it.

I strongly advise mastery in a field, find your niche, solve a problem and add value with your skills. I strongly believe that everyone can push themselves beyond their limit, take up bigger opportunities and fly. The sky is big enough.

Daniel Makonor an engineering graduate of OAU, who started his career as a Product Associate with two (2) e-commerce start-ups in Nigeria between 2014 to 2016 before he then considered taking up a technical role as a web developer (intern) at Insidify Limited and then a web developer at Startup Studio.

He worked as a Data Engineer/Analyst at Telnet Nigeria Limited for 3 years on the CBN’s Electronic Certificate Capital Importation (ECCI) project and other internal and client solutions. He later moved on to Quabbly as a Senior Data Analyst but got an opening to work with the team as a Scrum Product Owner. 

Today, Daniel is a Data Product Owner at Bluechip Technologies where he manages an Enterprise-wide Data Program within Risk Management in one of Nigeria’s foremost banks across the group, subsidiaries and corporation companies. 

He has had the opportunity to work on a couple of projects in banking, fintech, the public sector, inventory management, logistics, ecommerce, software, health, hospitality, disinformation and has built a career working in consulting. 

He is a certified product owner (CSPO), certified business analyst (CBAP), and an Alumnus of Utiva Data Science Program.

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