In the superhero context, we call it an origin story. In a Vin Diesel or Jason Statham action movie, they call it the main character arc. In climate science, it’s called the tipping point. Maryann’s life, as she knew it, changed significantly early on after losing her dad to cancer.

L-R: Third from left, Maryanne’s father. Sixth from left, Maryann. Image source: Maryann Onuoha

This incident, happening during an early stage of her life, made her become financially responsible for herself. While at Imo State University (IMSU) where she studied International Relations, Maryann often didn’t find the courage to call home for money. And university expenses were no joke.

She had heard about tech. She had friends. She had tech bros around her. She saw and liked the things they could do with a keyboard, and she wanted to try that too. But she didn’t know where to start.

Her friend, Bakare Emmanuel, who was speaking at Devfest Lagos in 2018, invited her to the event. Devfest is a tech gathering for everyone curious about tech. It was right there, in Lagos, where Maryann had her lightbulb moment.

Maryann’s plan was to write code and become a software developer. She even learnt how to code three programming languages, including Flutter.

But she soon realised that she wasn’t cut out for the coding life. To put it in her words, “I did not enjoy coding at all.”

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After that trial and error with coding, Maryann discovered her love for writing. She did this for a while, unsure of where it would lead her until she joined Cowrywise as an intern after the pandemic.

Cowrywise wanted to give career starters a shot at working on real projects in a company setting. The only caveat to the internship programme was that its failure would mark the end. It was up to Maryann and her fellow interns to save Cowrywise internships.

Maryann as an intern in Cowrywise. Image source: Maryann Onuoha

As a Cowrywise intern, Maryann’s cool job was to own the pen of Ope from Cowrywise. She was to continue the good work other voices behind the online persona had built. She wrote emails and blog articles about financial literacy for young adults that helped drive growth for the company. It was an intense schedule. She wrote four articles a day, along with the weekly emails. She said that this routine formed a crucial part of her career growth.

She went on to work at Bitnob and Mara before joining Big Cabal Media as a Growth Associate where she plays a big role in driving the events you love so much. 

But her big break, she says—or at least one where she couldn’t believe her luck—came when she was invited to join the Google Developer Group (GDG) Lagos co-organisers.

Maryann at Devfest in 2023

She’d been volunteering at GDG Lagos for over four years, and her dedication shone through the work she did. In 2023, she led the GDG Lagos community growth team that sold over 2,000 tickets to the tech event—double the target. She also grew the X account for GDG Lagos from 5k to 24k followers.

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It has taken a complete rewiring and 5 years for Maryann to figure out her tech career and life in general. 

Today, she contributes to growth efforts at GDG Lagos and TechCabal’s Moonshot.

She was part of the programme team that sold over 2,000 tickets last year for Moonshot by TechCabal, Africa’s most audacious tech festival. She’s been co-leading the push for a bigger Moonshot edition this year that will feature important tech conversations with over 4,000 guests in attendance, 85 speakers, and presentations from innovative companies building for Africa.

Maryann’s expertise lies in building and growing communities. On the side, she also leads the Women Techmakers Lagos ambassadors, another community initiative by Google. She hopes to build her own community someday.

Maryann at Women Techmakers Lagos. Image source: Maryann Onuoha

When it comes to entering tech, Maryann says there are no hacks. One thing that helped Maryann grow was speaking with people levels above her. 

GDG Lagos, where Maryann has volunteered for more than 5 years, was a community that helped shape her journey. She says, “I’ve gotten to a point where I’m trusted to make key decisions that shape the organisation.” 

The community has an annual event and if you want to get your start there, snag some tickets to DevFest Lagos or join the Discord channel here.

Image source: Faith Omoniyi/Emmanuel Nwosu/TechCabal

Finally, and quite the opposite of what Yinka said in the last edition, Maryann believes there’s no money in tech. It’s all a combination of your dedication, skill, a bit of luck, and—we hate to say it—positioning. The right opportunities will come, but you have to be ready for them.

Maryann’s unofficial job now is being there for her siblings, especially financially. According to her, her younger brother calls often for requests; a man of culture we have to respect!

P.S: Did you like this edition of Entering Tech? Would you like more like this or less? Share your thoughts by responding to this newsletter or sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com.