International Girls in ICT Day: Bella Talks On Her Coding Journey
If you’ve called Peach Cars on 0715004488, there’s a 99.99 percent chance that you’ve talked to Isabel (or Bella, if you prefer). She’s our Customer Experience Associate, always ensuring that your inquiries are answered on time, customers receive accurate and up-to-date information about Peach services, and the sales team has an easy time building a rapport with our clients. Basically, she’s a kickass Customer Experience professional who ensures our customers enjoy the Peach experience from the very first point of contact.
However, few people know that she has a background in fashion design. Or that she’s currently taking front-end web development classes. She’s the poster girl for Peach Cars as we mark International Girls in ICT Day.
In this article, she discusses her shift from fashion design to customer experience and how her journey to being a front-end developer is going.
Tell us about transitioning from fashion design to customer experience
I enjoyed my time there. But after some time, I needed a new challenge. Kenya doesn’t have much to offer in terms of fashion design so the industry is very niche. You get to work with the same people providing the same solutions over and over again. It gets boring and stifles your creativity.
Customer Experience, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. Each new day brings its own opportunities (and challenges). No two customers will want the same car, and even if they do, their motivations will be quite different so you won’t handle both of them in the same manner.
Customer Experience allows you to take a creative approach to problem-solving. I love it.
You recently started taking front-end web development classes…
Yes. I got a scholarship to HerTech Trail Academy for the Frontend Web Development Starter program, cohort 6. I am excited and the journey has been fulfilling so far. HerTech Trail Academy is an organization aiming to equip African women with in-demand tech skills and connect them with relevant opportunities so they can build sustainable careers for themselves. I feel privileged to be part of such a program.
Why front-end web development?
First, I am one person who pays keen attention to detail. I believe this path offers me the opportunity to fully embrace that part of me. With coding, everything has to fit perfectly in its place. I love that!
Secondly, I’ve already mentioned I am a creative person who enjoys finding solutions to problems. Coding enables me to do just that. As people and businesses pivot toward a digital economy, I want to be at the forefront of helping entrepreneurs bring their digital projects to life and find solutions to problems affecting their online presence. We are moving to a new world order where ideas are structured around technology, so we need to be versatile and adaptable too.
How do you balance being the face of Peach Customer Experience and your classes, both of which are demanding?
To be honest, it’s challenging at times. I have to coordinate with classmates all over the world- in different time zones- and develop a schedule that works for all of us. But the light at the end of the tunnel keeps me going. I find motivation in knowing what the future holds. Besides, when you find joy in what you’re doing, you don’t have time to focus on the challenges you’re facing.
On this International Girls in ICT Day, what message would give to young girls thinking of venturing into ICT?
It’s still a pretty much male-dominated field, especially in Africa, but you shouldn’t let that hold you back. If you want to go for it, then go for it. Women now have the same opportunities as their male counterparts, leverage them for your growth. Take up programs being offered by institutions such as HerTech Trail Academy.
Happy International Girls in ICT Day to all the women in tech!
