Betsy’s Bewsys experience

The eighth sustainable development goal drives the mission of promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all. At Bewsys, we prioritise the impact we deliver through our software solutions and our employees. Betsy Nunoo, Associate Software Engineer, shares her experience with working at Bewsys. In a conversation with Betsy, she shares how she pursued a career in tech and her 2-year and counting journey with us. 

"I finished school in 2017 and completed my National Service in 2018. In 2019, I took a job in a real estate company, but I felt my purpose was not realised because I studied telecommunication engineering at school."

It was then Betsy decided that she wanted to be a programmer. Unfortunately, she failed to be accepted into a developers program run by Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) because she lacked the needed experience. After conversations with her mentor, she decided to join Developers In Vogue (DIV). To join Developers in Vogue, she had to participate in a take-home test of which the best participants were selected to be trained by IT firms ready to recruit developers. Due to her competence and potential, Betsy was among the selected few chosen for the program. It was through this program that she first met Bewsys. 

"Interviews were held with the companies involved. That was when I met Bewsys, then called Makedu Consult. The program was like this: the companies tell DIV about the developers they need, and DIV will train the developers to meet the needs of the market." 

Bewsys then picked Betsy to be an apprentice in the field of programming for ten weeks.

"I was tasked within that period to create software that displayed job vacancies. After assessments by the leads at Bewsys, we were sent home to wait for Bewsys' interest in offering us a job opportunity." Betsy shared that when Bewsys gave her a job offer in February 2020, she accepted the offer because she knew it was a place she could grow. "It will be good to learn from the engineers there and get to garner experience."

When asked why she stayed at Bewsys, Betsy stated that she enjoyed her first project. "I enjoyed the fact that I could contribute to something bigger than myself. I stayed because the learning process is not an easy one; it comes with its ups and downs."

Despite her passion for programming, she admits that she occasionally gets weary, but her father and mentor keep motivating her. Nonetheless, Betsy admits that her career has grown in the last two years. "I have done so much, although I feel like there is more to do. With programming, you do not stop learning. From 3rd February 2020 till now, I have had the chance to speak at Africa Digital Skills Conference. I had the opportunity to share what I have learned. I also had the chance to be part of the innovation event 'Build for SDGs" held by the Facebook Developers Cycle. Additionally, on the International day for girls in science and technology, I had the opportunity to speak at an event."

Betsy believes that the learning environment at Bewsys is helping shape her career. "The SDG courses help us to be at par with other companies in this space. The company's learning activities encourage all staff to get involved in helping me manage my time, but it can be challenging." She puts it simply, "every day, you have something to do even when you think you have nothing to do." 

Working at Bewsys, Betsy feels she is at par with her software engineering colleagues. "I don't know too many women in tech, but the few I know in DIV are doing awesome things, and I am doing awesome things as well." 

"People hardly take chances on fresh graduates who have little or no experience. I am grateful to Bewsys for the opportunity to challenge me and be an example for younger ladies."

Having a background in telecommunications engineering gives Betsy analytical skills, which sets her apart as a software engineer. "The training from Bewsys allows me to evolve from what I was yesterday. Today I will probably go through an SDG course. The projects we do are not the normal projects any software engineer does every day. They really test your abilities and skills."

"I will recommend Bewsys to anyone but not anyone lazy. People who are excited to learn something new and hardworking. Working at Bewsys is not for everyone. It is for a category of people. I say that because not everyone is willing to work with Bewsys and be part of the extra learning activities."