Code, Culture, and Career Growth: A Retrospective into Chibuokem’s Career as a Product Engineer

Chibuokem Onyekwelu is a Software Engineer with about five years of experience, mainly focused on building mobile applications. He’s currently a Senior Engineer at FacilityBills, a company that streamlines facility management processes and empowers utility ecosystems. Chibuokem is dedicated to building products that matter and providing the best customer experience for users.

Chibuokem Onyekwelu

Chibuokem shares his experience and lessons he has learned throughout the duration of his career, and offers advice to people starting their careers, especially for people still at a very young age.

The Daily Times: Looking back at your journey, what were some key turning points in your career?

I’d say the most pivotal moment in my career was when my mom introduced me to coding at 16, just after I finished secondary school. I started with HTML, and learning it piqued my interest in programming. I continued learning throughout my university studies. During my IT program in Lagos, I established numerous connections through networking, both online and offline, at events, meetups, and hackathons. These connections helped me kick-start my career as a final-year student, and they have continued to support me since then.

My experience over the years, particularly at product-led companies, has shaped my career and deepened my passion for developing impactful products, as seen in my work at Female Invest, a Danish company, and FacilityBills. I love seeing my work make a meaningful impact in people’s lives, and my experience in these companies has been ecstatic.

The Daily Times: What’s something you wish you had known when you started out as a software engineer?

I wish I’d learned how to be more “visible”. Technical excellence is very good, and perhaps most important. Still, in an industry that’s becoming increasingly saturated, it’s also crucial that people can see the work you do and the impact you make. Social media is a powerful tool for showcasing your work and impact, and with the advent of AI tools and technologies, it has become easier than ever to write posts and articles. In the long run, not only does this help demonstrate your expertise, but it also helps you document your career. You never know when you’d need to show evidence of something you did in the past.

The Daily Times: How do you define career success in this industry?

I would define success as several things: making memorable and meaningful impact, building products and solutions that create real value, getting to a point where you can own your work and drive projects individually with little or no supervision, and being able to teach, help and mentor others to grow in their careers as well.

The Daily Times: Have mentors or peer relationships played a role in your growth?

Definitely. The influence of mentors and leaders can never be overestimated in any industry. I think it’s very important to have people you can reach out to for help or advice, people who can guide you on your career path and can hold you accountable. Also, building effective relationships with colleagues is very important for growth. No man is an island, and in my opinion, if you can’t communicate and relate effectively with teammates, no matter how technically sound you are, you can’t go very far.

The Daily Times: What kind of company culture helps you do your best work?

I love being able to work without being micro-managed. Allowing me to own my work and work somewhat independently helps build trust, both with myself and my managers. I think I do my best work when I can trust myself to do an excellent job. I also love to be heard and to share my opinions and thoughts, and have them taken into consideration without being shut down.

The Daily Times: How do you deal with burnout or periods of low motivation?

The best way to deal with burnout is to take a breather. Many people like to work for hours on end, 8 to 5, 6 days a week. It’s not healthy, especially now that almost everyone is working in front of a screen. Take a break. Take a short nap, if your work allows you to do that, when you’re tired. Sleep well. Also, communicate. Let someone know, maybe your manager or a colleague, that you feel exhausted, burnt out, or that you don’t feel motivated to work that day.

Another thing that helps me is that I’ve formed some healthy “habits” that help put me in the right mood to work. I work remotely, so I don’t have to get up, rush to get dressed, and leave home early to beat the rush hour. Staying indoors all day, almost every day, tends to make me slow and unmotivated, especially since I’m an almost-extrovert. I discovered that getting active makes me feel energised, so in the morning, before I start work, I work out at the gym or take a walk. I sometimes would do a puzzle before work, too, like solve a Rubik’s cube.

The Daily Times: What skills outside of pure coding have helped you progress professionally?

As I mentioned earlier, communication and networking are two essential soft skills that have significantly aided me in my career. Knowing how to work with people and collaborate, especially with those from diverse cultural backgrounds, is a highly valuable skill. Learning how to stay consistent and dedicated to learning and personal growth and development is very important as well, in my opinion.

The Daily Times: How do you handle feedback — both giving and receiving?

I love feedback, I mean, it is virtually impossible for a product to succeed without collecting feedback, especially from users. Feedback is very important to me, and I like to be as open as possible to receiving it, even when it’s not very constructive, and giving it. I also like to ask periodically for feedback from my superiors and managers.

The Daily Times: What’s next for you in your career? Any goals or shifts you’re working toward?

I’d love to continue to grow as an engineer, and into a product architect and be more involved in product planning and strategy. I still have a lot to learn, and there’s still a lot of room for me to grow.

I have always been involved in volunteering and mentoring, as a way to contribute to the industry by sharing my experience and lessons I’ve learned and guiding young people as they establish their careers in tech. I’d love to keep doing this, and even do a lot more

The Daily Times: What advice would you give your past self from 4 years ago?

Keep showing up. Build a strong foundation, and stay dedicated and consistent. Eventually, all the hard work and effort you put into yourself and your career will pay off, you just need to be patient. Also, network and connect with others, and show off and document your work.