Why I started the cloud engineering mentorship programme — ABC of Cloud Founder, Solomon

Solomon Jeremiah Francis is an expert in cloud infrastructure engineering with over four years of experience in improving IT systems’ availability, reliability, security, and scalability. He is passionate about helping ease the usually excruciating journey from struggling tech upstart to successful tech expert for as many people as possible, especially those from his home country, Nigeria. In this interview, with BIOLUWATIFE AKINYEMI, he shares his story and the inspiration behind his tech mentorship programme.

Why did you choose to be a cloud engineering mentor among many things?

Over the past few years, I have collaborated with several experts all over the world to teach, train, and mentor dozens of nascent tech professionals. I began doing this because I was self-taught and had very little guidance on my journey. I had to learn, research, and figure almost everything out on my own, which was very confusing and difficult, not to mention the amount of time I wasted making mistakes.

How did you come about the name ABC of Cloud mentoring?

The story about how I started ‘ABC of Cloud’ mentoring begins with my regular attendance at tech events and my interaction with people on various tech platforms. One common challenge most people face is navigating the beginning phase of learning and as someone who experienced that, I thought of how I could assist people and get them grounded in this particular tech skill.

I started by interacting with friends to get their perspective and whether they understood the importance of learning cloud engineering. Some of the common responses I got were, “I don’t have any experience or knowledge in using a computer”, or “I don’t know how to code; learning about the cloud seems substantially difficult”. These responses drove the desire to birth a training programme that taught the fundamentals and demystified cloud engineering and thus, the name ‘ABC of CLOUD’ was a perfect fit. The name is a medium to pass the message to anyone I encounter- you don’t need to have any previous knowledge before starting your journey to the cloud.

I decided to start training on Discord in 2020 and this was an experiment to see if mentoring in this format was effective and impactful. Honestly, it was really challenging at first, and because of this, I was close to giving up. However, I chose to take a pause instead in 2021 and reevaluate my training approach and how I could improve. I proceeded to set up feedback calls with friends who were unemployed. During these calls, I actively listened and encouraged them to consider a career pivot by taking up a skill in cloud engineering- offering to mentor them along the way. I promoted my revamped training curriculum on WhatsApp and other social platforms so people could reach out to me directly for coaching and mentoring.

What’s your greatest passion as a tech expert?

One of my greatest passions is getting people involved in the tech space, and I’m always advocating that more individuals learn these skills that, in my opinion, will be increasingly in demand.
One of the challenges I faced with the first set of trainees was electricity. It was difficult to get a consistent power supply to keep my device running. As a solution, I acquired a backup power supply dedicated to the training sessions.

Additionally, I brainstormed ways to make the sessions more interactive, and as a result, I transitioned to using Microsoft Teams. This change was a game-changer, with noticeable growth in the students’ learning. They progressed from not knowing how to share their screens to acquiring Microsoft certifications and landing their first tech jobs. For a few of them, it was their first paid job since graduation. This served as motivation for me, prompting thoughts on further improving the ‘ABC of CLOUD’ mentoring programme.

As more trainees passed through my curriculum, I identified significant knowledge gaps in networking, technical documentation, and on-premises environments basics. This led to extending the course duration to include additional training in these areas.

In the line of giving mentorship to people who are interested in ICT, especially cloud engineering, how can you describe your contribution to the tech community so far?

I’ve had days where I’ve had to sit and ask myself if I could keep pushing, attending to requests from numerous people at odd hours, dedicating at least four hours to calls and training every week, and ensuring everyone is following along. There’s a lot more to it, but there’s no greater joy than seeing people who started with no idea of what the cloud is achieving their Fundamental certifications, Associate certifications, and then Expert certifications.

I mean, there’s no better feeling than receiving a message from someone telling you they’ve just received a job offer in a tech role without prior experience. Now, I ask myself how I can do more, how I can reach more people out there in the world seeking guidance? This has led me to plan a rebranding effort, and I’ve been saving toward the new goals I have for ‘ABC of CLOUD’.

This is why I give back to the tech community by teaching in different cloud tech spaces, events, and user groups. I also offer guidance to those who are still finding their way, especially those from Africa, because I am passionate about discovering and empowering talent on the continent. My goal is to contribute to the continuously expanding knowledge-sharing platforms that currently exist, and to make learning more accessible and affordable for the average African.

This mentorship program is my way of giving back and assisting those who are following in my footsteps, providing them with clarity while helping them avoid the mistakes I made when I started. In addition to mentorship and training, I also offer recommendations and job placements to those who excel during the mentorship. To date, I have mentored over forty individuals, assisting them in embarking on their tech journey. Furthermore, I’ve not only shared technological expertise and my own experiences but have also helped several participants by providing laptops, software packages, subscriptions, and more.

Tell me about your career journey.

I have acquired experience working with different multinational corporations and a ton of certifications ranging from Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Identity and Access Administrator Associate, Information Protection Administrator Associate, Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals, Azure Data Fundamentals, Azure Fundamentals, Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert, Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Voice Engineer Expert, Teams Administrator Associate, and Security Administrator Associate, to being awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for 2023.

What’s your advice for youngsters who are willing to do tech and other people reading this?

The future of tech is very promising, and it will be my greatest joy to see more people venture into it. For this to happen, more avenues to explore tech-related courses and programs must be readily available. ‘ABC of CLOUD’ is my contribution to this overarching goal. I hope the government, private bodies, well-meaning individuals, and other organisations will also play their part in pushing tech to the forefront of our individual and collective focus. This is how we can truly accelerate our development as a nation.