Co.Lab 🚀 joincolab.io

Congratulations are in order today! An amazing thank you to our team, mentors, learners, speakers, and supporters. And for anyone else reading... you belong in tech.

Last month, I had the pleasure of being a panelist for Metro Community College students pursuing careers in technology. As someone with a nontraditional journey into tech, this was a full-circle moment. Five years ago, I was attempting college for the third time. I started small—just one English class at Metro—to prove to myself that I could do it. I aced it and discovered that remote learning worked well for me. But when it came time to choose a career path, I was stuck. I loved visual design but was also drawn to full-stack development. I wanted it all. Then I discovered UX design through a family member, and it fascinated me—but I doubted myself. Was I smart enough? Educated enough? Too late to break into tech? Thankfully, my family shut those thoughts down fast. They pointed out all the ways UX aligned with who I was. But Metro didn’t offer a UX major—just a single class. That’s when I chose a UX bootcamp. Less than a year later, I graduated, applied to Gallup, and made another key decision: to get hands-on experience shipping real products. That led me to Co.Lab 🚀 joincolab.io. Before I even finished, Gallup offered me a position. Fast-forward almost five years: I’m driving UX strategy and leading mobile design initiatives for Gallup Access, shaping the future of our mobile experience, and collaborating cross-functionally to ship impactful solutions at breakneck speed. I thrive on connecting people, ideas, and systems to tackle complex challenges, identify gaps, break down barriers, and push beyond constraints to create seamless, accessible, and empowering experiences—changing the world “a little to a lot every day.” There is no right way into tech, as your journey will be unique to you and your special talents. And sometimes, you just need a small win to keep going. My biggest advice: ✅ Figure out how you learn best (college, bootcamp, remote, structured, self-paced) 🧒 Follow the breadcrumbs of your childhood (you probably showed early interest in something tech-related) 🙌 Find one person who fully believes in you (sometimes, that’s all it takes to start believing in yourself) If you’ve read this far, you absolutely belong in tech. The better question is: is tech ready for you? #UXDesign #CareerChange #TechJourney #NonTraditionalPath #UXBootcamp #BreakingIntoTech #YouBelongInTech

This will probably be our last FREE program for the year. Co.Lab 🚀 joincolab.io and its partners are providing Canadians with a $15,000 scholarship for our APP DEVELOPMENT Program. If you've always wanted to build an app but didn't know how to code, this is for you. The program has two tracks: 1️⃣ No-Code Development 2️⃣ AI-Guided Web Development We will walk you through every step, and you'll finish the program with your own app. Apply today: https://lnkd.in/eWPHbFqi Share ♻️ so others can benefit from the opportunity!

Here is how I landed my first customer for Co.Lab 🚀 joincolab.io. ⭐️ I had an email list from the book launch, which served as my starting point. ⭐️ I sent the entire list three emails inviting them to a webinar. ⭐️ I was very clear on what they would learn in the session. It was a 45-minute session where I’d share tips on how to gain product management experience without a job. ⭐️ I hosted the webinar on Zoom. ⭐️ At the end of the webinar, I told people I was building a course for Product Managers. ⭐️ I shared a link to a simple landing page with a paywall. ⭐️ Out of the 50 attendees of my first webinar, one checked out. The truth is, the course didn't exist at that time, and I made that clear in the webinar. This entire process was a way to validate my idea without building it out completely. Seeing that someone paid for our program gave me all the confidence I needed to move forward. Lesson 9️⃣: Just get one person to pay — 99 Lessons to $1 Million

I'll be joining the next Co.Lab 🚀 joincolab.io x Diverse Tech Talent Program cohort as a mentor. This program offers a meaningful opportunity to support and guide emerging talent in tech. It's a chance to make a real difference by helping shape the careers of aspiring professionals—something I’m genuinely looking forward to. CoLab x DTTP is still looking for mentors for the upcoming cohort. If you’re passionate about mentorship and giving back to the tech community. I encourage you to apply! https://lnkd.in/dqDXvbZk

🚀 Weeks 10-11: Atila Mentorship & Riipen Employer Experience Begin! 🎯 We are in an exciting new phase; the Atila Mentorship Program & Riipen Employer Experience 🌟 This is where our participants take their skills to the next level with hands-on mentorship and real-world employer engagements. Here’s what’s coming up: 🔹 Atila Mentorship Program 🤝 Mentorship & Career Coaching: Learn from top industry experts who will guide participants through career challenges and opportunities.🧘 Career Growth Workshops: Resume building, interview prep, and crafting a winning career roadmap in tech.📚 Project Feedback & Skill Development: Strengthening AI-driven solutions with expert insights.🚀 🔹 Riipen Employer Experience 💼 Real-world projects with top employers: Participants collaborate on industry challenges and gain practical, in-demand experience.🌍 Hands-on Problem Solving: Applying AI, product management, and business skills to create real impactful solutions.💡 This is a game-changing opportunity to connect with tech leaders, enhance professional skills, and get career-ready! A huge shoutout to our partners Co.Lab 🚀 joincolab.io, AtilaTech, and Riipen for their invaluable support in empowering diverse tech talent 👏 Proud to be part of the WIL team alongside Uchi Nick Uchibeke, Jennifer Sumanu, Adebimpe Adenuga BSc®, MSc®, ACIPM®, CSM®, PMP®, and Babatunde Hammed, as we continue to unlock opportunities for future tech leaders! 🚀 📢 Stay tuned—more exciting updates ahead! #DTTP2025 #DTTP2.0 #Mentorship #TechCareers #Innovation #AI #FutureLeaders #EmpoweredByWIL

Learn App development in 12 weeks!🚀🚀 Build an app and unlock your tech potential with DTTP! Apply for a full-ride Scholarship to join a program designed to empower Black Canadians and Canadian newcomers with essential tech skills. Get hands-on training, mentorship, and job placement opportunities in App Development. Learn More : https://lnkd.in/dCFMGh5s Applications close on April 4, 2025.

📢 Exciting Update: Wrapping Up Phase 1 of DTTP AI Product Management! Like many students, I struggled to start meaningful conversations on LinkedIn and maintain professional relationships over time. I quickly realized I wasn’t alone—many early-career professionals face the same challenge. This inspired me to build ConversAI, an AI-powered networking assistant designed to make professional connections easier, more engaging, and long-lasting. 💡 The problem: Many LinkedIn users struggle to personalize outreach, start conversations, and follow up, often leading to missed networking opportunities. 🚀 My solution: ConversAI—an AI-driven assistant that: -Provides AI-powered conversation starters to make outreach effortless. -Sends smart follow-up reminders to foster long-term engagement. -Generates personalized connection requests based on shared interests. From ideation to final product, I led the development of ConversAI by conducting user research, identifying key pain points, and creating technical documentation, including the Product Charter, Research Plan, and PRD. I also wrote User Stories and designed wireframes to ensure seamless networking features. 📌 Check out my project and let me know your thoughts! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dqbT56-K 📊 http://bit.ly/4kvKlWH With this in-demand skillset, I’m confident in building impactful AI solutions and excited to apply these skills in my future role. Special thanks to Ayobami Ayodeji, MENG, PMP and Co.Lab 🚀 joincolab.io for the guidance and Baron Ntambwe for sharing this opportunity. I’m actively seeking summer internships in tech—let’s connect! #Tech #AIProductManagement #DTTP #opentowork #internship

Want to build an app but don’t know how to code? We’ve got you covered. Building an app can feel overwhelming, time-consuming, expensive, and complex. But what if you could bring your idea to life without writing a single line of code? That’s why we’re launching our App Development Program with two flexible tracks: 1️⃣ No-Code Development – Build apps without coding using powerful tools 2️⃣ AI-Guided Web Development – Learn to code with AI assistance and launch faster 💡 What you’ll get: ✅ Hands-on training & real-world projects ✅ Mentorship from industry experts ✅ A team-based hackathon to apply what you’ve learned ✅ Work experience to help you break into tech 🎉 Plus, we’re offering a $15,000 scholarship via the Diverse Tech Talent Program! Our first cohort launches in May. Don’t miss your chance to participate because spots are limited! Apply now 👇 https://lnkd.in/eWPHbFqi Share this ♻️ with someone who could benefit.

Since starting my tech journey, one thing I've learned is that the learning is continuous! To stay competitive in this industry means to consistently invest in knowledge that will support your growth and ability to respond to the ever-changing advancements in our field. While I was transitioning into Product Management from Marketing, I participated in Co.Lab 🚀 joincolab.io's 4-week Product Sprint program. I am happy to share that I'm now part of their AI Product Management program where I'm learning from our amazing instructor Ayobami Ayodeji, MENG, PMP on how to manage AI-powered products, helping me to improve my general AI/ML competencies overall. My project will build off of the work from the 4-week Product Sprint where I conducted research and drafted the PRD for the Godyssey app ─ an app designed for Black mothers to seamlessly coordinate childcare and use their child-free time to pour into themselves personally and professionally. Our MMP will focus on an AI-driven smart matching childcare exchange feature amongst our app users. I'm excited to apply my learnings from the course to both my business and current role! I'll be sharing more about my journey as the 6-week course progresses. This week, I'm conducting user interviews to get a pulse on how Black mothers might like to utilize this future Godyssey feature! Stay tuned for a recap of the findings.