So andela isn't what i thought

Chrisways 2017-05-06 16:19:21 UTC #62

I actually appreciate the exposure Andela has created at least more people now knows more about who a software developer is.
My only issue is the notion they created that you don't need to be a programmer to apply when in the real sense only... not just a programmer but a very good one can only pass there drill while they claim they train you when all they have been doing is telling you to read up or watch some training video within a short period and deliver a project or an assignment.

ONLY THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY A DEVELOPER CAN GET THIS DONE!!!

Except that they added a motivation of connecting me to a global company like Google. Without this motivation I might be sleeping behind the videos but the motivation we keep your eyes open even if it never happens because I ended up working for a company like Jumia or konga. All this happens after you have left your primary job that actually gave you all the experience that made you and got you selected by Andela until you 'betrayed' them and went for what seems to be a greener pasture but now you have cournered yourself, you can't go back and you've signed a four year slavery where someone will be instructing you to develop an idea you've actually thought of before but now it's going to be theirs not yours.

Bottom line

Andela is a talent scout organisation that motivates you to learn more, and when they found they pay you to develop for them.

Before you apply and hope you get selected make sure you are already a super programmer.

Because according to the statement on their website, they select only top 1% of global talent...TOP TALENT... so don't be lured with the idea of paid training... because you are already 'top' before they selected you. They just added some more 'panelbeating' (every company does that to their new intake... we call it probation.) and claim they trained you and you have to pay to leave.

Andela will be balanced if they stick to 'we select top talents' than claiming they train people and you don't have to be a developer to apply.

M.O.O 2017-05-07 16:07:52 UTC #63

Yh this is very true.

If I have to learn all those things and have all that experience before I even get selected,

Bro you didn't train me in shit.

It would be better if we're all clear on that. Otherwise, brilliant idea and opportunity.

the_Ozmic 2017-05-07 17:39:44 UTC #64

What would you define as training?

Go and learn how to play football from the best coach in town and they'll require you to do intensive exercises and drilling, they'll preach practice and self development. No coach will come and spoon feed you football, it's not even physically possible, as humans can only attain expertise by practice alone.

Andela gives you guides so you can focus your efforts to attain maximum results, they give you mentorship and help you stay disciplined and focused by providing the enabling environment. Much of the work will be done by you, regardless of whether or not you choose Andela.

Think of Andela as the football coach that tells you what to focus on while playing, not as the coach that kicks the ball for you or dribbles the opponent on your behalf.

If you get into Andela, it simply means you can sit down and study, learn fast and endure long suffering with little external help, which is what every software company in the world seeks.

I will give it my all (like I should with everything I venture into) to get into Andela this year. I may not achieve it, but I know it will not be a waste of time whichever way it goes.

Initially I believed software development was meant to be easy and you didn't have to put in too much strength to achieve much if you were smart, but that was a foolish thinking. Smartness in software development means you can push at one single thing until it bulges, it means that you can endure frustration for a long period of time and that you can persist.

Jeremy 2017-05-08 04:11:50 UTC #65

Sounds like you're on your way, @the_Ozmic.

Good luck, but you and I both know luck is not why you are going to succeed.

the_Ozmic 2017-05-08 06:11:37 UTC #66

@Jeremy Andela support has not been responsive. I sent them an email two days ago and tried to engage them on twitter yesterday but didn't get any response. I applied for cycle xxiv and got invite for a plum test registered for cycle xxiii (which also happens to be female only), does this affect my application negatively and should or can I do anything about it?

Jeremy 2017-05-08 11:40:21 UTC #67

I know they are slammed right now - on their behalf, apologies.

It won't negatively affect your application long term, but it's probably unlikely that you'll be selected for the All-female cohort

Send me a PM with the email you used to apply and I'll figure out what's going on.

the_Ozmic 2017-05-08 12:02:44 UTC #68

This has been solved. Thanks a lot

Jeremy 2017-05-08 14:10:41 UTC #69

Glad to hear!

clifford47 2017-05-29 20:32:02 UTC #70

Why is the monthly earning for fellows not being paid in dollars.

jamesbond 2017-05-29 23:52:01 UTC #71

@clifford47, I love your question.

can anyone explain to me what is going on at Andela,how come an individual is suppose to pay the sum of 7,500 and 15,000 dollars respectively when he/she cancel a bonded contract with Andela before 2 years?

Why is Andela paying a developer in Naira,when Andela is being paid in Dollars for a work the programmer did for a foreign company?,i feel it is an unfair policy.

Does Andela's contract policy follow the guidelines of Nigerian Labour law?

(but i expect the so called top 1% in Andela to actually discuss this issue if they claim to be smart as we are being told),

CNN claimed Andela is difficult to enter than Harvard,i just smell PR Stunt everywhere even on medium posts,i know all these PR strategy,i am not new to them,you can basically trick people to do what they dont want to do e.g making them write reviews to positively suit your company,they indirectly become your online advocate,i know this trick,i myself,i am PR strategist.)

Fact is many Nigerians cant confront their employers even though they are told to eat grass,i myself included,i am trying to change that mentality:)

i feel like since Nigeria is endowed with many unemployed talented youth who are jobless:),Andela have taken the chance to exploit them by taking their desperation into check,they understood that a desperate man can sign anything given to him as long as you can pay him peanut to provide for himself and family.what i think Andela is paying developers compared to the work they are doing is what i call cheap labour,but they call it industry rate:)

I believe Andela initially started with a good purpose but when investors came on board,every good purpose went to the ground,infact Andela is almost completely own by investors(80.35%) what good do you expect from a company that is not profitable at the moment.

the_Ozmic 2017-05-30 20:14:19 UTC #72

How do you know this:

And this:

jamesbond 2017-05-30 20:37:18 UTC #73

@the_Ozmic,this is my evidence,from my research, Andela pays junior developer straight from bootcamp 80,000 naira($252) with present exchange rate, but after 18 months your salary increases to 225,000 naira($711) .

2)infact Andela is almost completely own by investors(80.35%): my facts,i think,i made a mistake the Chan Zuckerberg initiative deal took 80.37% of Andela stock($24,000,000) ,at present investors at Andela own 88.32% of Andela's stock

clifford47 2017-05-31 11:10:34 UTC #74

$252 per month? Minimum wage in the US is $7.25 per hour, and a full time worker gets 30-40hrs per week at least. This means when a bar tender works 30hours per week which is the minimum for full time, he earns $870 per month.

$252 per month? A part time worker(student) gets 10-20hrs per week. This means a student works 10hrs per week as a bar tender, and earns $290 per month. I believe developers are to work full time and I believe full time in Nigeria means 40hrs per week at least.

I'm not trying to say developers are meant to be paid a lump sum, I take that back, developers are meant to be paid a lump sum! And they should be paid a competitive salary in dollars, since it is a global engineering company. Some global engineering companies in Nigeria pay in dollars, and this is "Chan Zuckerberg Initiative" hiring here not "Chekwube and Sons Limited" so why is the dollar equivalent impossibly small?

P.S it's just my opinion. Doesn't make it right or wrong, but facts are facts.

Jaiye 2017-05-31 11:29:16 UTC #75

clifford47:

$252 per month? Minimum wage in the US is $7.25 per hour, and a full time worker gets 30-40hrs per week at least. This means when a bar tender works 30hours per week which is the minimum for full time, he earns $870 per month.

$252 per month? A part time worker(student) gets 10-20hrs per week. This means a student works 10hrs per week as a bar tender, and earns $290 per month. I believe developers are to work full time and I believe full time in Nigeria means 40hrs per week at least.

I'm not trying to say developers are meant to be paid a lump sum, I take that back, developers are meant to be paid a lump sum! And they should be paid a competitive salary in dollars, since it is a global engineering company. Some global engineering companies in Nigeria pay in dollars, and this is "Chan Zuckerberg Initiative" hiring here not "Chekwube and Sons Limited" so why is the dollar equivalent impossibly small?

P.S it's just my opinion. Doesn't make it right or wrong, but facts are facts.

I know that overhead and administrative costs in Nigeria can be off the charts, and the bane of many coys, but still i'd like to see @iaboyeji or @Jeremy respond to this as the whole Tech talent development ecosystem in Nigeria will probably be affected by this.

senisulyman 2017-05-31 13:15:35 UTC #76

@jamesorior the challenge with statements like this is that they are dangerously false. Unfortunately, this happens in Nigeria too often. I can't imagine why a company that claims to be empowering world-class developers, would not pay taxes. But I guess just to make sure I'm 100% clear, Andela pays taxes. Because Andela Nigeria is a Nigerian entity. Now, the debate of whether a startup should be paying taxes while it's still unprofitable is a different story, but I'll leave that for policymakers to discuss.

In about a year, when Andela's developers begin to start businesses and join other companies, and solve problems quicker and more effectively as a result of their experience here, this debate would be over.

But for now, if you have specific questions that you'd like to ask, best is to just ask. We'll gladly help clarify.

senisulyman 2017-05-31 13:21:32 UTC #77

@jomoto there are a few pertinent things on your message. Most importantly, you've recognized that "becoming a world-class developer involves acquiring habits" that take time to form, particularly given the context we're in here in Nigeria. No one is required to have those to be good. It's a choice about whether or not one wants to be truly world-class. Good luck on your journey towards becoming a world-class developer.

senisulyman 2017-05-31 13:53:46 UTC #78

@jamesbond and everyone else, here's an explanation to your questions.

2-yr contract and payback: The basic version of this is that for Andela to scale and empower more Nigerian developers to be world-class, we need to be able to afford to scale. Which means that the investment we make in each person's learning can be recouped and then reinvested in the next person's learning. That's how sustainable organizations are created. We are very clear with people that joining Andela means you are ready to commit to taking this investment and significantly leveling up your skill set. Leaving before that period is literally like breaking any other agreement. The terms are presented upfront, so that anyone not comfortable with them can choose not to accept.

You're right. The comparison to Harvard's admission rates was part of PR strategy to make it clear just how rigorous Andela's application process is. When I was at Bain, it was a statistic the company was really proud of too. The interesting thing about what you've alluded to, regarding people writing spontaneously about their experience at/with Andela, is that it reinforces what we're doing and the value many people see in it.

Overall, I'd like to just reinforce the point around seeking clarity rather than making incorrect assumptions. It doesn't help foster healthy debate. I'll keep an eye on this thread and help provide context and clarifications about what we're doing at Andela, and how it's already shaping both the way the world views Nigerian talent AND the future Nigerian leaders who will play a critical role in building our technology industry.

iaboyeji 2017-06-10 03:05:37 UTC #79

Key missing context in all of this is that developers are earning a salary while being trained to be world class developers and gain experience working for some of the worlds greatest technology company.

The developers in the program are the top 1% and so they are smart enough to not optimize for short term monetary gains as opposed to long term opportunities that Andela's training and exposure could give them. I don't know a single person who has gone through the program that feels unfairly treated and floods of people are applying everyday and loving it so perhaps there is something you don't know they do.

Just wanted to chip that in because it is crucial context.

utee 2017-06-10 11:51:17 UTC #80

I didn't quite get Andela's model initially, then I realized it's similar to residency training for doctors. In Nigeria, the pay gap between a resident doctor and a consultant is quite close unlike developed countries such as the US where a resident is paid about $55,000 per annum compared to about $300,000 when they become board certified.

So I guess Andela's model is similar. It's more of a training than a job. And it comes with acquiring field experience unlike classroom lectures.

Back to the OP

This is a common policy in paid internship and residency programs. It's almost always there. Even though, practically, this cannot be enforced. For example, you can't stop someone from working on a side project at home or during out-of-office hours.

Well, I don't understand what you mean by "intellectual property" here. An idea is not yet an IP until it is bound by some legal framework (copyright, trademark or patent). If Andela is the one giving the legal backing to the idea, then I think the best option would be to share the IP or licence. It's just like when you write a book and then bring in a professional writer as a co-author in order to attract a big publisher and the market. What I see most of the time is that the copyright is shared.

If you understand it as a training and not a job, you will see that it is similar to what happens when you drop out of school. Consider the $15K as your school fees which you won't get back. That's just how it works and I think it isn't that difficult to find out why it is so.

crisp 2017-06-14 06:13:41 UTC #81

I've never read anything from you that made sense. Of course, you'll dislike Andela because at least, they make it difficult for you to pay developers the peanuts you'll like to pay them and expect them to be so grateful. Also, check your facts before you post things. I wonder how many startups you've built with your theoretical team, or how many have been built with that team make-up.