Meet Gbenga O., whose career story exemplifies the power of perseverance and self-motivation. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Gbenga began his journey in the tech world with a degree in Computer Engineering, graduating in 2017 with distinction. Despite finishing top of his class, he felt uncertain about his next steps. At the time, he was interning as a network engineer, installing networks for oil rigs in remote areas around Nigeria. Despite Gbenga’s best efforts to connect with his network installation work, something always felt off. He knew he needed a clearer career path but wasn’t sure what direction to take.
That’s when he bumped into an old friend—fittingly named Prosper—who pulled up in a flashy new car. As they caught up, Prosper revealed that after just over a year as a software engineer, he was able to afford those impressive wheels. The second spark came in early 2018 while spending time at the beach with friends, a playful jab about why he wasn’t applying his degree yet, and a challenge to Gbenga from a friend to build a portal for him ignited something inside him. It felt like fate was giving Gbenga a nudge, and he knew his next chapter was in software engineering.
A Journey Begins
Determined to prove his skills, Gbenga started learning PHP the very next day. Sure, part of his motivation may have been for the material success his friend was having, but it was really about not feeling he was living up to his potential that was weighing on him. With a lack in access to reliable internet, he relied on a local network’s free midnight browsing. Gbenga began waking up in the middle of the night, would download 10 tutorials from Bucky Roberts on YouTube, go back to bed, and wake up the next morning to devour them. He did this for an entire year and by the end of which, Gbenga had mastered PHP plus many other skills and completed work on his first project, the portal for his friend.
Gbenga was proud of the work he had done for his friend, and in his own words, “couldn’t keep quiet about it”, sharing it on Twitter and social media. The more he posted about it, the more he got job offers, finally giving him his big break. Gbenga’s growing reputation as a skilled developer brought freelance work his way, and in 2018 alone, he completed more than seven projects. The following year, after completing Nigeria’s mandatory year of national service, he secured his first full-time role at Three Line Technologies in Lagos, working as a front-end developer.
From Late Night Lessons to Real Success
Gbenga’s adaptability became his greatest asset. When his company shifted from jQuery to React, Gbenga didn’t shy away from the challenge and applied himself to learn React. Within a month, he was building fintech web applications for managing transactions, further expanding his technical toolkit. A key moment in his career cam when he joined an African startup as a founding member and led the frontend and mobile team to work on six products simultaneously. Eighteen months in, the products already had presence in six African countries, and had facilitated the processing of over $200 million in loans and investments, with the startup’s valuation rising to close to a $100 million.
Freelancing with Mission.dev
Since joining Mission.dev in November 2021, Gbenga has grown into a full-stack developer, working on both frontend and backend projects, while more recently dipping his toes into DevOps. He’s primarily focused on mastering mobile app development, with six to seven of the apps he’s built still live in the app store. He is currently on his third active mission, and has worked closely with Tech Lead Nicolas Mareschal on two missions, who has pushed him to keep honing his skills.
Fatherhood, Fitness and Travel; All With a Song in His Heart
Despite his professional success, Gbenga has never lost sight of what’s important in his personal life. Recently welcoming a baby boy, Gbenga balances fatherhood with a new found passion for fitness, hitting the gym 4-5 times a week. A self-proclaimed “church boy,” Gbenga loves to sing and he is usually listening to Afro beats or gospel music. You may find him cheering on his favourite football team, FC Barcelona, and also enjoys watching UFC matches.
Gbenga’s passion for travel has also blossomed in recent years. In 2023, he and his wife spent several months exploring Europe while working remotely, with stops in Paris, Nice, Monaco, Lyon, and even Geneva, Switzerland. These adventures have only fueled their desire to travel more, with plans to visit the UK in the near future.
Now, with a solid career and exciting personal milestones, Gbenga is still driven by the same passion that led him to learn software development back in 2018. He’s currently involved in a new project in its early stages and continues to push boundaries in his work, whether it’s scaling startups to new heights or developing apps that users love.
Gbenga Olufeyimi’s story reminds us that success comes to those who are willing to embrace new challenges and work tirelessly toward their goals, even if it means learning through the night.
