In 2023, I signed up to volunteer as the lead developer for Akwa Ibom Tech Week, fully aware I wasn’t going to be paid for the hours I was about to put in. Looking back now, that decision quietly became one of the smartest moves I made that year, just not in the way most people measure smart moves.
Why I Said Yes To Unpaid Work
I said yes because I understood something early that a lot of people learn too late, exposure and connection are currencies of their own. Being lead developer for an event of that size meant I wasn’t just fixing bugs and managing technical details behind the scenes. I was in the room, in the meetings, and in the conversations with people actively shaping the tech industry in Uyo.
Money would have come and gone. What I gained instead stayed with me far longer.
The Rooms I Got Access To
Volunteering put me shoulder to shoulder with founders, developers, and industry figures I would have had to work much harder to reach any other way. I wasn’t approaching them as an outsider trying to get a meeting. I was already in the building, already contributing, already part of the same mission they were there to support.
That difference matters more than people realize. Access built through contribution feels completely different from access chased through networking events, and the relationships that come from it tend to last longer too.
What I Learned About Building Connections
I noticed that the strongest connections I built during that week weren’t the ones I forced through small talk. They were the ones that formed naturally while solving a problem together backstage, or while troubleshooting something minutes before a session was supposed to start. Shared pressure, shared purpose, and shared effort build trust faster than any introduction ever could.
I left Akwa Ibom Tech Week 2023 with relationships that have quietly opened conversations and opportunities long after the event ended.
Why I Tell Younger People To Volunteer Before They Chase A Seat At The Table
Whenever someone tells me they are struggling to break into an industry or get noticed by the right people, I always bring up this experience. Volunteering isn’t beneath anyone building a career. It is often the fastest, most honest way into rooms that would otherwise take years to enter.
Akwa Ibom Tech Week 2023 didn’t pay me in money. It paid me in exposure, relationships, and proof that showing up to serve is sometimes the smartest career move available.
