The Career Story of a Nigerian MVP Who Paved the Way to Becoming a Technologist

As technology experts who lead technical communities, Microsoft MVPs each have a unique career journey. Some have been immersed in technology since childhood and built long-standing careers in the tech industry, while others transitioned into tech after working in completely different fields. With more than 4,000 MVPs around the world, each bringing their own experiences and backgrounds, one of the defining characteristics of our MVP Communities is the diversity and impact they bring to various industries and communities.

In this blog post, we’d like to highlight one such inspiring story from Adedapo Adeniran, a Developer Technologies MVP from Nigeria. We will share an overview of the path he took to become a Microsoft MVP, along with his own words on career advice based on his experiences and what he hopes to achieve in the future.

Back in high school, Adedapo was a teenager passionate about math and physics, dreaming of one day building robots. Naturally, he aimed to study computer science in university, a field closely related to robotics. However, due to various circumstances, he ended up pursuing a path in medicine instead.

Despite diving deep into the medical field, Adedapo never gave up on his original interest in computer science. Eventually, he discovered that data science was the field that best aligned with his true passions, and he began his career as a data scientist. While continuing to grow professionally, he also started sharing his knowledge through community activities. His leadership and dedication to supporting Nigeria’s data science community earned him the Microsoft MVP award in March 2025.

A message to those currently working in a different industry but dreaming of a career in tech

“My transition from medicine to technology was genuinely challenging – it required immense mental strength, consistency, resilience, and relentless learning. I had knowledge gaps to fill and considerable catching up to do, but persistence eventually paid off.

If you're considering a transition to technology, the most crucial step is honest self-reflection. Ask yourself whether this is truly what you want to pursue, or you're simply following a trend. The difficulty of any career path becomes manageable when you're genuinely passionate about it. Conversely, even an "easy" path feels insurmountable without genuine interest.

Passion transforms perceived difficulty into opportunity. When you're truly passionate about technology, the learning challenges become exciting puzzles to solve rather than overwhelming obstacles.

Community involvement is equally important. Join tech communities where you can support others and gain insights from their experiences. You can't be everywhere at once on your own, so having a network of peers becomes invaluable – they become your eyes and ears in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. Collaboration and mutual support make the journey not only more manageable but more rewarding.”

How do you plan to use your expertise to contribute to your local community or society at large?

“I have a long-term vision to establish a foundation that rewards academic excellence among Nigerian high school students. I believe what we become as adults is fundamentally shaped during our formative years, and intelligence deserves to be celebrated just as much as achievements in entertainment or sports.

Currently, Nigeria faces an anti-intellectual culture where terms like "ITK" (I Too Know) or "oversabi" are used negatively to discourage (perhaps unintentionally?) intellectual curiosity and excellence. This cultural roadblock is one factor holding back our development as a nation. We have brilliant minds in Nigeria, but there are insufficient incentives for intellectuals, and worse, intellectual passion is often viewed with suspicion or labeled as arrogance.

My foundation would provide meaningful awards and recognition to high-performing students – something significant enough to rival entertainment-based awards and truly encourage academic pursuit. When intellectualism receives proper recognition and incentives from high school onward, students grow into adults who pursue intellectual goals confidently, without fear of being labeled "too intellectually overzealous."

A cultural shift toward celebrating intelligence would be transformative for Nigeria's development. By disrupting our anti-intellectual culture and creating an environment where brilliance is rewarded and intellectual contributions are welcomed, we can unlock the tremendous potential that already exists within our society.”

As an MVP, what kinds of activities do you hope to pursue going forward?

“Looking toward the future, I'm firm about my plans of advancing into robotics and furthering my artificial intelligence skills. This has always been a childhood dream of mine, and I'm actively pursuing it through multiple avenues.

I'm currently into AI software development (with multiple AI projects of mine open sourced on my GitHub page "Brainydaps" and also currently learning adaptive AI using Microsoft's latest agentic AI technology, particularly Semantic Kernel, which provides an excellent foundation for future robotics applications. Additionally, I'm studying circuits and quantum computing to build a comprehensive technical foundation for when I start learning robotics in future.

My ultimate vision is ambitious but achievable: I want Nigeria to become a recognized center of advanced technology. This goal directly connects to my earlier point about combating anti-intellectualism – by demonstrating that Nigeria can produce world-class technological innovations first by shifting cultural perceptions about the value of intellectual pursuits.

As I gain the resources to fully establish my AI and robotics expertise, I plan to use my MVP platform to share knowledge, mentor others in these emerging fields, and advocate for increased investment in advanced technology development, education, and research within Nigeria. The combination of technical excellence and cultural change could position Nigeria as a significant player in the global technology landscape.”

-----

You can read the full version of Adedapo’s career story in his own words on this page. You’ll also find more unique insights and episodes on his MVP profile and GitHub page Brainydaps (Adedapo Adeniran) · GitHub.