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My last article was on how to start a cell phone repair business. The responses and inquiries were quite astonishing. What is obvious is that most people don’t know how to search and find information. In summary, I emphasized the need to get used to phones in order to acquire practical skills without which it would be difficult, if not impossible, to get your hands dirty. Second, I mentioned the need to get video tutorials, manuals, diagrams, software, and schematics, most of which are available online if you have the time to go to Google and have the ability to google. a decent internet connection. It was evident from those who sent in inquiries that most people were unable to download the documents due to the high cost of the data. This is a serious problem that promises to be progressive. Some files can be sent via Whatsapp as an attachment. But the videos are still long and cannot be sent using this method.
To work around this problem, I suggested sending USB sticks or DVDs to those who didn’t have a decent internet connection or just didn’t have the time to search and download the documents. It’s no surprise that most respondents expect a free lunch, not even interested in covering the cost of shipping materials that would benefit them. I received messages from Binga, Chiredzi, Marondera, Joburg, RDC, Kariba without forgetting Bulawayo. It was a big eye-opener and the material is still available for those who are serious about getting into this type of business. . Enough on that.
This week, I’m going to revisit an area that I already talked about last year. This is the development of mobile applications for phones and tablets. If you are looking for a quick start and a business activity, please ignore this article. It is a career and it is a business where you will be guaranteed income. The training lasts no less than 6 months unless you are already a programmer. There are dozens of sites online that offer this training for free. These are self-paced trainings, do it yourself. Last year I had a group of about 15 students who came together with the goal of creating a coding center. A coding center pools resources such as shelter, broadband, furniture, and some computers to help lower barriers to entry into this industry. Again, most of these students expected a free lunch. In Bulawayo CBD, a decent office that can accommodate 20 people at any one time costs around $ 300 as a minimum. This is the first and most important thing – shelter. Ideally, this should be located in an easily accessible location. Next to that, there is the cost of the Internet. Fiber access is available in CBD from 3 suppliers. A decent connection that would be used for learning to code in a hub as a group would be 10 Mbps minimum. Anything more would be a bonus. Its very important. You need a fast and reliable data connection to be able to practice and code online in real time. It’s about $ 200 per month. Adding electricity, water, sundries, and security will set you back almost $ 800 per month. Remember, what is free is the training material and access to the programs, not the room or the Internet you use. Once aspiring programmers understand this, they will be on the road to financial freedom. I have walked this path and I have done it and not just read about it.
With 40 potential students, each contributing to the items listed above, the coding center has a heartbeat. Logistics should be worked out on your own when you get together. The number I used of 40 students is an example and not a rule of thumb. You can start your own coding hub anywhere there is high speed internet access. You can start in groups of 10, rent a seat and get started. This idea of ​​waiting for manna from heaven must end. You create the conditions for creating your own job and employing others. Gone are the days when you had to bask in the sun and hope someone will employ you. Stand up and equip yourself with skills that you can use internationally. This applies to all other industries. How many people reading this even know how easy it is to keep bees or have a mushroom farm professionally and make a decent living. We can’t all sell in a flea market. Quite frankly, I think the chip made people lazy to think. I know the usual excuse – uppercase. It is easy to raise capital and business ideas if you get together as a group. I thought it was common sense.
You might wonder what is unique about all of this. Fair question. For the umpteenth time, I am going to state what I have said in the past. The growth and adoption of smartphones in Africa is simply phenomenal. But there is no parallel growth in the development of mobile applications. It is an opportunity that must be exploited. Ten years ago, when I was working in a research lab in Silicon Valley, the discoveries we made were obvious. Cell phones were going to be big business. I speak as far back as 2006. It was around this time that Android was born, which is today the most popular operating system. The other system is IOS on Apple gadgets. You have more people with access to smartphones than people with computers. Add to that the fact that mobile data coverage is increasing day by day and the costs will certainly not stay high. From 1G we are now moving to 4G. The G stands for mobile data speeds. 4G being the fastest in Zimbabwe. Well, 6G has already been tested in South Korea! Add it all up, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the role of cellphones in 5 years. This is just one area where the demand for applications is high. We cannot continue to be a dump market where we download and even use apps designed for other regions because we are unable to build our own. Not everyone can be a coder, but if you have a background in math, are determined, and have the time, you can try this. Our universities and colleges continue to produce approximately 20,000 graduates on the streets each year. With the exception of some practical occupations, most of these graduates really can’t do anything after they leave college. It’s sad. We cannot blame them that the problems are with the curriculum. I think it’s time for education ministries to cut back on non-technical degrees. We have enough social and political scientists. We need more people with basic skills who can build bridges, write software, and plant as an example of grain. Painful truth.
Once you write a program or an application you can sell it for $ 1 with 100,000 sales you will be on a good foundation. Not only does it allow you to write applications for organizations and private companies such as churches, sports teams, schools and many more. Your imagination is your limit. If you can think of it, you can do it.
Next month, we’ll be relaunching OneHub, a Bulawayo coding effort to bring together like-minded people and learn to code. Mobile apps are just one example. We target unemployed youth and anyone else who wants to change careers and explore other opportunities. The plan is to start with 40 students. First come first served with the exception of the 5 students from the previous initiative who had shown serious commitment. If you think this is for you, you’re either going to start your own hub with others or get in touch.
What I can guarantee is that doing nothing will not change your fortunes. But trying something new has a statistical probability of success. Unless you are satisfied and excited about the part-time manual ‘jobs’ digging trenches to lay fiber optic cables between Beitbridge and Bulawayo by a telecommunications company, as the local daily reports. We cannot be relegated to trench work alone and think that we are now part of the national cake. It’s a big NO. Wake up and code.
You can obtain an electronic copy of this article and share it with others by requesting a copy through the Whatsapp number below, as most people have difficulty accessing the internet due to high data costs.
Application – 077 600 2605
@robertndlovu
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of the Bulawayo24 community. The opinions of users posted on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Bulawayo24. The editors of Bulawayo24 also reserve the right to edit or delete any comments received.
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