Siyabonga Hlongwane

1. Tell us about yourself?

My name is Siyabonga Hlongwane, I come from a small township; Windmill Park in Boksburg. I have always wanted to be a programmer from early days of high school since I got introduced to my first ever line of code, back in 2014. I enjoyed solving Mathematics and Physics problems and wanted to do the same with code, I then started teaching myself the basics of Web Development(i.e HTML5, CSS3, JS) and different programming languages, C#, Java etc.

2. How did you feel when you got chosen for the programme?

I was very happy, moreover excited to receive the offer to be an intern through Winds of change. I had been truly looking forward to working with the team, and I’m particularly excited to gain professional experience outside of the self-taught experience that I had. Seeing that there was an opportunity for me to get knowledge and work for an international company without prior work experience and/or being fully qualified, I felt this was an opportunity of a lifetime and should be grabbed with both hands.

3. What was your expectation of the programme?

My expectations of the programme were for me to be able to come out having sponged up a lot of technical information to be able to use the acquired skills to perform efficiently as a Software Engineer. Apart from technical skills, work ethics were the other endgoal, being able to work within a team, maintain professionalism, be able to resolve conflict in the workplace, be a better planner, time management, and growing in diversity as I will be working with a lot of different people throughout the internship programme.

4. Did the programme meet your expectations?

Yes, most of the expectations were met during the training phase as I am still learning to manage time better and maintain professionalism throughout, the key expectations met were:

Provision of technical information to be able to use the acquired skills to perform efficiently as a Software Engineer.

Work ethics, being able to work within a team, be able to resolve conflict in the workplace, be a better planner, time management, and growing in diversity as I will be working with a lot of different people throughout the internship programme.

5. What are some important things you learned from the programme?

Please refer to point 3

6. How were the teachers?

To this day, I am of the opinion that the teachers I had come across during the programme are the best teachers one could ever have in their lifetime .Strictness, sincerity, dedication,commitment profound knowledge of programming and IT as a broad subject, etc. were my teachers’ qualities.We were not friends to them in take it easy policy manner . They were our Gurus always inspiring guiding stars forever.They maintained a necessary distance to ever linger in our hearts.

7. What was your favourite things about the teachers?

My favourite things about the teachers would be their friendliness, this made it very easy to learn and grab concepts as they were always open for questions and showing a lot of patience without losing their temper. They would not mind if you bothered them

during any time of the day. With the experience they held, they always found the simplest ways to explain concepts and ensure that we understand them.

8. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

In five years, I would like to become an engineering lead or team manager. As a full-stack developer within the IT space, I know I would be able to take on a number of wide-ranging responsibilities related to a company’s web efforts. This would help me refine my knowledge of all areas of the company’s stack, which could then be applied in a managerial role further down the line. I of course understand that this will take a lot of effort to achieve, I am well prepared to go the extra mile.