After over a decade of writing code, building systems, and solving problems mostly in silence, I’ve finally decided to start talking on the internet. This feels both overdue and terrifying at the same time.
Why Now?
For the past 10+ years (started coding in 2009), I’ve been heads-down building software - from payment systems at Interswitch to telemedicine platforms at Medici, from large-scale data systems at Indeed to digital banking at I&M Bank. I’ve accumulated a lot of experiences, made countless mistakes, learned from brilliant people, and built some things I’m genuinely proud of.
But I’ve been terrible at one thing: sharing.
The Silent Builder Problem
I’ve always been what you might call a “silent builder.” I prefer to:
- Write code over writing blog posts
- Build systems over building personal brands
- Solve problems over talking about solving problems
While this has served me well professionally - I’ve had the privilege of working with amazing teams at companies like Indeed, Pleo, and Scholastic - I’ve realized I’m missing out on something important: community.
What Changed My Mind
Three things made me reconsider:
The Questions: Junior developers on my teams keep asking the same questions I asked years ago. If I write about these experiences, maybe it helps someone skip a few mistakes.
The Loneliness: Building software can be isolating. The best learning often happens in conversations with other engineers who’ve faced similar challenges.
The Debt: I’ve learned so much from other people’s blogs, talks, and open source work. It’s time to pay some of that forward.
What to Expect
This won’t be another generic tech blog. I plan to write about:
Technical Stuff
- Real-world architecture decisions and their consequences
- Lessons from 10+ years with the JVM stack (Java, Kotlin, Spring)
- War stories from scaling systems at different companies
- The good, bad, and ugly of microservices
Personal Stuff
- Career transitions and what I learned
- Working remotely across different continents
- Leading teams vs being an individual contributor
- The human side of software engineering
Random Thoughts
- Book recommendations
- Tools that actually make a difference
- Industry observations
- Whatever else seems worth sharing
A Promise
I promise to keep it real. No sugar-coating, no “everything is awesome” posts. If something didn’t work, I’ll tell you why. If I made a mistake, I’ll share what I learned. If a technology choice was terrible, you’ll hear about it.
Software engineering is messy, complex, and deeply human. Let’s talk about it honestly.
Hello, Internet
So, hello internet. I’m Abiola - a senior software engineer who’s spent over a decade building backend systems and leading teams. I’ve worked across Fintech, Healthcare, EdTech, and other industries, always with a focus on solving real business problems with clean, scalable code.
I’m excited to finally start this conversation.
What would you like to hear about first? Reach out on LinkedIn or email me - I’d love to hear from you.