Techie of the Week: Vuyisile Ndlovu

Vuyisile Ndlovu is an experienced software developer and pillar of the Zimbabwean developer community. Vuyisile is an open-source advocate and has contributed to projects such as Mozilla and Oppia. His skills span backend development, automation, DevOps, and technical writing.

Vuyisile loves to share and impart his knowledge with others. He does this by speaking at various tech conferences, such as PyCon Africa, and also writing on his personal blog, vuyisile.com. Outside of tech, Vuyisile is a dog lover and DIY fanatic who sometimes tweets about his DIY home projects.

We recently sat down with Vuyisile and had a short interview, below is the excerpt:

What made you get into tech?

I'm a curious person and I like efficiency. I've always been drawn to computers because they are amazing and efficient. I became a programmer because it just made sense to me. I'm a logical person who thinks in bullet points and computer programs are no different, they are logical steps to solving problems. Tech is always evolving so there's always something new to learn and it allows me the opportunity to work from anywhere as long as I have an Internet connection.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently learning a new stack. I've been a Linux user from day one and I'm now learning how to build applications in Windows using tools native to the Windows platform.

What qualifications/skills do you have?

I'm a pretty decent coder and I am AWS Certified :)

What are some of your notable achievements?

- I made a device that allows you to download and install Python packages without an Internet connection

- I was voted "Person with the most positive impact" at the Mozilla Summit in 2013

- I have given conference talks at Tech conferences around the world

What technology (tech stack) do you work with?

I do a lot of automation so currently its Python and Powershell.

What advice would you like to give other techies?

Have a strong work ethic, be good at what you do and don't work in isolation, go out and meet people in your community.

Who are your favorite people in tech?

John Sonmez -- I like his work on branding yourself as a developer and how to navigate making it in tech.

What are some interests/hobbies that you have outside of the tech space?

I like building solar systems, working on DIY wood projects and taking care of pets.

Link to your site/ portfolio/ socials

vuyisile.com