Johannesburg - This week, we feature Amohelang Lebele, a cloud computing powerhouse who has thrived in a mostly male-dominated industry.
From modest beginnings in the heart of one of South Africa's largest townships, Lebele’s resilience and determination has culminated in her obtaining a position at one of the world’s most powerful cloud computing platforms.
Instead of faltering in the face of adversity, Lebele thrives on challenges, a testament to her tenacity and can-do attitude: the more daunting the obstacle, the greater her enthusiasm for tackling it.
Lebele admits that her journey into IT came about by accident – but she is extremely grateful to have realised this serendipitous passion.
After working in this field for some time, Lebele discovered she had a natural aptitude for it. Realising she could take her career further, she applied for assistance to study data science. Her hunger to learn and enhance her qualifications then led her to apply for a sponsored placement at ALX, a leading tech training provider, to study Cloud Development.
How did you get into the tech space?
Next to an institution where I was studying for my Mechanical Engineering (Nated) Diploma, there was a library I would visit. I met many people, and had different conversations with them. We’d discuss bursaries, learnerships, and one of the people asked if I knew there was a centre nearby that’s offering learnerships sponsored by Cisco in Networking(Routing and Switching). I told them after my diploma, I would be interested in getting a Btech in Mechanical Engineering.
‘’It was when I was about to finish my diploma when the institution I was in shut down due to corruption in management. I had no diploma, and I refused to stay home and do nothing, so I figured I pass my time with that learnership.I went to the centre to enquire, and they had only one more spot open. Three months in, I realised that this is something I happened to be good at and was the top of my class, so I just ran with it and never looked back.
Have you always been passionate about computers and tech?
Not quite. I always felt I wasn’t smart enough, but I’ve always loved technology. I’ve always been that person people come to if their devices weren’t working or shut down, and for some odd reason I’d be able to fix it. But it definitely was not my initial passion.
You now work at one of the world’s most powerful cloud computing platforms. How difficult was it for you to get to where you are today?
‘’If I said it was easy, I would be lying because even after I realised how good I was at networking, I still struggled a lot in getting a job after passing my first CCNA exam as the centre ran out of funds to sponsor my second exam. It was when I was about to give up IT when I came across an ad about getting a sponsor to study Data Science. I applied, wrote an aptitude test, did a coding boot camp, even though I had never done any code in my life, and I was finally called in for an interview, then offered a spot in Cape Town.
‘’This was a very difficult time in my life as I had to relocate to a city I didn’t know, arrange accommodation to live with people I’ve never met and stay at a house I only saw on pictures.
The living conditions were not the best, but I chose to focus on learning and reminded myself that if I quit here, I will never get an opportunity like this again.’’
What is it like working at one of the world’s most powerful cloud computing platforms?
‘’It’s scary. I constantly have to remind myself that I belong here. That I didn’t pass a five-step interview by mistake. It’s challenging and really does push you beyond your limits and capabilities. It keeps you focused, driven, and constantly wanting to learn more to be good at your role.
What are some of the challenges you face in your job?
‘’Working with people and their demands on a daily basis. It can be one thing keeping people happy with their tech environment, but it’s another to attempt keeping them happy while they’re stressed during critical events.
You have thrived in the face of adversity. Tell us about the hardships and challenges you faced growing up?
‘’I come from a family of three strong and intelligent women, raised by a very strong woman and a father who felt we are no different to men in this world. I will agree that my methods were unorthodox as I dropped out of high school at grade 10 to pursue my love for mechanical engineering. This included making sure I got a bursary at 15 and ensuring I am consistent in keeping it.
Even so, being 16 in college, learning with people older than me and others double my age taught me that this is your life. It’s not your parents’, even though you want to make them proud, it’s not your lecturers’, who expect you to do your work without being told, but yours. Learning that at a young age helped me take ownership when I faced obstacles, when my parents couldn’t afford tertiary fees, when they couldn’t afford school fees, and with this, I made enough effort to always own my life and its hardships.
You have succeeded in a male-dominated environment. Do you think as a female, you have had to work extra hard to prove yourself?
‘’Yes, I feel, as a woman, I always have to prove myself to be one that is very stern, very open minded and strong willed. It’s always encouraged to be a strong leader, and that is somebody who has the ability to actually go against any opinions or methods of doing things. It’s unnatural to disagree as a woman in a room full of men, but you learn to stand your ground, believe in yourself and your capabilities, and with passion, you’re able to identify solutions that work and support them even though men feel differently, only because you’re a woman.
What advice would you give to young ladies in South Africa who are keen on following a similar path?
‘’It is possible. It won’t be easy, but nothing is. It’s always up to us, as women, to run this audacious race and remind ourselves that we’re not only doing it for ourselves, but our kids, too. That way, we become a candle that leans to remind others that they can still shine as bright.
How tough skinned must you be to succeed in a male dominated environment?
‘’I’m not the strongest person. Most people don’t even know how much of a cry baby I am, but being in a male-dominant industry forces you to talk in a room full of people who never believed in you but end up following you.
‘’You will get men who talk down to you, stakeholders who won’t understand the risks you’re expecting them to take, you will be told you don’t know what you are doing, you will be told you’re incompetent, and that thin line that jumps over harassment will be very visible, but what you do with all of that is what differentiates you from the rest.
You learn to speak up. You learn to stand your ground. You learn to show your best work to prove to yourself that you belong there like everyone else.’’
What is the one thing you love and the one thing you hate about your job?
‘’I love how there’s always so much to learn, so much to know and such great people to learn from. I occasionally shun upon the pace. It keeps things interesting, but at times, it can get overwhelming but, I’m glad I’m working with such a helpful team.
Why is it so important to highlight Women’s Month and to celebrate all women and their wonderful achievements?
‘’The hardships that women undergo in any workplace are things that are always taken for granted. The fact that we do so much without any recognition is disheartening, so I feel being celebrated as a woman means I get to shine a light to other women who have dreams but don’t quite believe that it is possible. So, the more we talk about the great things we do as women, the more achievements we see in other women.
Guide us through what you studied to get you to where you are?
‘’Currently, I have an N5 in Mechanical Engineering, CCENT certification under Cisco with CCNA (Routing and Switching) knowledge and practical experience.My qualification in Data Science was able to put a foot in the door for me. Because as soon as I had such knowledge about data algorithms, programming in data and data analysis, I was able to understand what other qualifications would work for me.
That’s when I would do lots of certifications in cloud computing fundamentals, which include the AWS Cloud Practitioner and Azure fundamentals. This then picked my interest in navigating data in the cloud.
‘’That’s when I subscribed to any opportunities of cloud courses until I found the opportunity to study Cloud Development with ALX and Udacity. With that, I was able to find my feet in AWS as a Cloud Support Engineer, assisting other developers around the globe in data flow analytics architectures.’’
What is your ultimate goal?
‘’When I got into the tech space, I only knew and learnt about networking, 1s 0s and IP addresses. But with curiosity I was able to do more than that. So after seeing that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, my goal is to be a “tech-guru” - someone who finds solutions in technology and makes sure she does everything to achieve solutions in this beautiful tech world.’’