Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Applications Development alumnus, Someleze Diko joined Microsoft in London, United Kingdom, as a Cloud Advocate.
Diko, who is flying the DUT flag high, resumed his duties at the beginning of March. Microsoft is an American multinational technology corporation that produces computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services.
Speaking about this once in a lifetime opportunity, Diko explained how his new, permanent role at Microsoft UK came about, Diko said that in 2020 during the lockdown, he started learning about the Microsoft Power Platform through the Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors Programme, which consists of Microsoft Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI and Power Virtual Agents.
“Using the skills I acquired from the platform, I started to build some personal projects and two community engagement projects. Within the programme, I met like-minded ambassadors from South Africa and other countries in which I worked together with them to deliver events that help upskill our communities with the necessary technical skills,” he relayed.
His new role focuses on upskilling people in different communities through the Microsoft Power Platform and also focuses on developing and enhancing the Microsoft Power Platform to be better through the engineering feedback.
Going forward, he said his greatest goal is to upskill people in his community and expose them to the vast knowledge and opportunities that are out there.
“I want to help people gain the skills that they will need when they go out in the industry,” he said.
Giving a brief background on his passion for programming, he said when he was growing up, he was always keen on understanding how devices worked and how to build these devices.
“Through being exposed to career exhibitions and career guidance from my educators at St Georges Senior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape, I was intrigued by technology and how it works, thus choosing to pursue a career in ICT. In my second year at DUT, I met Fanie Ndlovu, a Master’s degree student in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the brainchild of VarsityGenie, a student leadership platform,” said Diko.
He explained that Ndlovu had exposed him to different kinds of events he was hosting within the university, and through him, he was able to work alongside Enactus DUT and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation, and Engagement (DVC: RIE) office on community engagement projects.
Diko elaborated on the type of projects he had embarked on and what it entailed, such as the DUT revolutionary engagement mobile app, built using the Microsoft Power Platform, which assists DUT students and staff to record their community engagement projects, supporting the university management and the DUT community to have access to community engagement projects and offer support where applicable.
He further spoke on the Enactus DUT Timesheets, which he and Ndlovu built, which is a timesheet mobile app for Enactus DUT using the Microsoft Power Platform to automate their traditional timesheet capturing process.
Ndlovu, who also played an integral role in mentoring him in terms of community engagement, had met Diko in 2018 during his tutorial class. He stated that Diko would have not obtained such an opportunity at Microsoft if he was not involved in community engagement. He congratulated Diko on his new job and expressed his confidence in him excelling in his duties.
IOL