My Tech Transition: How Folasade Daini Went From Vet To Content Marketer
In the span of three years, Folasade Daini went from a small animal clinician in Nigeria to a content marketing manager in Canada. Here's how she did it.
My Tech Transition is a monthly ConTech series that shines a spotlight on Africans who have successfully transitioned into tech.
Written by Daniel Orubo
Three years ago, Folasade Daini was a small animal clinician earning ₦75k a month in Nigeria. Now she’s a content marketing manager at a blockchain company in Canada. She tells us about her tech transition and shares tips she’s learnt along the way.
What’s your current role in tech?
I’m the content marketing manager at Blockchain Intelligence Group, a blockchain analytics company in Vancouver, Canada. I’ve been with them since August 2022. I started out as a contract copywriter; I was still in Nigeria then.
My role is more managerial now, but I still write.
How long have you been in tech?
Since October 2020. My first role was content marketing associate at Voyance HQ.
What were you doing before you transitioned?
I was a veterinary doctor. I was practising as a small animal clinician at a hospital in Lagos. I think I enjoyed it…
You think?
[Laughs] The thing is, I loved the animals — my dad is a professor of animal nutrition, so I grew up around them — but I remember how I used to dread when clients came.
[Laughs] So, the people were the problem?
The money was the problem, honestly. But now that I think about it, I probably would have still left even if they offered to pay more. It’s a very intense profession; you can be chilling and they’ll just bring one dog that went to enter the mouth of car. Like, what’s that?
I didn’t like that kind of impromptu life. With medicine there’s a lot of uncertainty, a lot of plans you have to cancel at the last minute, and I didn’t like that. I’m a family-oriented person; I have a daughter now, so I like being present.
And to think I wanted to do human medicine. Thank God I didn’t get it.
How did you decide on content marketing?
I didn’t. I went on Twitter and saw that people were earning a lot from coding, so I decided to learn how to code. It didn’t take me long to realise that it wasn’t my calling — mostly because I hate maths and numbers. I’ve always been a words and stories person.
So, I decided to just free tech and focus on the N75k I was collecting per month. I didn’t think there was space for me in tech.
When did you realise coding wasn’t the only option?
I took a content creation course with Salem. Before then, I’d been creating IG content, writing articles and helping people edit their bios. So a friend whose bio I’d helped edit reached out to say she’d gotten a product marketing job and was looking for a content writer.
Thanks to what I’d learnt from Salem, I knew some of the technical terms, so when they were asking about “tone” and “voice” during the interview, I was able to give intelligent answers. That was how I got the job.
Nice! What skills would you say crossed over from your job as a vet?
It was actually the extra-curricular things I was doing. I used to be the resident doctor, and after work hours — on days there were no emergencies — I would go to one of the cars packed in the compound, write a script and record myself.
I used to make articles, videos and carousels around pet content: Why people shouldn’t feed dog bones, why people shouldn’t give cats paracetamol and stuff like that. It’s funny that it’s only now that I realise I was already a content creator then.
I also learned the art of selling while on the job. We used to sell some expensive dog food, and I was in charge of convincing people to buy that over the cheaper ones in the market. I think those were the main skills that crossed over.
What skills did you have to learn from scratch?
Search engine optimisation (SEO). During the interview, they asked me if I could help them rank, and I said, “Of course,” even though I had never done it before. So, I went to meet Benjamin Dada, who runs a media company, and asked him to teach me.
I paid him ₦40k for four one-hour sessions. We would have classes after church in the evening. It really paid off because those sessions with Benjamin made my education faster. He was also there to help whenever I had issues.
After learning the basics from Benjamin, I went to Hubspot and took their content and SEO courses too. I started applying everything I learnt, and in six months, we had our first ranked article. I was very proud of that.
I also had to learn the skill of writing concisely and, in the past year, brand storytelling.
You don’t seem shy to ask for help from peers. Any tips for introverts who are scared of reaching out?
I’m a big fan of knowledge and investing in knowledge. I pay for things. I’ve paid $500 for a one-hour strategy session before, and it was worth it. Don’t be afraid to put your money, no matter how little, behind learning a skill.
People are usually more open to helping when you acknowledge their time is valuable. If they say, “No, I can teach you for free,” that’s great, but you’re more likely to get a positive response if you lead with offering value in exchange for their time, especially if it’s a busy, successful person.
What would you say is peculiar about working in tech?
Flexibility. I work remotely, so the fact that I can be in my house, be present with my daughter and still have a career is a dream come true. I also love the opportunity to compete globally; I mean, I got this Canadian job while I was still in Nigeria.
The money is also a big plus. I remember my dad panicking when I told him I was leaving vet medicine to write. Even when I told him they were going to pay me 3x my old salary, he said I shouldn’t quit until I was sure it was genuine. He just couldn’t believe it. [Laughs]
What advice would you give someone looking to transition?
Just do it. Don’t be afraid. It will be rough, sure, but just keep pushing. Also, don’t attach your sense of worth to what you can do, so when negative feedback comes — and it will come — it doesn’t tear you down too much.
If you’re new at something, you’re going to be bad at it, and that’s fine. Just learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward.
Good advice. Any tips for finding the right job when you transition?
Talk about what you do as much as you can. Share the things you’re working on and learning on social media. Also, find and join a community. I joined Superpath, a global community for content marketers, and being there really opened my eyes to what’s possible in this career I’ve chosen.