By Ntsako Mgiba is the founder of exciting startup JONGA, a Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South African, a Mandela Rhodes Scholar, a Mechatronics Engineering graduate (UCT) and a current Masters in Information Technology student (UCT). When a good friend and I first considered starting a business of our own,
My 2019: an Executive Summary
A few highlights: I graduated, moved to Dublin and started my first job at Google, joined a great team, moved in with one of my best friends from Cape Town, had friends come visit us in our new home, watched Manchester United beat Chelsea at Old Trafford, watched Serena Williams
From New York to Tokyo
Over the course of the past month, I’ve been fortunate enough to have done quite a bit of traveling, both for work and in my own personal capacity. While this blog post is long overdue, I’ve been meaning to share some insights from a) working in New York and b) visiting
You’ve got a Degree. Now What?
Disclaimer: this by no means is a theory that will apply to everyone. I’m very much aware that I’m speaking from a significant place of privilege. Some underlying assumptions that are made (and not limited to): a) You’ve been fortunate enough to study and obtain (or in the process of
Life at Google
As promised, I’ll be updating you on the latest chapter in my journey. Let me start off by addressing the most frequently asked question: how’d you land a job at Google? Well, to be completely honest, I started off 2018 setting the goal to get an internship at Google for
Don’t Just Follow the Herd (by Jordan Flax)
(Before I let Flax begin, this is the first of many featured blog posts by people who I have found to be doing some really interesting things. I hope you enjoy!) I studied Business Science specialising in Finance with accounting at the University of Cape Town – generally the precursor
“You Don’t Get if You Don’t Ask”
At about 10:30pm last night, I came across a post by one of my favourite South African authors and speakers, John Sanei. John shared a picture of him preparing to deliver a keynote address this morning at Singularity University’s (South African) Executive Programme. (If you’re not familiar with Singularity University,
The Book Club
Given the fact that I returned to Cape Town this year (no longer a student), I knew I had about four months before leaving to Dublin where I could really focus on personal growth and development. I also knew that if the four months went by and I hadn’t experienced
Lessons from an Unconventional Teacher
This week, one of my most influential high school teachers, Bruce Collins, moves on to a new and exciting chapter in his career. While I am humbled to be mentioned in his reflective Twitter thread, I feel like I need to pay tribute to this innovative teacher. Some things Mr
Wise Words for Students from my late Grandad
What’s the harm in asking? Over the course of my university career, I found great value in the practical learnings from industry experts and businesses alike. I got into a habit of reaching out and asking for opportunities to learn and/or collaborate. I’ve also often simply reached out to conference/event
