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Nigerian Developer Reflects on Rejections, Losses, and Resilience in 2025

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A Nigeria-based developer recounts a difficult stretch in 2025 marked by a contract cancelled over his choice of operating system and a rejection from a funded residency program in Helsinki. He also missed out on a Community Program Manager role at DEV after MLH's acquisition, with hiring infrastructure in Nigeria cited as the barrier. Despite repeated setbacks, he continued competing in DEV Challenges, winning at least one and drawing lessons from his losses. An article he wrote from Port Harcourt was featured in a curated AI newsletter tied to the AI Engineer World's Fair conference in San Francisco. He credits the DEV.to community with providing quiet support through consistent engagement rather than direct conversation.

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