Rejected by IT Firms, He Built a Multi-Company Tech Empire

When Olusegun Enitan Dada missed the cutoff for Computer Engineering at the University of Lagos, most people would have given up on their tech dreams. Instead, he enrolled in Technology Education and quietly began building the career he wanted on his own terms.

From his first year at university, Dada used his student allowances to pay for professional IT certifications. He trekked long distances to training centers because online learning platforms didn't exist yet, and he couldn't afford shortcuts.

The investment in himself came at a difficult time. Dada lost his father during this period, making money even tighter and the emotional weight heavier.

But by the time he reached his industrial training phase, he had earned certifications that rivaled students from Computer Science programs. He applied confidently to leading IT firms in Lagos's Victoria Island business district.

They all turned him down. His certifications didn't matter because his degree said Technology Education, not Computer Engineering.

Rather than accept defeat, Dada made an unexpected choice. When a company finally offered him a well-paid job managing a client's IT environment, he declined because it would interrupt his long-term learning plan.

He returned to campus and set up his own IT training program instead. Using space provided by his late course adviser, Dada began teaching fellow students professional certifications for ₦5,000, with his own classmates attending free.

The program grew. Fees rose to ₦20,000 for later cohorts as word spread to other institutions across Lagos, including YabaTech.

Why This Inspires

Dada's story challenges the narrow definition of what qualifies someone for a tech career. When traditional gatekeepers said his paperwork wasn't right, he built his own gates.

His childhood curiosity about how satellite dishes pulled signals from the sky and how arcade games processed commands instantly wasn't just wonder. It was the beginning of systems thinking that would eventually create ITH Holdings, a multi-entity technology institution.

The rejection that could have ended his career instead forced him to develop teaching skills, business acumen, and the resilience that comes from building something from nothing. Those rejections became the foundation of something bigger than a single job could have offered.

Today, the student who walked long distances to afford training and got turned away from every major IT firm he applied to runs multiple technology companies. His path took longer and hurt more, but it also taught him lessons that no formal degree could provide.

#