Rauf Abdulrahman is a 16-year-old tech genius who started coding back in Primary 4. His journey began with a push from his mom, and today, he’s building apps like Circle Sync, his own social media platform inspired by Instagram
Can we know you?
My name is Raufu Abdulrahman. I’m 16 years old, a web developer based in Nigeria. I love coding and started with Rubies when I was about 9 years. I love Python and everything related to code.
You’ve been with Rubies Code School for quite a long time now. How has your experience been?
My experience with Rubies Code School has been wonderful. I started back in Primary 4. It was nice, really nice, but due to exams, I had to stop. When I came back, they had improved massively and grown to such a large scale. Since then, being with Rubies has been amazing. We’ve worked on different projects, and I’ve attended their boot camps. Rubies has been awesome.
So, you started when you were in Primary 4, right?
Yes, sir.
What class are you in now?
I’m in 100 level now at the University of Lagos.
How were you able to manage your schooling and learning tech as well?
Well, it was tough, but I usually created a timetable for weekends. I didn’t have much time during the week due to school activities, but on weekends, I dedicated most of my time to Rubies, coding, and learning a lot.
Are there friends you started with who are still with you now?
No, not really. Most of my classes, apart from the boot camps, were private.
What are some projects you’ve worked on personally, and what problems were you trying to solve with them?
I created a project called Circle Sync. It’s a social media app with commenting, feeds, likes—basically a replica of Instagram. I’m still working on the messaging feature. Instagram banned my account for reasons unknown, and after unsuccessfully trying to resolve it, I decided to create my own Instagram-like app, which I call Circle Sync.
Recently, I created a journaling app to help people track their productivity and see how far they’ve come in achieving their goals. I’ve also made several to-do list apps to help manage tasks. I mainly use Django for these projects because I’m strong in Python, though my JavaScript knowledge is limited.
How many programming languages do you work with now?
Since I’m doing development, I know HTML, CSS, Python, and Django. I’ve also dabbled in C programming for robotics.
When you started, how did your parents react?
At first, I started coding because my mom would scold me for watching too much TV. There was a cartoon called Game Shakers, and she’d say, “Can’t you see your mates on TV already making money, while you’re just watching?” That pushed me to try making games. I first tried learning through YouTube, but it wasn’t very informative. So, I asked my uncle, who was into programming, for guidance, and he sent me some beginner courses. The initial online courses weren’t great, but a friend introduced me to Rubies. My mom was hesitant, but I convinced her to give it a last shot. Rubies turned out to be amazing—I won several prizes at one of their boot camps, including a microchip I’ve been using to code. Since then, my parents have been very supportive, buying me Arduinos, systems, and everything I need.
Nigeria is facing a lot of issues. As a young person, what sector would you want to help if given the opportunity to use your tech knowledge?
To be honest, Nigeria needs a lot of help. With my tech abilities, I think I could contribute to the fashion industry, where my mom works. I’m working on an app that could model a person’s measurements, like size and width, just from a photo.
What are your future ambitions?
I want to become a robotics engineer. That’s been my dream for a long time. I initially wanted to be an architect, but I fell in love with coding, which led me to robotics.
What advice do you have for parents and kids interested in tech?
To parents out there, the world is evolving fast. AI is taking over every industry, and things are no longer manual. Just get started. Don’t let age be a barrier. For example, my sister is nine years old, and she’s already great at Scratch, a skill she started at seven.
To kids, coding isn’t always easy. Sometimes you have to step back, review your code, and solve issues. That’s how you’ll tackle bugs and errors effectively.
With AI now a part of almost everything, there’s been debate about it taking away creativity. What’s your take on AI?
AI has both good and bad sides. It’s helpful because it can assist with tasks like generating templates, which I can then edit. However, it’s also reducing work for developers. For instance, Wedgic can create websites from prompts, which takes away from what we, as developers, do. AI may eventually cause people to socialize less, as everyone might rely more on technology than face-to-face interaction. But, it does help make the world a “global village.”
What’s your opinion on people who say they’re self-taught in tech?
I’m self-taught to an extent. For instance, I learned HTML and CSS on my own. But truly, no one is entirely self-taught because we all learn from someone or somewhere.
Are you part of any community of young people in tech?
Yes, I’m in the Kids That Code community, and I also interned with Vox in their tech community.
Was there ever a time you felt like quitting due to difficulties?
Yes, many times. It was especially hard when I was learning data science. I didn’t have much foundational knowledge on algorithms, so I had to pause, go back to the basics, and then tackle it again. Whenever you encounter errors, take a step back, clear your mind, then approach it fresh. It makes things easier.
Do you have a mentor?
Yes, my mentor is Mr Samuel Obasa from Rubies Technologies. I choose him because of his, expertise and his wealth of experience, as a young man
What’s your parting shot?
All I can say is: “Be quick, be Django.” That’s my slogan. It means that whatever you’re doing, do it fast. Time is invaluable; once it’s gone, it’s gone. Be quick, be Django.
