Interviews
Talking with Eddie Onamade | Data, Confidence and First Conversations
A reflection on one of my first industry conversations at Big Data & AI World London, where I spoke with Eddie Onamade from Data & AI Literacy Academy about data, business value, confidence and early career growth.
What I learned / what I think
Looking back, this conversation was not only about data. It was also about confidence. This was one of my first interview-style conversations, and I remember feeling nervous because I was still early in my undergraduate journey. I prepared for it on the bus with one of my mates, and my main goal at that stage was not to ask perfect questions. It was to start speaking, listen properly and build the confidence to have a real conversation with someone from industry.
Talking with Eddie Onamade at Big Data & AI World London
Around early 2024, I had one of my first interview-style conversations at **Big Data & AI World London** with **Eddie Onamade** from **Data & AI Literacy Academy**.
At that time, I was still in the early stage of my undergraduate computer science journey. I was interested in technology, data and AI, but I was also still learning how to speak confidently with industry professionals. Looking back now, this conversation became more than just a short interview. It became one of the first moments where I started understanding how important communication is in a technology career.
What we discussed
We spoke about how important data is for organisations. Eddie explained how data can help a company track activity, understand performance and make better decisions when it is collected and used in the right way.
For me, this was an important point because it showed that data is not just something stored in databases or dashboards. Data becomes useful when it helps a business understand what is happening and what action should come next.
Every organisation creates activity: customers, operations, systems, sales, support, learning, finance and more. If that activity is tracked properly, it can help a company improve. If it is ignored or used badly, the company can miss important opportunities.
My personal perspective
The honest part is that I was nervous.
This was one of my first proper conversations with someone from industry. I remember preparing for it on the bus with one of my mates. At that stage, my goal was not to ask perfect questions or sound like an expert. My goal was simply to start speaking, listen properly and build confidence.
That experience taught me that communication is something you build by doing it. You do not become confident by waiting until everything is perfect. You become confident by putting yourself in situations where you have to speak, ask, listen and respond.
What I learned
The biggest lesson from this conversation was that technical knowledge and communication skills need to grow together.
In computer science, it is easy to focus only on programming, tools, frameworks and projects. Those things matter, but they are not the whole picture. If you want to work in technology, you also need to explain your thinking, ask better questions and understand how technology connects to people and business problems.
This interview helped me realise that even a short conversation can teach you something valuable if you approach it with curiosity.
How it connects to my journey now
Since then, I have become more comfortable speaking about technology, projects and career ideas. I still have a lot to learn, but conversations like this helped me start building that confidence early.
It also made me think differently about data. Data is not only a technical topic. It is a business tool. It helps organisations understand where they are, what is working, what is not working and what they should do next.
That is why I see data literacy as an important skill for both technical and non-technical people.
Final thought
I am thankful to Eddie Onamade for taking the time to speak with me and share advice. At that stage, it gave me confidence and helped me understand that early career growth is not only about knowing more technology. It is also about having conversations, learning from people and becoming more comfortable in professional environments.