From getting a PhD at 28 to making money in Kenya

Dr. Bright Mawudor is the head of Cyber Security Services at Internet Solutions Kenya. Here, Bright Mawudor shares his secrets on building a career, wealth and money:

Greatest milestone: At the age of 28, I went to South Korea to study for my Master’s degree in Advanced Information Science and Technology, but came back with a PhD in IT Convergence and Application Engineering. This saw me get an extra certificate from the Pukyong National University for being the first student to ever accomplish such an honour at such an age. Being able to focus and succeed on a very difficult area in the engineering world taught me that anything is doable as long as you put your mind to it.

Biggest career loss: Doing a job pro bono for a client who promised to pay after my findings had been presented but never did hit me to the ground. It was a job worth more than Sh. 1 million. I was abit naïve about how things worked in the business world and failed to sign a non-disclosure agreement before testing the security of their system. This gave the client a loophole and they went ahead and applied all the fixes I had presented without paying me a cent. Always follow due procedures and protocols and ensure that before you get into an engagement, all the requisite documents are signed.

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Saving method: Putting all my eggs in one basket was never the smartest idea. Currently, I have a savings account where I put some of my money. I have also joined a Sacco. Besides these, I have separate accounts that cater for my different needs. For example, I have an account that is target for my everyday spending. This means that I will not interfere with the accumulations in my salary or savings account.

Secret to making it in life or becoming one of the richest people in Kenya: Humility and diligence will always take you far in life. I have learned to be humble enough to accept criticism of whatever kind and learn from it. I have also learned that respect for everyone whether they are your junior or senior is paramount as it allows you to have easier and more beneficial interactions. Above all, my mantra is ‘Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!’ Keep on practicing what you love doing. There will always be rooms for improvements. And share with others. You never know what value they could give you. For example, I have been teaching a 12-year-old about cyber security and coding. Five months down the line, he showed me new methodologies that I have employed in my current jobs! As Kenyans, we need to learn to share ideas and the best ways they can work.

Building my career: I never stop learning new ways of doing things. This is largely due to my constant curiosity and the demands from my area of expertise. My field being in technology, what you know today is going to be different tomorrow. I believe that as Kenyans, we must see beyond the normal daily work we do and go the extra mile. There are so many opportunities out there. On this front, apart from my 9 to 5 routine, I have been spreading my personal consultancy tentacles on cyber resilience to various organizations.

Biggest money mistake: I once invested in implementing an IT solution that did not return any revenue. This taught me to always interrogate whatever I get into. Since then, I have been careful to make smarter money decisions without rushing the implementation of my investment projects. This has in turn firmed my position and journey to becoming one of the richest people in Kenya.

If I could start all over again: I would focus more on the areas that I know weren’t my greatest strength. I would also acquire skills outside my technology zone. This would include getting business skills from the word go.