The soft-spoken gateman-turned engineerDozing on the job, without any proof of ill-health, would lead any manager to sack the culprit, accusing them of lack of seriousness.For Young Moses Laliza, a teenager by then, it was different, thanks to a positive-thinking supervisor at CWG Uganda, a subsidiary of CWG Plc, an African Multinational IT systems and solutions company.Following an unfortunate incident that took the life of his education sponsor while in high school, Laliza, now carrying the job office/title of End-User Support Engineer at the Kololo-based company, landed a survival job as a gatekeeper at the company.This was just after the company had opened up shop in Uganda and that meant, there were few visitors or staff entering and leaving the premises, which made the job of manning the gate very boring for a youthful man.And that was the problem – keeping awake was not easy for him.So, one day, his boss was passing by and found him dozing off, but rather than scold him, Peter Tumusiime advised him to get more things to do, like running errands for staff and the company, and he heeded the advice.As he went on spending a little more time inside the building rather than at the gate, he observed many things that were taking place. He wanted to access the Internet but did not have authority to touch company computers.However, with some friends, he was able to get one who would allow him access to his personal computer. He didn’t think of anything else, but used the chance to use the computer to learn about the computer, the magic behind the completion of tasks, the mechanics of the computer, and others.This took him to online tutorials and exhibitions where he got to know a thing or two about the computer parts.Laliza says he realised that all the people at the workplace were handling software tasks and no one was into hardware, and when a computer broke down, they would outsource repairs.He realised that there was a gap there, but did not know how to go about it. He says that it was until his friend’s office laptop broke down. Laliza thought this was the time to take advantage and “touch” a spoilt computer.However, several attempts to get it were futile as his friend feared for repercussions of allowing an unauthorised person, specifically a gateman, to touch office equipment, but Laliza kept nudging and one day it yielded.So, everyone was surprised at his workmanship that saw two computers repaired, moreover, without him using any company tool.CWG Uganda does not only offer IT services to companies in need, but also has an academy where it offers skilling programmes for young professionals.Many of these end up being employed within, while others go to pursue further trainings or jobs in other companies or self-employment, according to Country Manager, Peter Tumusiime.Despite having no academic papers to show, Laliza convinced his bosses that he could make it if he joined the academy, because his quest for more knowledge was unstoppable.On admission, he asked the CWG management to offer him a bursary which he would compensate for through repairing spoilt computers, a request that Tumusiime accepted.One and a half years later, Laliza graduated from the academy emerging top, which gave him the confidence to ask for a job, though management had already considered not letting him go.He was not contended. His worry now was that he was exposing himself to jobs that would be competitive, yet he still had no academic qualifications in case more qualified people came for the same job.This made him think of an ICT training institute, where he again excelled, and this time, asked for an engineer’s job, because “I had proved my worth.”By the time he was offered the new job, according to him, he had somehow gotten rid of the gatekeeper in him, because he also got some corporate lessons while at the academy.As an engineer, he was going to lead a team, sit with managers, attend to the company’s customers of all kinds and so, a Transformation was inevitable.The company’s Country Manager admits they discovered a gem in Laliza, whom he describes as amazing with future ahead of him.Tumusiime says the young man is an example why the government should support their programmes especially of training young persons who can help take the country’s vision forward.He says that Laliza is not the only person they have helped grow, adding that some have even gone into that academia.-URNThe post From Gatekeeper to Engineer: How Dozing on the Job Catapulted Young Laliza to Dream Career appeared first on Business Focus.