Oluwatosin Olubanke: a software engineer’s career

Oluwatosin Olubanke, Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer at Birdie Banks Consulting. Photograph: Birdie Banks Consulting Media.

Oluwatosin Olubanke is a London-based, self-employed Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer working under his own brand, Birdie Banks Consulting. His experience includes software testing, business intelligence and full stack development, with contributions to healthcare informatics and digital health projects connected with dementia. He reflects on collaboration, continuing learning and building tools to support research.

“Other people’s opinions do not define your worth.”

My route into my work

My career has included software testing, business intelligence and full stack development. I spoke at an event in 2008, before my testing and business intelligence roles in 2009. Moving into a Business Intelligence team gave me the opportunity to work alongside other developers, consider overall quality and suggest improvements to projects.

Having the freedom to explore my work made a difference. Time spent learning from talks, conferences and books was welcomed. I became more confident, wrote articles and worked on improving processes. That experience helped me see the value of a team in which people learn from one another.

My work as a software engineer

I launched Birdie Banks Consulting in February 2010 as my own brand for self-employed work as a Full Stack Developer / Software Engineer. My experience spans operations, full stack development, software engineering and Unity development. I have worked on web applications using Django and MySQL, developed Angular interfaces, investigated performance issues and written tests. My responsibilities have included designing features, maintaining technical documentation and automating data flows.

My working day combines checking progress with the team, meetings, follow-up tasks and focused work. I collaborate with teams based in England, and the hours we have in common shape my schedule. Presentations, documentation and guidelines are part of the role alongside technical development.

My work supporting dementia research

My software engineering work has included a dementia-related healthcare informatics programme in Dublin, Ireland. I co-developed medical data dictionaries mapped to SNOMED CT terminology and prototyped API workflows for integration with existing general practitioner software systems.

As an external software engineer at Dundalk Institute of Technology, I also contributed to dataset creation and digital health platforms involving wearable sensor data and connected sensors for monitoring activity at home. Confidentiality agreements limit the project details I can share.

I remain interested in blood-based diagnostics, disease-modifying treatments, cardiovascular risk reduction and AI in diagnosis. These interests sit alongside my practical background in software design and development.

Challenges along the way

There are times when I feel I am making progress towards a development goal and then something makes me question my direction. I try to keep the bigger picture in mind and make smaller adjustments, even when the final destination is not completely clear. Patience and a willingness to keep learning help me move forward.

Skills and support

Literacy, numeracy and a sense of humour have mattered to me. Technical work involves explaining ideas as well as solving problems. Being able to communicate clearly, work with numbers and build relationships supports collaboration. A team that gives people time to learn can make a real difference to their confidence.

What I find rewarding

Developing my own skills and helping my team grow are rewarding parts of my work. Working well with other people matters: courtesy, understanding and staying true to yourself all shape those relationships.

Looking ahead

For me, career development is a continuous process of building technical knowledge, adapting to new tools and expanding my ability to solve problems. I want to keep developing those skills and exploring the areas that interest me.

My advice

1. Ask people working in the field about their day-to-day work through short informational conversations.
2. Be willing to try opportunities that stretch you.
3. Be patient as you develop your skills and find your direction.

Other people’s opinions do not define your worth. Learning and progress take time, and a difficult period does not have to determine what comes next.