With a blooming face and sparkling eyes, in a garden in the city of Buea where she lives, Jelissa is face to face with her best friend (after her twin sister), "a computer". It is in this attitude that she tells us about her first contact with a computer. "In the lower six, I touched a computer for the first time and I didn't immediately understand why I was so excited about it. Every time we had computer class I had butterflies in my stomach in the morning and I couldn't wait to get started," she recalls.
Indeed, not knowing that one could make a living from digital jobs at the time, after obtaining A level in 2010, Jelissa chose to follow an accounting course. "All that motivated me to choose this profession was that its income allows me to live decently," says Jelissa. After obtaining a professional degree in accounting in 2013 and several internships during two years, Jelissa still feels like she doesn't belong. So she decided to train in entrepreneurship and business development in 2015 to get more skills. But she doesn't make use of them. The following year, while chatting with her cousin, a web graphist, his description of the job completely blew Jelissa away and she immediately realized that this was her path. After researching digital jobs on the internet, she enrolled in a web design course at the Buea Institute of Technologies in 2016. Arriving a month after the start of the three-month training course, the young woman managed to be among the best in her class, thanks to her determination and hard work. "Aware of my delay, I felt I had to work harder than the others and my passion pushed me to give my best. So I didn't really feel the weight of my late start on my performance," she recalls.
After her training, Jelissa noticed that graphic design and Ux design were the most requested by companies. She spends sleepless nights training through internet research. She deprives herself of sleep to do satisfactory work for companies that she knows will not afford to pay her. But the goal is worth it. Between 2016 and 2018, she was busy increasing her workload to gain experience and skills. For barely two hours of sleep a night, almost all of it was free work. But she knew she had a large portfolio of clients to build up.
Since the beginning of her career, Jelissa has not been able to get back to a normal sleep pattern, as she is always looking for new digital skills. Starting with a simple 3-month training in web design, today, tools such as Adobe XD, Figma, Adobe photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe after effects, Wordpress, Html, Css, Javascript have no secrets for her anymore. When she starts her working day at 8:30 am, whether she is at home, at the jongo hub or in her favorite garden ''Alliance Franco Camerounaise'', she only leaves her computer for vital needs or a family emergency. However, the problem of access to payment after a job is done persists. Clients hardly pay on time. But this is not really a limiting factor for Jelissa because, 'when I do a job, I am concerned about doing it well first. I don't worry about payment until the job is done, and since it is done well, I get my due sooner or later," she says confidently.
The self-made woman now wants to add another string to her bow by learning how to make animations on a par with those she admires in her favorite movie " avengers ". Mastering motion design is Jelissa's new quest. Through training workshops and seminars, Jelissa is already sharing the experience of this atypical career with young people who want to follow the same path as her. In addition, she aims to open a YouTube channel in a few weeks, where she can reach more people.
