Building a New Career in Technical Project Management While Balancing Motherhood, Leadership and the Courage to Keep Going

Through the Women Techsters Bootcamp, Eunice Mbale Kilonzo developed the skills and confidence to pursue Technical Project Management while navigating a career transition, motherhood, and other setbacks.

My name is Eunice Mbale Kilonzo and a transition from Customer Support and Digital Marketing into Technical Project Management marked the beginning of my move into technology. Joining the Women Techsters Bootcamp became an important step in that transition, as it gave me the opportunity to develop technical and project management skills while discovering a stronger sense of confidence, leadership, and purpose.

The Bootcamp gave me practical exposure to teamwork, project coordination, communication, leadership, problem-solving, and working with technology-focused teams. During the program, I began stepping into leadership, first as my class representative and later as the Technical Project Manager Lead for our CyberGuard AI capstone project. These experiences gave me the opportunity to coordinate people, communicate effectively, and contribute meaningfully to a technology project.

Another important part of my journey was pursuing Microsoft Azure certification. Although I did not pass my first attempt and later experienced technical issues during my second attempt, the Tech4Dev community continued to support and encourage me. This experience reminded me that setbacks are part of the learning process, and with the support of the community, I remain determined to complete the certification.

My journey also took place alongside motherhood. I was navigating a career transition while recovering from childbirth, breastfeeding, and later supporting my son through medical care and surgery. There were moments when I had to adjust my plans, but I continued pursuing my goals and finding ways to keep moving forward.

During this period, the Tech4Dev community became an important source of encouragement and sisterhood. Knowing that people continued to believe in me, even after I experienced setbacks, taught me that one difficult moment does not have to define the outcome. And this encouragement inspired me to build MbaleHubb, my own digital brand, while continuing to develop my career in Technical Project Management.

Looking back, my biggest achievement is not one certificate, job, or project. It is the person I have become through the journey: more confident, more willing to lead, more willing to create, and more determined to keep growing.