Meet Abubakr

Abubakr, originally from Sudan, holds a Bachelor's degree in computer science and a diploma in social work. The Digital Inclusion Program in Amman, Jordan has linked him to the global freelance marketplace and taught him soft skills such as proposal writing, bid making strategies, and online client negotiation – all of which are vital to succeed in the growing market for online freelance talent. 

Next month, Abubakr will be graduating along with the rest of his peers in our first ever Jordan DIP cohort. We are excited to see what he will accomplish! Abubakr’s responses have been lightly edited for clarity and accuracy

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1. Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I am Abubakr Suliman, from Sudan from the region of Darfur, I hold a bachelor’s degree in computer science, and a diploma in social work. I moved to Jordan in 2018, and now I live with my small family consisting of my three kids, my wife and I.

2. How did you come to join the digital freelancing program?

JRS has become our safe destination where we can find different sorts of support that include training courses, capacity building, and self-awareness programs. I received many courses such as case management and English classes, and now I am taking a digital inclusion program course. All these things urged me to become close to JRS and take part in JRS’s WhatsApp and Facebook groups to get updated with every course announcement, and that is how I joined the digital freelancing program.

3. What was your motivation for joining this training?

This training is very unique, which I consider a great opportunity to me for many reasons. First, from the course [trainer], I became well familiar with many skills and knowledge that I am going to acquire. Some of these are related to computer advanced skills, and others are related to soft skills such as how to write for the web, submit bids and proposals, maintain communication, and negotiate with the client. In addition [there is] the importance of time management in a situation where there are many bids and activities to deal with. This training creates job opportunities and it is also a chance to introduce myself to the global marketplace, and that is what pushes me to take this training.

4. What skills do you look forward to learning, and how will you use these skills?

Introducing oneself as a freelancer data analyst is not something easy because freelancers usually deal with many people globally, and each has their project with specific details. So, in order to fulfill all these people’s expectations, I need to develop my skills in such areas like data analysis and visualization using Python and BI, mastering SQL in addition to computer networking. These skills will support me to get more jobs via the freelance platforms as I can see many clients are hiring freelancers for data analysis jobs. Managing networks is also an area in which I started to develop my skills in, and I am going to take a CCNA certificate, which will also help to increase job opportunities. 

5. What impact do you think the digital freelance program will have on your life?

There is no doubt that this program will open an income opportunity for me. The program will push me to acquire knowledge and skills through experience, and accomplish projects and bids from many different people around the world. Another positive result is that the program will increase my networks, as I am introducing myself to the global marketplace using the freelance platforms and LinkedIn.

6. What profession would you like to focus on in the future of freelance?

I already highlighted data analysis and in the coming future, I am going to go deep into data science and networking.

7. What parts of the program have you enjoyed the most so far?

The entire program was so useful to me in particular the areas that focused on data analysis, web and data scraping, web search, and extracting text from images.

8. What are the next steps for you after this training?

I already started preparing myself for the future, so I am trying to participate in online training courses to get further knowledge, [our DIP course trainer] is also there so I will keep consulting with her for further support regarding my profession of data analysis.

Want to get in contact with Abubakr about a potential project collaboration? Check out his profiles on Upwork or Freelancer, details listed below:

Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01c19672b408022a02

Freelancer: https://www.freelancer.com/u/abubakrsuliman83?from=search-nav