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From classroom to live code: how Xolile Pearl Ngidi found her place in tech
Introduction
Software Development Intern Xolile Pearl Ngidi joined the DUT AppFactory in February 2026 with three DUT qualifications and a fear of making mistakes. Eight months later, she is testing and improving live university systems, taking on development challenges and helping other interns grow.
When Xolile arrived at the AppFactory on 2 February 2026, she had a strong academic foundation. What she did not yet know was whether she could apply that knowledge to software that real people depend on.
“In the beginning I was afraid to push a task in case I made a mistake,” she says. “Now I take on challenges, ask questions and learn from my mistakes. That change in confidence is what I am most proud of.”
Her story is not about a single feature or achievement. It is about the steady transition from student to software development professional.
Taking knowledge beyond the classroom
Xolile’s academic journey at DUT began with a Higher Certificate in IT (2021), followed by a Diploma in ICT in Business Analysis (2024) and an Advanced Diploma in ICT (2025). She is currently completing her Honours in ICT.
Her Business Analysis studies taught her to understand technology through the needs of people, business requirements and the problems that systems are designed to solve. Her ICT studies provided the technical foundation. However, she recognised that academic knowledge alone was not enough.
“I wanted to work in a real development environment, alongside other developers, on systems that people actually use,” she explains.
One of her biggest challenges was adapting to an existing codebase. Unlike academic projects, where students often develop applications from the beginning, the AppFactory required her to understand and work within established systems. Controllers, models, views, JavaScript, databases and stored procedures all had to work together.
“At first, it felt overwhelming.”
Rather than allowing that uncertainty to hold her back, Xolile gradually changed her approach. She began investigating problems by reading the code, testing application behaviour, checking the database and asking questions when she needed guidance.
“I learned that I do not need to know everything straight away. I just need to be willing to learn, investigate and keep trying.”
Building a more reliable DUT Forms Management System
Xolile’s role combines software development and quality assurance on the DUT Forms Management System, which supports various administrative and institutional processes.
Her responsibilities include developing positive and negative test cases, investigating and documenting defects, verifying fixes and working across the application’s front end, backend code and database procedures.
Her contributions include:
Travel and Conference: Testing travel and conference application features, including approval workflows, to identify defects and verify that the system behaves as expected.
MOU Financial Expenditure Contract: Testing a complex, multi-step submission workflow to identify issues and verify its functionality across different stages.
IRIC Meeting Dates: Contributing to requirements for capturing and displaying upcoming meeting dates.
Comments and input sanitisation: Testing how the system handles HTML and JavaScript-like input in comments and verifying fixes intended to prevent unsafe input from being processed.
Through this work, she has gained practical experience with C#, ASP.NET Core MVC, JavaScript, Vue.js, jQuery, HTML, CSS, SQL Server stored procedures, Git and Visual Studio.
“The most valuable lesson has been seeing how everything connects to form a working application,” she says.
Her testing and defect investigation contribute to improving the reliability, security and usability of the DUT Forms Management System. More importantly, the experience has taught her to approach software development from the perspective of the people who use the system.
“Testing is about thinking like a real user and checking that the system responds properly in many different situations.”
Helping other interns grow
Xolile’s contribution extends beyond her technical responsibilities. As a member of the AppFactory’s Workshop Committee, she helps organise learning activities that encourage interns to develop their technical and professional skills.
These activities include the AppFactory’s Code Retreats, where interns work collaboratively to strengthen their testing, debugging and problem-solving abilities.
During one of the retreats, Xolile opened the session by introducing its objectives and explaining the activities for the day. Participants then worked in groups to execute test cases, identify and document defects, debug selected issues and share their findings.
Her involvement in the committee has helped her develop communication, teamwork and leadership skills, while building her confidence in speaking before others.
It has also given her an opportunity to contribute to the development of fellow interns, something she hopes to continue throughout her career.
The people behind the growth
Xolile credits much of her development to the guidance and encouragement she has received from the AppFactory team.
She recalls how her colleague Sibonelo welcomed her on her first day and helped her set up her development environment. Her mentor, Mr Vanker, provided guidance and feedback while encouraging her to take on responsibilities beyond testing. Thobani became someone she could turn to when she encountered difficult technical problems.
Through their support, she learned that professional development involves both independent problem-solving and knowing when to seek guidance.
“One of the biggest lessons I have taken from their support is that asking questions is not a weakness.”
Mentor comment - Mr Cassim Vanker:
“Xolile has shown encouraging growth since joining the AppFactory. She has developed greater confidence in investigating technical problems, testing complex workflows and taking on new development challenges. What stands out is her willingness to learn and her commitment to understanding how the different components of a system work together. Her involvement in the Workshop Committee also demonstrates her willingness to contribute to the development of other interns. These are important qualities as she continues to grow into a software development professional.”
Looking ahead
As she continues her Honours studies in ICT, Xolile hopes to build a career that combines her knowledge of Business Analysis with her growing technical expertise.
She wants to develop solutions that address real organisational challenges while continuing to strengthen her software development skills.
In the longer term, she hopes to contribute not only to the development of systems but also to the growth of young people beginning their own careers in technology.
Her advice to future interns reflects the lessons she has learned through her own experience.
“Ask questions. Investigate. Try. Make mistakes, learn from them and try again. The task that makes you most uncomfortable is often the one that teaches you the most.”
Reflecting on her journey, Xolile believes the AppFactory has given her the practical experience and confidence to take the next step in her career.
“The DUT AppFactory has been the bridge between the IT student I was and the IT professional I am becoming. It let me turn classroom knowledge into real experience and showed me that I am capable of more than I believed.”
Xolile Pearl Ngidi, Software Development Intern
Connect with Xolile on LinkedIn.