Ayo Olatunji
SQL · SDLC · SCM
About NookTek
Training data talent since 2014.
What started as one-on-one training in Phoenix is now a six-program institute with a decade-tested formula: provide a near-seamless approach to breaking into the world of tech.
Our story
From one-on-one sessions to a hiring pipeline.
NookTek began in 2014 as one-on-one training in Phoenix. Small batches, instructor-led, built around the practical skills that actually get someone hired in data.
Over the next decade we expanded into a formal cohort program, refined a 5-pillar strategy that compounds across every offering, and watched alumni land roles across consulting, technology, healthcare, retail, and finance.
Today the curriculum is rebuilt around the modern data stack and the AI-era roles employers actually hire for — but the mission is unchanged:
“Provide a near-seamless approach to breaking into the world of tech.”
- 2014
Inception in Phoenix
Started out as one-on-one training in Phoenix. Small batches, instructor-led, built around the practical skills that get someone hired.
- 2017
Formal cohort program
Expanded into a structured cohort model with a syllabus, weekly assignments, and a capstone project. The 5-pillar formula started taking shape.
- 2020
Hundreds placed
Trained hundreds of beginner-level students. Alumni placed across consulting, technology, healthcare, retail, and finance.
- 2026
Student-centric, AI-era ready
Curriculum rebuilt around the modern data stack — Snowflake, Databricks, Airflow, vector DBs — and the new AI-era data engineering roles that didn't exist five years ago.
Our strategy
Five pillars. One outcome.
Every NookTek student moves through the same compounding system — five reinforcing pillars, each handing off to the next, all leading to one place: a job offer.
STAGE 01
Class work
Live cohorts. Real tools. Weekly assignments.
STAGE 02
Mentorship
Bi-weekly 1-on-1s with working professionals.
STAGE 03
Capstone project
Industry-specific. Built end-to-end.
STAGE 04
Career services
Resume prep, write-ups, mock interviews.
STAGE 05
Connected community
Alumni network, referrals, support.
Job offer
By the numbers
We measure ourselves by outcomes.
Tuition, hours, and headcount aren't the metrics that matter. Job-placement rate, time to first offer, alumni hired — those are the numbers we hold ourselves to.
Since 2014
Training data talent
Hundreds
Of students trained
85%
Job-placement rate
6
Career-path programs
What we believe
Six values, refined over a decade of teaching.
Hands-on by default
Slides come second. We teach by building real projects on real tools — SQL, Python, Power BI, Snowflake, Databricks, Azure.
Real-life projects
Capstones modeled on real industry problems. Every student walks into interviews with a portfolio they can defend.
1-on-1 mentorship
Every student is paired with a working professional in their target role — bi-weekly sessions, throughout the program and after.
Career services
Resume reviews, mock interviews, and dedicated placement support after graduation. Outcomes are how we keep score.
Connected community
An active alumni network across data, cloud, and AI. Most grads land their first role via the network, not a cold apply.
Student-centric, always
We adapt to industry trends so students don't graduate with stale skills. The program evolves; the commitment to outcomes doesn't.
Founder · Program Director
Ayo Olatunji
Enterprise Data Architect & Manager
15+ years of design, architecture, development, and management across consulting, technology, healthcare, retail, and finance. 10+ years of teaching and mentorship — long enough to see what actually moves career-changers from spreadsheets to senior roles.
Outside of teaching, Ayo works as an Enterprise Data Architect — which means every piece of the curriculum gets pressure-tested against the way modern data platforms actually get built.
- Master's
- Information Management · Arizona State University
- Master's
- Nanoscience & Nanotechnology · George Mason
- Bachelor's
- Biochemistry · Federal University of Technology, Nigeria
Instructors
Real industry pros at the front of the room.
Our instructors are experienced, talented, and knowledgeable in the data space — with relevant industry experience at reputable companies. More importantly, they have a genuine passion for teaching and mentoring.
Maxwell Kardzashie
Power BI
April Myles
Python
Mima Ntambwe
Scrum
Cohort enrolling now
Ready to start? Apply now.
Talk to a program advisor, get your questions answered, and reserve your seat in the next cohort.