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I hate my job/I am not paid well/Do I leave or stay? The dilemma

December 24, 2023

Are u in a job u hate?

Are u underpaid?

I had just graduated from the University and I knew I couldn’t waste at home, so someone introduced me to a man who had a cafe/business centre whose business had been mismanaged and he needed a new person to run the place. Here is my conversation with him.

Mr. Paul: Are you sure you can manage this computer institute? I closed it down because I was duped, and I do not want to risk it.

Aaron: Yes, I can sir, let me prove myself.

Mr Paul: You know it’s a new place so I might not pay you much (a common line business owners use init?🤣)

Aaron: No problem sir. I want to be productive

Mr. Paul: You will be working Monday-Saturday 7:30am – 9/10pm.

Aaron: okay sir.

Mr. Paul: Can you start tomorrow?

Aaron: Absolutely sir.

I know it was a boring read but stay with me, it’s about getting juicy

Although it seemed like I was desperate for the job and you could argue that it made me expose my vulnerability which could be why I got paid #8000 monthly (despite making up to four zeros daily sometimes for him) I was in a dilemma, to stay home unproductive or take up the job and in the process, learn.

As you would have gathered, I was overworked: typing projects for students, making photocopies, laminating, researching assignments for students, managing the internet section and teaching the students who had enrolled for diplomas.

So, the question is? Why did I have to stay?

Although I was paid peanuts (I am sure some people are paid worse), I had an aim, I needed to develop myself and the multi-tasked office presented the perfect opportunity for me. My secretarial abilities became top-notch. My typing speed increased, my research abilities grew, my facilitation skills improved, my managerial skills rose and of course my financial management skills skyrocketed.

That explains why when I started a job I loved, I could type up my reports in a few minutes, I could conveniently train young people and corp members on different life skills, I even became an MC🤣 and started anchoring events. So, when I moved to a country where you had to do everything online using computers, to me, it was a walk over. All these because I hated that job, but I stayed back to learn.

We are usually oblivious of the skills we can come away with on the jobs we hate because we are fixated on the negatives of how miserable the job is.

Loads of motivational speakers might say you should leave the job and not settle for less, but I challenge you today to STAY on that job and use that period to cart away from it a skill or develop yourself. Besides, there is no job that you cannot learn something tangible from. On a lighter note, if you leave the job when you do not have another, how will you feed? Abeg use that one hold body first🤣.

Do not misconstrue my post to mean that I want you to settle for less, besides I have turned down some jobs on this basis. I turned down a teaching job to volunteer because I knew I will learn more as a volunteer rather than take peanuts and learn less.

My point is simple guys:

While you are contemplating to leave that job, sink into the confines of your conscience and ask yourself. Can I learn something before leaving?

Remember, EVERY job can help you develop a skill.

The ball is in your court. Leave and lose or stay and learn.

#AAPTalks #CommunityDevelopmentWorker #Aa2Zi


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