Inspired by Sir Jarus post on X, where he shared two photos of himself on his way to work, 12 years apart.
In the first photo, from 2009. Sir J stands beside his Honda Civic 2005 model, which he says he got for a little under 700k a few days shy of his 25th birthday. He says he bought this car from his salary savings.
In the second photo, he is seen standing beside a Mercedes Benz SUV, most likely the GL 450, perhaps a 2010 model, I can not say.
These two photos, 12 years apart, have spurred me to reflect on my own journey as well, looking at the trajectory that my 9-5 journey has taken in that time. While it may not be as glamorous as Sir J, I am truly grateful to God for the journey and growth
In 2009, a year after NYSC, I was underemployed, being underemployed as a Business Development Executive for a tech startup selling digital and Web solutions for small businesses. This was commission based and involved a lot of walking and talking. Exciting as it was, I was looking for something more formal and structured.
This led me to a montessori school in 2010 as a montessori recruiter and assistant montessori class teacher. The job again was commission based, and while I didn’t sell any montessori courses, I shone as an assistant teacher. The kids loved me, their parents too. I was seriously considering taking the montessori training myself and building a career as an early childhood teacher, PGDE, and all.
However, as fate would have it, in 2010, I got a job as a high school teacher, tutoring kids in Basic Science. This would be my first paid job. The salary was 19,000 Naira, and I was the only teacher with a degree in the school. I was the poster boy, and the school would go on to attract more bachelor’s degree holders down the line.
I loved this job, I enjoyed teaching Basic Science and how the kids would be excited when it was time for practicals. As time went on, my role within the qchool expanded to include PHE teacher, classroom teacher, and games master. By the time we had our first set of high school kids writing the checkpoint Junior WAEC exam, I was prepared to get these kids to smash their papers.
I must give credit to the principal, a man of vision, who also kept motivating and pushing me to improve myself as well as classroom skulls to be better and well rounded. He even arranged a side home teaching gig for me, paying 20,000 Naira per month. This, plus the after-school and summer school classes, meant I was making close to 50,000 Naira per month at some point in time on a good month.
I would go on to win multiple awards, including overall best teacher (my personal favourite), best dressed teacher, amongst others. My favourite memories are of conversations with the kids, motivating them, and generally being a mentor and role model. Many of them stay in touch and have me on socials. I was there for around 3 years.
By the end of 2012, a new adventure came calling. International Student Recruitment. Got the job as a university representative for a UK institution. The job paid 70,000 before tax. This one pushed me to become a marketer, moving away from the teaching and classroom side of things to targets and strategies.
I had a shaky and slow start, but thankfully, I had a good support system, and once I was on track, hitting targets became second nature, and finally, in 2015 I got to visit the UK and see the university for myself. I would move into another role in the company and eventually leave 1 year after in 2016, having realised growth was not going to happen with them. I left with a salary under 100,000 after tax.
2016 came with its own challenges. The job, enticing from the outside, with a 200,000 salary, was not what it seemed. It appeared I had left the frying pan for fire as I resigned barely 3 months after. People, it was the worst 3 months of my professional life. Resignation could not come quickly enough.
I spent the next 9 months job hunting, hustling, and falling into a dangerous depression – God came through for me through family and friends, and I am truly grateful for my circle. This time helped me reevaluate, recalibrate, and so when the next opportunity came, I grabbed it with both hands and feet.
The opportunity was one I’d always prayed for, and although I did not get a big bump in salary, it was starting at 250,000. This role was one I really enjoyed as it afforded me the opportunity travel to Australia up to 2 times a year every year I worked for the university. It also helped me gain a better understanding of recruitment within subsahara Africa and not just Nigeria. I was recruiting students from East, West, South, and North Africa. A truly enjoyable job.
As you can imagine, when it was time to leave almost 5 years later, it came with mixed feelings. However, in 2021, I bid farewell to some of the most brilliant people I have ever worked with and started what would be a life changing opportunity with a global leader in international education.
PS: I only bought 1 car during the period, and this was in 2018. It is the same car I’m using till now.
I am grateful for every step of the journey and pray to God to ease my affairs on the road ahead.
dollipeezle's Blog 