Is the 9–5 for me?
My experience this far…
Whooosh!!! It’s the end of the year already. Thank you guys for being consistent- reading, clapping, and sharing. I appreciate y’all.
Is the 9–5 thingy something I can do? — a question every Nigerian graduate has had to ask themselves. In the country I live in, you either get sucked into the corporate world of a 9–5, or you establish your own business. But it’s not as simple as people make out.
The fact that we are always pressured to choose between a career and a business irritates me. One may either find a job and be paid salary for the labor, or they could start their own business or side gig to make money.
In business, it may take years to make a living, but survival results in careers. Graduates, however, must deal with the frustration of looking for a job and repeatedly being turned down by the system as they begin their careers.
What a life.
Prior to starting my national youth service. I reiterated it to everybody who would listen, “I’m not going to work for any man. I’m going to be my own boss and make my own money”
After NYSC, I came to terms with the fact that being my own boss was incredibly challenging. I was working as a creative writer, business writer, financial consultant, CV writer, graphic designer, and even had my book available for purchase at the time, but the money I made from those endeavors was meager.
And, though I didn’t tell anyone, I knew I needed a job, even if it was just to keep myself grounded. I was surviving at the time on a low income, savings from NYSC, and the generosity of my parents (which I hated because I wanted to be independent)
My mother at the time was often on my case about applying to jobs. You can appreciate the pressure if your mother is from Nigeria. No matter how little I earned, sitting at home with a laptop was never going to be considered employment in the eyes of Nigerian parents.
To please a Nigerian parent, you have to wake up in the morning, dress up corporate and bid them an “off to work goodbye”.
Until then, you have not started with life. They scoff at freelancing or anything online.
The truth is, even though my parents were putting more pressure on me, I still didn’t want a 9–5 job.
I had grown accustomed to growing my business and learning new things. I even started the process of registering it with CAC. I applied grudgingly everywhere until I ultimately decided I wanted to be a banker.
You should see the bragging rights my parents are using to boast that their first child works at a bank (this is after applying to over 30 organizations). Phew
I had no desire to work in a bank. God, however, told me to accept the position and take the training with me. Obedience is what brought me here.
I’ve experienced both outcomes of my decisions, I can say this.
It’s quite easy to become so busy and preoccupied with accomplishing that you become lost in that web because for many of us, our 9 to 5 will be crammed with a year-long cycle of routine.
To be completely honest, most of us are going to find it uninteresting.
We’re going to detest repeating the same thing over and over again while getting the same outcome. Not all jobs will be interesting and challenging; some will be dull.
You must be aware of this in order to make room in your life, both mentally and physically, for the things that thrill you. Because you might despise yourself when you realize one day that you’ve been doing the same things for five years. You’ll need to live an adventurous life in order to accomplish this.
It’s harder than it seems to run a business. Not everyone has what it takes to build their own company. It operates both physically and mentally.
You need an entrepreneurial attitude to succeed in business; this is known as intra-preneurship at a 9–5 job. As Olumide Emmanuel said
“Not everyone is an entrepreneurial man, but everyone must strive to have an entrepreneurial mindset”
Furthermore, because we are survival-driven, it is challenging for us to carefully nurture our inner businessman. Because how else am I going to pay my mounting expenses and eat?
This is why a company should never be used as a means to an end. In my business, there have been days when I make nothing in a month and days when I make two times my current salary. This does not imply that I quit my work and return to the erratic nature of a company revenue.
One of the many things individuals fear about running their own business rather than working a job is this-in the corporate sector, you can be sure of a salary by the end of the month, but there are several bad days.
The reality is that many career individuals would have given up on their employment if it weren’t for the corporate world’s uncertainties.
Until your talent supports you, develop it. Working a 9–5 job is influencing how I view how business is conducted. Because the truth is that I gave up working on my business in order to grow another man’s
In the business world, there are certain things you will have to put up with that will require you to develop resilience.Fighting the system is pointless since you won’t succeed.
The greatest approach to defeat a system is to develop a thicker skin, acquire the necessary knowledge, and set out to construct your own — but make sure you’re learning. You cannot afford to endure all of that without picking up any knowledge. Develop your personal brand outside of work.
Having a personal presence outside of work is somewhat tough for me with my current employment. This takes the form of networking on the weekends at events and programs inside and outside of my sector.
Sincerely, I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to network. Instead, I concentrated on digital networking, an area under my control. I’ve had to be more vulnerable in my writing and in developing my financial community.
Many people think it’s insignificant, but in a few years it will matter a great deal. Working a 9 to 5 job has helped me realize that there is nowhere God cannot use us to further his purposes.
I enjoy going to work each day. I keep in mind that I am a priest and a king in this position.God has placed me exactly where I should be. He is using this job to hon something in me that I may not be seeing now that will come in handy in my business or wherever I find myself.
There have been days when I have almost cried at work because of the circumstances, but I continue to trust in the one who placed it there.
Observe how I am sharing my experience. I mean, I never saw myself doing this. So, hey you, let God guide your decision-making. And no matter what decision you make, be rest assured that God will see you through.
“But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” 2 Chro 15:7
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