Making ends meet and having a sustainable means of income is one of the core reasons why most of us work and invest most of our time and effort into such things so we can increase our wealth to a point where our money can begin to work for us and bring us something tangible in return, just as Robert Kiyosaki stated in his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I've always craved this, and today I'll love to share some of my hustle and work-life experience through the years.
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It hasn't really been easy going up in this part of the world and longing to amount to something in life, and this dream has made me work in various fields and professions, of which some were stressful and draining, others were way beyond my age grade, but still I partake in them because of my aspirations, and below I've highlighted some of such experience through the years.
Underage in an adult job: One of my earliest memories of working was when I just graduated from elementary school and was hoping to move to high school, but due to one reason or another, the registration process didn't go through, and in order not to sit those years at home, I went in search of a job where I was paid a whopping $25. If converted to our current naira rate, the work was related to me offloading heavyweight items in a factory, and I can bet the least oldest person there would be at least 10 years older than I'm.
I worked at that factory through the years and even rose in rank to the post of supervisor, and although it was tiring and draining because the money I was paid was way more than my age, I almost ditched education if not for the intervention of my grandparents, who came through to force me out of that place.
Teenage Labourer at a construction site: Another field I worked in while I was still a teenager was construction, where I usually visited during the weekend to gather some money that I could use to buy myself some clothing items and the like. I can remember being a high school student then, but when it became obvious that the person I'm staying with wouldn't be registering me for the secondary school leaving certificate examination (WAEC), I had to quickly double my hustle and go all out in search of where to earn so I could cover the expenses of the registration fee myself.
Though working as a laborer on a construction site wasn't an easy job even for an adult, not to mention a teenager, I did this tirelessly until I was able to raise the money needed for my exams. Those weren't in any way an easy experience, and neither is it a job I pray to work for or have an experience of ever again in my life. I can remember falling sick after working under such circumstances for a month, and by the time I was able to raise the money, pay, and prepare for the exam, I ended up doing the exam on a sick bed in the hospital due to the effects of the stress I passed through while doing that job.
The waiter: As an undergraduate at the university, I still went back to the construction site to have a means of having a sustainable fund to keep up with life, and another job that saved me mostly during my undergraduate days at the university was working as a waiter at different functions and events that happened in and around my school premises. I made connections with several chefs, and before you knew it, it became a consistent job I did almost every weekend throughout my university days.
Via that job, I was able to earn money and learn how to cook some dishes, as well as continental and our local meals. I was also able to get some free food to keep me going from the leftovers we usually have after some functions. Although this might not seem like a decent job for a university undergraduate, it was legit and also didn't involve much stress like the construction job. I actually enjoyed this particular work and had a good interaction with all my chef bosses to date.
Jack of all trade hunting for my skills: Despite all this, in my quest to find something that'll help me earn and have multiple streams of income, this led me to learn different skills and crafts just so I can become a professional, do them, and earn in return. I remember learning tailoring while I was still in university and sewing clothes for my fellow students and neighbors, and by the time I went for my nysc, I still used this skill to earn money by sewing for most of my corporate friends.
But like I said, I wasn't really okay with just one skill and hope to acquire more. My mindset was that the more skills, the more money. Well, that made me learn event decoration, which I did a few times and was able to get some gigs for. Another skill I learned that also served as a source of income through the years was shoemaking, and if you check some of my DIY content here on Hive, you'll see posts relating to me sewing or making shoes.
In search of office job, landed has a salesboy: In my quest for a decent job after graduating, I remember approaching someone who, rather than fix me in his office job as a graduate, instead made me work as a salesboy in his store. That wasn't the best experience for me because, as an introvert, I didn't do well with selling things, but I did well, even though I left on a bad note due to my boss's unrealistic suspicion of me looting his funds and my lack of interest in the teaching profession.
The housekeeper in a resort: Another field I worked in was the hospitality industry, where I worked as a housekeeper at a resort. Personally, for me, this isn't a presentable job because my status is a graduate, but since that's all I can get after my tireless search for other decent jobs and seeing now, I work at this resort, where I do the cleaning of rooms, the layout of beds, and the washing of toilets. In a nutshell, I prepare a room to be decent enough for a guest to logde.
I actually didn't work there beyond six months, but it was filled with ups and downs. Though I've had no issues with my employer other than the fact that I don't like the job, via this job I get to meet some great personalities, dignities, and Africa's richest man, governor, vice president, and several others, so it's still kind of on the good side, as I was also named staff of the month twice within my six-month stay there.
The teacher and Hiver: Now a teacher and a hiver, it's been a rollercoaster ride through the years. Although I've arrived at my desired destination, I believe I'm close and on the right track towards that. Hive has had a significant impact on my life and finances through the years, and I'm grateful for this, as has my teaching job, which has been one of the core reasons why I'm still having a little bit of a struggle to survive in the current hard economy we're going through presently in my country, Nigeria.
The post was actually inspired after I read my friend's merit post, and I decided to share some of my work-life experience through the years as well. There are possibilities that I've skipped or forgotten some places I work that I didn't mention here, but as time goes on, I'll talk about them at the right time. The quest to attain financial freedom isn't a smooth ride, but with persistence, resilience, and a continuous charge towards improving oneself, the desire will be achieved gradually. I wish myself the best and hope my dreams come true one day.
Thanks for your time, stay bless.