Life update - with a sprinkle of advice and small perspire to aspire.
Why don’t we ever discuss how hard life after graduation is? The feeling of uncertainty, despair, helplessness, loss, etc. It’s crazy.
Let me tell you my own experience.
I graduated on the 6th of November 2021 and it was one of the best moments of my life. The anticipation was out of this world as this was something I had dreamt of and looked forward to the moment I gained admission.
I was even beginning to get a clear picture of the career path I wanted to take.
I wanted to be a tech bro since it was the happening thing and I wanted to be a part of the moving money train so I began to take online courses. I applied for jobs and internships just so I could familiarize myself with the whole job-hunting process. The usual stuff.
More on this later, Graduation is hereeeeee!!
Makeup done,
Dress and gown have been ironed,
Vibing to Bella Schmurda’s Triumphant and Mohbad’s Feel Good cuz why not?
Took pictures, laughed and smiled, and danced.
To top it all off, I even got an internship a week after my graduation and decided not to go for service year that month cuz I gotta make this money but that backfired royally and the next months that followed were about to become the worst months of my life because reality set in real quick.
I applied for the role of a product management intern but instead, I got the role of social media manager. A classic case of what I ordered vs what I got but make it corporate.
My boss was toxic,
My job role required me to think outside the box, and take initiative but somehow, I wasn’t even given the opportunity to do that.
Long story short, I left the job because there was no structure and I wasn’t being compensated for anything. Not even data.
I chalked it up to rotten luck and was optimistic that things would get better soo,
I began to apply for jobs again.
It didn’t get better o, I almost got into danger at some point sef (Story for another day) so I calmed down and began to take online courses instead. It was good but money was dwindling fast and my mental health was taking a thorough beating.
I was not motivated to get up and work.
LAZINESS and PROCRASTINATION were eating me up.
Self-doubt became my best friend and the urge to do something, anything, with my life became stronger but I couldn’t find the strength to do anything about it.
I was feeling like a failure.
In February 2022, I accepted a job that would help with the bills a bit, but deep down, I knew I was settling, and, that one sef no too last like that because after a month I was laid off in the nicest manner possible lol.
Since jobs were not jobbing, I decided to do my NYSC registration and, before you know it, it was time to go for the three-week orientation program. It was fun and the new experience helped me escape for a bit but that ended way too soon and was back to reality. Again.
I also consumed a lot of social media which was so toxic because it seemed like everyone was making it and there’s me who can’t even find or keep a job.
I would cry, sleep, eat unhealthily, and ignore my skincare. everything.
Then it happened!
After what felt like years of putting in work, I got a new job with BETTER PAY!
Besides that, I was gifted a better phone, my redeployment to Lagos was finalized, I got a good PPA and I lived happily ever after. (For the time being….)
At that moment, it felt good.
I felt great.
It was almost as if those harrowing days happened so long ago and now it didn’t matter anymore. I finally had a good paying job — plus allawee and I couldn’t be more thankful.
End of storytime. For now.
Lessons?
9 out of 10 times, things do not always turn out the way you have planned but it beats doing life without any sense of direction.
It’s okay to have bad days, to feel sad, to feel like nothing is going right. What is not okay is allowing those moments to dictate your life. You are not a failure, you are not talentless, your future is not dim and the bad days, like everything else, will always come to an end.
Finally, there is ALWAYS light at the end of the tunnel. Cry if you need to but do not give up. Fall down, pick yourself back up, PUT IN THE WORK, and keep moving.
Maybe it’s not about having a beautiful day, but about finding beautiful moments. Maybe a whole day is just too much to ask. I could choose to believe that in every day, in all things, no matter how dark and ugly, there are shards of beauty if I look for them. — Anna White
I hope this makes you feel better and a tad bit optimistic.
Rooting for you. Always.
