Why I worked in five companies in five years

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July 29, 2024
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5 min read
Work Life episode #4

Charles*, a digital marketer, has one major goal for working — to make money — and if changing companies as many times as possible will help him achieve that, why not? He's now on his fifth corporate job in five years.

Why do you work?

Short answer? I work to make money and also to grow.

Long answer? Humans are built to cultivate and work. We can see this from books and history. I must work to cater to my lifestyle and my family. Besides, every person has a hierarchy of needs, and working helps me survive because I earn from it.

So, would you say working has fulfilled all these for you?

Yes! Working in various organisations has helped me survive at least. I can eat, go out, buy groceries, pay school fees, finance loans, and save up to do more, but I'm still looking for more money.

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Aside from survival, what gains have you recorded on your professional journey?

I have earned several professional certifications. I've also gotten exposure from meeting new and amazing people. I've had the opportunity to attend events and conferences courtesy of my employers, giving me insights into the corporate world and how things are done.

How many years of experience do you have, by the way?

Right now, I have over five years of professional experience.

In those five years, how many places have you worked at?

I've worked in five different places, excluding freelancing. I spent two years in the banking industry where I worked as a non-financial officer. Then I transitioned to digital marketing, even though that has always been a soft skill I've used for several years. Cumulatively, I've been working for over a decade, most of which was freelancing, but professionally working with corporate companies, it is only five years.

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Can you say you're exactly where you want to be professionally now?

I'd say yes. At least, the agency I currently am in gives me the leverage to work as a 360 marketer. I am where I really want to be professionally. But the money is not enough.

Hanhan! Money! Money!! Money!!!

Yes, please. I need money.

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Can we talk about the impressions each place you've worked has had on you?

Where I currently work is the most amazing among them all. Their level of energy matches mine. I'm lucky to find myself in an office where, though there's office politics, there are people who are intentional about what they want, people who speak their minds, and you can see the results of their work.

In the previous place I worked, I had a horrible female boss who had extreme feminist values and shouted a lot. Many people were scared of her. You would hardly shine if you were trying to bring ideas as a man.

I also worked with Meta at some point. It was a fantastic place and my time at the company taught me how to manage my time well. We had strict clock-in and clock-out times. It also allowed me to work with a diverse team with people from different parts of the world and understand their processes.

When I worked at the bank, I was exposed to many things people do for money. When you work in that kind of environment, you see people for who they are. You also see how people can be crazy and do stupid things for money.

Cool! It seems all these experiences have given you an idea of what an ideal workplace should look like. I noticed you've only had one bad experience at one of those places. Did you have an idea of the toxicity before you joined?

Before I joined, I had no idea that was the kind of system they operated. What I've realised is that every work environment has its own structures and processes, so it's difficult to suspect something like that is happening. So, I didn't know. They were quite warm when I got there. It was after I got into it and started soaking in the whole process that I realised it was actually a toxic place.

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How did you survive your stay there for six months?

Well... I survived. When I got in, I had to read the room almost immediately, and also with the help of some of the alliances I made in the organisation. They gave me some clarity on how things are done.

I'm the kind of person who doesn't tolerate nonsense. I'm also a principled person, so I follow rules, but I found out that those things didn't matter there. There were some shady things and some messy office politics going on.

At what point did you decide to leave?

When I saw another job and salary offer. However, I've learned to deal with toxicity and office politics the hard way. Most times, I overlook it, but that doesn't change the fact that it still happens in a lot of organisations, but people are not willing to talk about it.

I'm curious, how did you end up working in five companies in five years?

I'm chasing the money.

I taught at a school for a year. Then I worked as a digital marketer for six months after I moved to Lagos. This place gave me a first-hand idea of what workplace toxicity means. I resigned.

Then I worked at a bank for two years. After that, I spent one year at Meta, and now I've spent a few months in this current company. This excludes my other experiences from freelancing.

One thing that led me to move around a lot was the perks and benefits attached to some of the roles, and also, the salary increments.

Let me try to be detailed; while I was working as a digital and sales executive, I was earning ₦70k take-home pay. There was no HMO. I remember it was a toxic place, my boss was a control freak.

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Then, at the bank, I was paid ₦85k as a customer service officer. When I decided to leave, I was advised not to leave the bank without having anything else to fall back on, but I resigned regardless.

At my next job, my salary was ₦155k and there was HMO. The next job after that was ₦250k along with other monetary perks.

Nonetheless, I believe if I'd advanced my studies (gotten a Master's) or gotten certain certifications, I wouldn't have to be moving from one company to another.

Interesting. Now, do you feel you've found the money you're looking for?

No. But I'll keep looking.

What advice would you give to anyone new to the professional space, looking to change companies, or planning to job-hop to increase earnings?

They should mind their business when they get to an office, everyone knows what they are doing in every organisation. Also, be real, don't fake your personality, and be diligent.

You can find previous editions of Work Life here.

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Human enthusiast | Writer | Senior reporter | Podcaster. Find me on Twitter @Nifemeah.
Human enthusiast | Writer | Senior reporter | Podcaster. Find me on Twitter @Nifemeah.
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Human enthusiast | Writer | Senior reporter | Podcaster. Find me on Twitter @Nifemeah.
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