The highest number of jobs Michael* has juggled in his seven-year career is three, but he could only handle the third one for a few months. However, he believes working multiple jobs is not bad. He also has an interesting idea about what work is.
What would you like to change about the idea of work if you had the opportunity?
Nothing. People add value, and they get paid for it. It is what it is.
Your idea of work is that it's a means to add value. Not everyone believes that about work. Why do you have this opinion?
It's just the way it is. If I have something to be done and I can't do it myself, and I bring in the service of another person to do it, and I pay through any form we agree on, that's basically an exchange of value on both sides. That's exactly how I see work.
As an employee, I give value in both my time and skills, and I get value back through money. And that's the way it has always been since the Industrial Revolution.
But some people say they work just to make money and if they had the chance, they wouldn't work. So, is it safe to say you like to work because you're more about providing value?
It's not because I like working. Do I want to do other stuff? The answer is yes. If I can get the value of what I'm looking for in another way without probably working, I could explore it.
Here's what I mean by "value": When people say they are working to make money, that's because money is valuable to them, and they don't mind giving an employer the value of their skills and time to get that in return. And if the money or the exposure is not there for you as an employee, I'm sure they won't remain there.
Same thing for an employer, if the employee is not helping you to make money for your company and move the company forward, you have no business bringing them in. Except maybe it's the Nigerian civil service where you just bring someone in and the person sits from morning till night without adding any value and then by the end of every month, they get paid.
It's really not about liking work or enjoying working; it's in the exchange of value, whatever it means to you. At the beginning of your career as an employee, what was valuable to you could be exposure and experience; at a later stage, it could be that you want to make as much money as possible; and at a later stage, it could be that you want enough time to spend with family.
What's your opinion about working multiple jobs?
It's not bad. As far as you have the capacity to carry it, why not? Although, it's always good to focus. Earlier in my career, I was more focused, but you can always weigh your options and see what works for you.
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By capacity, I mean you should be able to manage them and deliver results on all fronts. If you're running a business, do you have people who are helping you in the business? If you have two jobs, are they jobs that you can deliver on without any of them coming in the place of the other?
Yes, people get second jobs for different reasons, like better earnings and job security, it could also be so that you don't get bored, especially where the jobs are totally different.
What would you say is your reason for doing multiple jobs?
My reason is to earn more. At the point I took a second job, I needed to earn more money because of a Master’s programme I needed to pay for. Getting a second job really stretched me, but at the end of the day, it was worth it because it turned out to help me in terms of job security.
Do you still have a second job now?
Yes, I do. But I would be leaving one of them soon to start up a business.
What's the highest number of jobs you've juggled at the same time in your career?
I have over seven years of experience working. The highest number of jobs I've done at the same time is three. And I only did that for a few months as I could no longer cope with it.
What would you consider some of the outstanding experiences you've had in your years of working?
An outstanding experience was working with a manager who supported me, helped me to do the best work I could, believed in me, and, gave me the room to make mistakes learn from those mistakes and get better.
What systems have you created around work that make it worthwhile for you?
Putting down what I need to achieve weekly and daily and going about doing them, that's the system I use. Another one is incorporating learning into working. Many people don't think you should learn during work hours, but learning is part of it. And this is a tip I'll give to people just entering the work space, prioritise learning as you do your job.
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