When naira still had value and dollar was about N300, I once had a translation job. Igbo for that matter, according to some. Ordinary Igbo. I got paid 800k. The job was completed in 2 days.
On my bed, I did the translation and sent my invoice, got my bar and opt for next.
I once turned down $750 monthly job while in Nigeria and naira tiri eti, and some friends said I had pride. I was like, yes. I was broke then but turned it down for a personal reason not far from the fact that the job would take my time, and the amount of time it would take didn’t worth the pay. But I no get oo. I dey reject. Guess what? It’s Igbo project. If you change it to naira, how many folks earn it? And the project was to span to 10 months. I didn’t apply, it came to me. Why? Establishment of your passion. I used the energy to build my online school www dot igbotic dot net.
Don’t also forget my Igbo books have been approved in schools in all the Igbo states for more than 10 years. Some high institutions have been using them for exams. Federal College of Education Eha-Amufu first used them in 2012. How many years ago? 13 years ago. University of Nigeria Nsụka used them 13 years ago.
While some see money as achievement, I see fulfilment as achievement.
What I have never done online was mentioning anything about my income or mentioned anything figure. After all, I am an “ordinary poor hungry Igbo teacher. With fake 8 ọkịrịka polo seller.”
Even though common sense should query me how I was able to build a house at 26 in less than a year.
Not to digress…
For the recent campaign going on against people’s choices of study and I see a lot of graduates feeling demoralized over what they studied. Some felt they wasted their years in school because some people posted it on Facebook that if you didn’t study this and that course, you will die poor.
I have to step up and step in.
Nobody was mocked more than me. I read Igbo in the university. I didn’t apply to anything else, first and second choice — Igbo and Linguistics.
I knew what I wanted and I built myself around that. Most times when I travel around the country, I am working from one deal to another. In my hotel room, I would work.
When I translated projects for a World Bank stuff, I was in my hotel in Uyo and Ikot Ekpene, using the opportunity to attend my friend’s wedding in Ikot Ekpene.
My translation with BBC was in my house in Nsụka. I used to play with my laptop at Brotherly Supermarket, Hilltop—nobody knew what I was doing. Working on different files of the BBC, eating my ọkpa and sipping coke in-between, and catching jokes with students.
When I was working for National Bureau of Statistics project, I was traveling between Abuja to Enugwu to Jos. Everything I am doing is online. At my own comfort. I could work anywhere and everywhere. The traveling wasn’t for the projects but my own comfort and vacation and research.
This was before all this noise on work from home and Upwork started on Facebook. We don dey the game for years without talking about some of them.
Find yourself an interest and build a brand around it.
Today, I don’t apply for gigs, gigs come to me. I never looked for jobs when I told myself the truth — that I am the job.
Na still the Igbo and Wetin I do with am carry me come America. Give me full scholarship. Give me work here. I didn’t publish any of my books in English. All are in Igbo. Yet, they contributed to my journey here and I teach undergraduates, exploring diverse research interests.
This is to motivate you. No course is useless. Every course has a secret and code you’ll never know until you get in. Open your eyes and see the world beyond your course. See the world beyond university. You are the one limiting yourself not your course.
Anything you are doing, do it well. Make your voice known. We all have different paths in life. Don’t do things because others are doing it. You may fail or succeed.
Moreover, when you choose your path, you will be satisfied. Guess what? You will have that money if you create a value to solve a problem. Focus on the problem you can solve, and not the amount of money you can make.
I paused!
