I earn 120k per month from writing for people, but I don’t enjoy it

Dear Jarus

I am one of your avid followers on Nairaland and I have to start by saying thanks for all I have read and learnt from you. Please I am in a dilemma. I am a 25 year old with a second class lower degree in Animal and Environmental Biology. I finished NYSC in 2011 October and since then I have not been able to land a conventional job. Obviously my course of study and grade isn’t helping issues.  My only saving grace and what puts food on my table (and that of my siblings), is that I have good writing skills. I am good at writing content for web owners mostly people that are into affiliate marketing or making money from Ads. I make ‘good money’ too around 120k each month.

However my problem is that I do not enjoy it one bit. I feel stagnated and playing around on a computer. It hurts me each morning to know that I don’t have an office/real business to go to. There is also this innate fear that the contracts will dry up. After all its just two guys that are keeping me in business.  This has been a constant source of worry for me and I don’t want to go into next year in this situation. I need to become a professional or someone skilled in something with offline presence.

So my plea is for you to help me suggest programs or skills I could go about acquiring that won’t be hindered by my course of study. Ideally, it should be one that has a clearly defined career path and one that will also prove relevant and financially reasonable in the present day economy. I am looking at getting into the oil and gas sector or the IT sector. So please sir, I will be glad if you can offer me advice in this case. I am very confused now and I don’t want to continue wasting time. Thanks.

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Without conventional job, you are earning N120,000 per month, that’s impressive. Very few people can boast of that. It’s really good you know your strenght and make it marketable. Very few jobs will pay you that amount at entry level which is what you are now. But for the fact that you said that you don’t enjoy the work despite earning decent pay from it, I am inclined to advising you that that is actually your best bet.

Truth is, with your 2-2, less demanded course of study and no formal work experience, copping a job in the two industries you mentioned will be a tough one. I have not said people with 2-2 and courses like Biology don’t get job, they do, but it’s not usually as easy, except I want to deceive you by playing with theory. Have you been applying? Have you been getting invite for tests? This is where we can strat from.

But for me, I think pursuing your current activity that fetches you an average of 120k per month, is your best bet, rather than looking for job, with a slim, even if not impossible, chance. If it is boredom, why not inject into it something that will make it more interesting? You must have had a pool of client, from whom you earn the 120k, why not look into related activities. Have you thought of formalizing your activities, by setting up an offline consultancy, remember you have clients who patronize you already. Have you considered partnering with people you share similar interest with? Have you thought of opening a blog to project yourself on this? What of training, have you given a thought organizing training for people on this skill you possess that earn you money?

But if you think 8-5 employment is what you want, then the career path I will advise you to pursue is Corporate Communication (not saying you shouldn’t pursue opportunities in Biology-related jobs, anyway). In addition to the writing skills you’ve got, your oral communication skill is important here too. I don’t know how good you are in that. The snag here, again, is that since your experience is not in formal, structured set-up (like company), it will be difficult to convince would-be employers that you’re good at communication, since your first degree is in Biology. But you can only hope that one of the prospective employers calls you to hear from you – a chance to prove yourself. Still, you can enhance your chance by finding and enrolling for short-time communication courses in recognised institutes (I don’t know any, but you can search for them). That on your CV will at least tell someone you have formal training in communication, in addition to garnishing your CV with reputable clients you have informally worked for (the clients from whom you earn 120k per month on average), all of which will boost your chance of being called for a communication role in a formal set-up. With communication certificate and experience, you can work in any sector. Every company needs image manager anyway.

You may want to check the linkedin profile of Meka Olowola, a man who studied Physiology (related course to your Biology), but is now a communication expert and formerly the Group Head of Corporate Communications at Oando Plc, and see if you can learn from him, or at least be motivated.

All the best.

Jarus