My Ten Year Journey in the Nigerian Labour market 6.

So this week in continuation of my series on my ten year journey in the labor market. I'll talk about my experience as a volunteer.

In my last post I ended by saying that i resigned from the school where I worked for two terms.

Now this was year 2010. Before i talk about my volunteerism let me say something.

Beginning of that year I just felt dissatisfied with what I was doing then, teaching in that school. 

I needed something else. Something that had to do with my degree ( I've a medical degree in human physiology) and I really wanted to work with it. It was my lifelong dream from school.

So I sat down, picked a piece of paper and clearly wrote out the kind of job I wanted and kept the paper somewhere.

 I didn't know if i would get it or not but I just felt it was time to clearly define my path in this career journey before I get lost.

I did that, prayed and just went on with my life. I'll share the result of that action in my next post.

Now back to being a volunteer. A few months after I left the teaching job, I learnt of an opportunity in my immediate community to volunteer. It was a program jointly organized by USAID, RED CROSS and Save the Children.

It involved looking out for orphans and vulnerable children in the community, getting their details and sending it to the supervisors working with us.

So I opted to join and it was a rewarding experience. We were not paid, my only payment then was lunch during the training. 😁.

I knew monies for logistics were given but trust our naija people, they made it look like there was nothing. It didn't matter though. I just wanted an opportunity to learn and be part of something that helped change the life of those children. Especially those who were living with people who maltreated them and all that.

This phase was short, just a couple of months and then the opportunity to do what I'd always wanted came through so I drew the curtain on it.

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I'm taking my time to share all of this part of my life for a reason.

- One of it is to open up to the younger ones coming in to the labor market from school that the journey is not always straight.

If anything it is mostly in curves and turns. Just a few hit it at once.

- Also to say that while you're searching for your dream job or business, you can do something along the line.

- Here in Nigeria the concept of volunteerism is still somehow alien to majority of us. Just a few understand and appreciate it.

That's why I'm sharing this particular story to drive home that point.

Volunteering opens you up to opportunities easily. It broadens your perspectives and gives you a platform to learn valuable life skills.

It also helps boost your CV. It can be counted for you as part of valuable work experience that you have already. Find a place to volunteer once in a while. Even as a worker I still find the time to do this.

Find places in your communities to volunteer, in your places of worship, in your tribal meetings and youth organizations.

Sometimes help clean the gutters around your area. Sometimes just visit the sick in the hospital and say a word of encouragement to them even if you don't have the money, join people visiting prisons and go see the inmates.

Just be available. It's an awesome opportunity to network and meet people.