Give it all that it takes

When I first got my 1st Copy writing Job at McCanns, I was living miles away from the office and my salary was barely enough for one week meal. I had a serious accommodation issue and I had just landed my dream job. Working in Brand Advertising can be rigorous and it often requires long hours of works; it's even worse if you are a cub Copywriter as you have to do all the dirty jobs.

One day, while returning from Lunch with some of my colleagues, I saw a pub house near my office. [ A Beer Parlour ] I noticed there was a little house attached to the Pub where the bartenders slept. Then I had a crazy idea. What if I offered to help these guys at night maybe I could get to squat with them for a bit? At first, they laughed at me, thinking I was joking, then they saw the tenacity in my eyes. So, on Mondays, I would move in to the Pub house after works and returned back to my far away house on Friday evenings. My job was straightforward. I had to help them do all their dishes and tumblers each and every night. Then I could go to sleep. That was how I paid my landlords. That was how I pulled through those first few months on the job. It was crazy as I had to keep that part of me from my colleagues. In fact, there were times , we would pass that Pub and everyone would imagine how the guys that lived there were surviving. It was such a tiny little room with a tiny window opened to the main road where all the vices in Yaba resided those days. When I drive by that pub today, I get a little emotional as the little room attached is no longer there. The Federal Government has taken my room away. It went with the road construction works, leaving only the Pub house.

Here's the thing. If you are lucky to find your dream job, nothing should be in your way. Not even accommodation. You've got to give it all that it takes. If you really mean to grow a career, keep your eyes away from the pay-cheque. Look at where you are going. No one is really out there to help you when you are starting a career. Personal Brands know how to help themselves. Keep your eyes on the end. Discipline yourself. Cut out some luxuries. Salaries don't grow careers. People do. When you cut your teeth and you finally find your own voice, then you can spread your wings and fly. But right now, you have to give it all that it takes.