I live in a country where from time to time academic activities are put on hold either because of a strike by the academic staff union or for one reason or the other, but we always expect academic activities to be put on hold from time to time, and we put that at the back of our minds so that when it happens, we will not feel too hurt about it, because when you think about it and how it delays your graduation, you tend to start wishing you did not go further to college in a country like mine, a country where a course that was supposed to last 4 years ends up taking up to 6 years before one finally graduates.
I gained admission into college in November 2019 and started school the same month, and in February 2020 the school was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. Though this was beyond the government of my country, I still felt bad because I had not even written my first exams as an undergraduate, and friends kept using that to tease me. I managed to travel home since there was a total shutdown; there was little or no movement allowed, but I got home and discovered that there was a construction company still working. I don't know how they did it or if they paid government officials off because every other company was shut down except for them.
A lot of workers at the construction company quit their jobs, and there was a vacancy for new workers, and I thought the reason the old workers quit their jobs was because of fear of contracting the virus. The pay was so juicy and attractive, but I did not know that behind the surface lies the truth. I rushed to apply for a job at the company, and I was accepted almost immediately. Since I was studying an engineering course, I was taken as an intern and not allowed to do menial jobs; instead, I was like an assistant to the chief engineer.
"With this new job I just landed, I hope school and academic activities will be on hold for quite some time so I can make just enough money to get the things I need before academic activities resume." I said to my friend Daniel.
"You sound really happy and like you like the job so much. Ever since you started working there, you always talk about your job, the pay, and what you plan to do with the pay. Now I feel like my own job is not good enough to be talked about." Daniel, who was teaching in a high school, responded, making a facial expression.
"Nobody said your own job is not good enough or cannot be talked about. I am sorry I talk about my job too much." I apologized as I walked away.
A few weeks into the job, the fun and excitement I had when I started the job started to die down, and I got tired of the job. It was at this point I came to realize why the old workers left. There was no day off; you work from Monday to Sunday, you report to work at 7am and work till 6:30pm, and sometimes you even work overtime and you are not paid for it, especially me. I cannot leave until the chief engineer is done with everything he has to do for the day. Sometimes he just sits in his office until 9pm, and I still have to wait.
I was still at work when Daniel called me on the phone, and the first question he asked me made me realize how distant I have been from even my close friend.
"Hey Kachi, have you gone back to school, or did they call students back to school and I did not hear about it? Even if they did ask students to resume school, will you leave without letting me know?" Daniel asked over the phone.
"My brother, it is a long story. I am still around; the work is not what I expected. We work Monday to Sunday, no day off, every day is a workday. You report early and leave late. I don't even have time for myself. My boss wants me around all the time, even when he does not need my service. I am tired of the job already." I responded over the phone. "I don't even know for how long I can take it; I might just forfeit my first salary and quit for good." I added
"Indeed, all that glitters is not gold. My pay might be small compared to yours, but I have just enough time to do the things I love and enjoy, and sometimes you need to be on the inside to fully understand why things are the way they are." Daniel said as he hung up.