The Small Beginnings: Sticking to the Job You Hate

The job market is currently shit. It’s even worse for people like me with visa restrictions because it limits the opportunities we can access, and the available roles are highly competitive. I’ve always had a very interesting career because I’ve done so many jobs I’m honestly beginning to lose track. But I love having a job. There’s a satisfaction that comes with getting paid for your hard work.

But when you’re constantly chasing the money like I am, there are sometimes you’ll be stuck at a job you hate. So aside from the money you’ll get, I want to share other reasons I’ve learnt (in my experience) that’ll make you look at that job differently. Well, until you land that one you’ve been dreaming of so consider this a copium post.

My first job here was as a customer service assistant which to me is a fancy word for a waitress. Now the job was fun. The only thing I hated was the commute. It was so far away my God! And that’s the thing about lying in your interview. I lied that it wouldn’t be a problem because of course, I was after the money. But as soon as I started receiving the money, I realised, this commute would cost me my life. I was depressed and I digress.

At this job, I learnt that the national food of Great Britain is Chicken Tikka Masala (I shall not speak on this). I learnt what a Hashbrown is and how to make scrambled eggs because people actually add milk to them.

In this job, I finally learnt the types of Coffee and in fact how to make them. For example, an Americano is just a double espresso with hot water and a latte is espresso with milk. A cappuccino is a latte with extra frothy milk and an espresso is plain nasty coffee in a tiny cup. The difference between a latte and a flat white is cup size (I’m dead serious). Because of this job, I worked at for two months, I can confidently walk into any coffee shop and place my order without looking stupid. I can also make really nice coffee and work it into conversations.

Shortly after that, I worked in a bar. Here, I learnt that the Brits love a good pint of beer. I’ve learnt how to make manageable cocktails, what the different types/brands of beers are and also what demographic enjoys what type. Not sure when this skill will come in handy, but hopefully, I’ll work it into a conversation that’ll do something good for me.

Now, I work for a market research company. This means I’m very involved in data collection and opinion polling across a variety of subjects. It’s in this job I learnt that the candidate for the Labour Party is Keir Starmer. I also learnt what the other political parties are — Conservative, Green, Independent and the rest.

A few days ago, I was in the same room with the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, the Ex-Prime Minister of the UK and several other politicians. Being a Youth Ambassador, I not only had to spend days networking with my colleagues who were experts in politics, policy-making and advocacy, but I also had to network with these accomplished politicians. I’m just a Business girlie, I don’t want to go into politics. This is a story for another day. Just know….

But, because of this job I didn’t like, I knew what to say to these people. I could hold conversations, engage them to push my agenda and even have an opinion to share on some issues they raised. In this job, I’ve learnt about several services and schemes accessible in this country that I cannot even begin to mention.

I honestly miss marketing. I miss the excitement of working on fun campaigns, spending money and defending the budget, making life miserable for the sales and design team, finding ways to sell to uninterested people, and just being part of the chaos within a brand. I’m nearly at the end of my MBA so hopefully, I will be able to access the opportunities I truly want.

But, because of these jobs that I seemingly don’t love, I am well acclimatised to this country, I can guess what the average demographic would resonate with on different topics, I am well-informed politically, and I’ve picked up some really fun skills I can work into conversations. I hope that while you’re at this job you don’t love, you see the ways it has shaped you and that you make great friends along the way.

Rooting for you❣️