For a young professional who wishes to remain anonymous, navigating a career in digital media, social media management, and marketing has been a journey filled with overwhelming demands.

After completing her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program, she faced the harsh reality of unemployment.

The search for a stable income began when their PPA didn’t retain them which led to the desperation of them reaching out to the family for job leads, eventually securing a position as a “digital media manager” with a salary of N80,000.

However, the reality of the job extended far beyond the title.

She shared “After finishing my service in Nysc, my PPA didn’t retain me which led to me seeking from my family if they knew anybody looking to recruit. I was very desperate as I had zero sources of income and I had no hand skills.

“I eventually got a job as a “digital media manager” and offered 80k, while I started working I would work as a PA, handling her social media pages and that of her other business too. I also apply for tenders.”

While these are what she had no experience in, she narrated that those are the expectations that come from her boss.

“All these are what I had idea of but I did because she would always scream and belittle me for doing nothing. Because I needed to have experience. I stayed and continued with no option.” She said

A typical workday started early, with a race against time to avoid their boss’s wrath for lateness.

“I resumed office anything not later than 9:05, and close by 5pm.

“My boss doesn’t tolerate lateness so that doesn’t even give room for rest, I have to leave my house as early as 7:30 because of the stress of getting a cab to my place of work.” She added.

She highlighted the absence of overtime pay despite frequent late hours.

“Most of the time I work beyond my closing time. Sometimes even 2 hours later and these extra time are not even compensated.

“Even if I have been working extra time for two weeks and I take a sick day off. She didn’t pay me for the day I missed. No matter my excuse for not coming to work.” She narrated.

The workload was overwhelming. managing unrelated tasks, from office business to creating content for different ventures of her boss’s business, left little room to breathe.

“The fact that the work I juggle doesn’t even batch. It’s a whole lot different thing but the pressure my boss always puts on someone is how I’m able to manage deadlines. It has never been feasible, but I have to accept that,” they admitted.

The pressure extended beyond weekdays, with them working weekends with errands that disrupted personal time.

One of the most stressful experiences came after a slight delay in arriving at the office.

“There was the day I got to the office 19 minutes late and my boss had scolded me a lot. After that, she told me to apply for 4 tenders. That was the first time I had heard of it. I tried talking her out that I have never done it before and she said I should figure it out.

“While trying to wrap my head around how to do that, she sent me to supervise her other work. I came back around 2pm and the first thing she asked was if I had applied for the tender she yelled a lot finding out I hadn’t done so while giving me no time to explain

“I stayed in the office until past 7 trying to look for tenders to apply for”. She narrated.

Despite the long hours and diverse responsibilities, the pay remains a source of frustration.

She lamented “The earning is so low thinking of how she doesn’t consider my overtime and surcharges me for missing days when I feel sick.”

The financial strain has severely affected their motivation and job satisfaction.

“The only thing that gives me motivation to work is the desperation for job experience because the pay doesn’t match the description of the work,” they admitted, highlighting a dilemma many young professionals face enduring tough work conditions for the sake of experience.

The lack of structure and clear expectations is one of the challenges faced by our interviewee.

“My biggest challenge is that my boss chooses the role I act in. Not knowing what I will meet at work the next day can be draining, sometimes leading to anxiousness,” she explained.

When asked about the rewarding aspects of the job, they struggled to find any.

“There is no rewarding aspect of my job. I don’t have a lunch break unless I bring food to the office. I can’t go out to eat too. My boss would say it wouldn’t work.

“I’m still there because I believe experience is the best teacher and to behonest its still the only option I have.” she concluded.

Her story highlights the challenges that many young graduates face as they work in difficult environments to gain experience

Despite the hurdles, the pursuit of experience and growth keeps them going, showcasing remarkable resilience in the face of adversity.