working multiple jobs: the new normal💼
‘We don dey live that UK life o’ - my mum in 2025.
The line that led to this article was from a conversation with my mom. We were talking about how people weren’t making enough money. Well, we weren’t making the type of money that would make you keep your cool if an emergency came up.
During that conversation, I told her that a lot of people were working multiple jobs just to make money to cover expenses, which ordinarily didn’t look like a lot, and she blurted ‘We don dey live that UK life o.’ — a life where people work multiple jobs just to stay afloat and make ends meet.
I got thinking, ‘‘Are we really living that UK life?’’
She meant it as a joke, but we can’t even compete. The gulf in earnings is still very large, but after that conversation, I have realized that working multiple jobs is the new normal. I would’ve thought differently, but I know better. I’m just fresh out of uni, and I’ve had conversations around getting a job, keeping a job, salaries, entrepreneurship, and what have you. In these conversations, surviving on one stream of income isn’t enough.
You’re either learning a skill to add to what you have, building a business, making content, getting a side gig, or anything, just to make sure you have more than one source of income. Basically, you wouldn't want to put all your eggs in one basket. This is actually the new normal.
Recently on Twitter, I was part of a conversation where someone said he was in a creative hangout, and they were asked to introduce themselves. He said everybody introduced themselves as people working in two places or learning a skill to support their current stream of income.
If you asked me to introduce myself, I would fall into this category because, honestly, one stream of income barely solves anything. In the student community, there are barely any full-time students. You must find people working a job, pursuing a skill or working freelance. In Shanks’ voice, men dey hustle o.
How did we get here? The economy just kept deteriorating. Money lost its value in this economy. Things have gone up. I always say once you wear your slippers to go outside, you’ve spent 1k like that. If you stay more than 10 minutes outside, you will spend 5k without knowing. It is what it is.
We will probably just adjust to it. It's what we do as Nigerians.
While we’re adjusting and getting used to this new normal, I ask myself, when is enough enough? This post is talking about money, so when is enough enough financially? Are we just going to grind till we grind to glory, or do we know when to say it's enough? I’m comfortable here; I don’t think taking on more jobs or venturing into these many side businesses is worth it in the long run. Can we ever be comfortable?
Let me know your answers in the comments.
By the way, if you know where we can get or have dollar gigs, plug us. This naira isn’t doing anything. Let's get this shmoneyyy. LAHO.
By means of re-introduction, my name is Wisdom Aghe. You already know me if you read this newsletter, but if you don’t, nice to meet you as well.
I am a recent graduate of the University of Benin, a podcaster, a sports and content writer, video editor, I sometimes dabble in graphics design (I get excited when I do it, which I can’t quite understand yet). social media manager and content specialist (So many things, right? I know. They are all part of the portfolio; everything will make sense with time. I also contribute to this newsletter. I’m supposed to write mainly on sports, but I want to explore a lot of things, so stay tuned. I don’t know what I will write next, but I promise it’ll be good.
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Our adaptability as Nigerians is a phenomena that needs to be studied. Honestly, it's true that you'll end up spending over 1k just by leaving the house but it's already become normal. It's no longer strange to have so many side gigs to stay afloat. The crumbling economy is the least of our problems too. Survival is what is paramount now and that's a sad way to live yet we have no choice but to work with the hand we have been dealt.
When will enough be enough? With our new habit of always being on the clock for the sake of the grind and money? I fear it will never be enough even when it's enough.
If you can make it in Nigeria you can make it anywhere