In response to the Daily writing posts prompt: ‘Money or nothing’ an interesting prompt especially to someone who is coming to the end of their working life. From when I was age seven I kept telling myself that when I grow up my job should be with people not objects even though at that age I did not know what it meant but was clear that for me it was about what brought me fulfillment.
Life is about being able to earn a living so as to be able to provide one self with a roof over one’s head, feed one’s self and be able to put some money aside for one’s future. I understood that as I was growing up and going through my education. With the idea of working with people at the back of my mind at the end my secondary education I got a job as a beauty care consultant while I figured out what I wanted to do as a career. This first job was with a cosmetic company which only paid you on comission basis so the big thing was to sell as many of their products as possible. I had a natural beautiful skin I did not need and still do not need any skin care products.
Everytime customers asked me if my skin was as a result of my use of the sckin care products I was advertising and selling, in order for me to make money and earn more I just told them that I was using the products. I hated the products and never used them on my skin. I earned a lot as I was selling a lot of the products. I had a problem with my conscience as I was aware that I was becoming very good at telling lies and that did not sit well with my christian faith so although I was paid a lot of money I was not fulfilled I left tht job after two years.
I then went to the school of social work and trained as a social worker majoring in adolescent psycology and worked as youth worker at the end of my training. I loved my job working with young people being able to be trusted by young people to a point I became the person they turned to when ever they had problems which gave great satisfaction. My work as youth worker was in the church and was not paid a lot however my job went with a house and a car as part of the package and that was all I needed.
What I liked most about my job was that as I worked with people it shaped me into the person I have become. Interacting with people made me get to discover more about my self. I got to know my strengths, weaknesses and my limitations and that led to a very fulfilled life. Decades on I get humbling e-mails from so many young people who are now adults and young excutives telling me what an impact I had on their lives. If that is not fulfillment I do not know what is. I do not have loads of money in the bank but I have had such a fulfilling working career which I would not trade for anything.
This has been my ultimate job working with people, I would not change one bit of it because it has been great being allowed into people’s lives.