Ahh Choices, Choices, and The Mystery Of It All!

Two years ago, I was faced with another difficult choice. I had the option to either stay with my current employer and keep my pension benefit or to go for a job that would probably only last a year, with a 50% chance of contract extension, with a company I had never heard of.

I remember heavily consulting. Most said I should remain as the risk was too high. My heart was troubled, and I wondered whether my luck would run out now. The new offer was a few thousand kwachas less than my current employer, but I knew that staying would ruin my mental and physical health. I was constantly overworked and barely had time to self-develop outside of work hours. I had money but no time to plan on how to spend it effectively. With one day remaining to sign the new contract, a stroke of luck hit me, one senior manager on the current project I worked on had worked at BroadReach briefly. I will forever be grateful for the advice he gave me. He said that I was still young and if things didn't work out, I would still find a job elsewhere. He mentioned that if I wanted security, I should remain at my current employer, but if I wanted growth and a chance to work for an international organization, I should jump ship. After this advice, I knew what I had to do. I decided to risk it. Support from my family gave me the confidence to go through with my decision. A few weeks after signing my contract, I broke the news to my then boss that I would be leaving. The drama that followed gave me assurance that my decision was the right one. I was treated like a villain for my life choice and career trajectory. During this period, I disconnected from all my socials, the mental stress was getting too much. I remember this boss calling me and indirectly threatening me. I recorded these conversations and shared them with my parents, and they were shocked. I could go on and on sharing the details, but I would miss the point of this post. The lessons I learned in all this were: 1. that toxic workplaces will teach you toxic traits that will eventually sip into your life outside the office, 2. if you must constantly prove your value, then you’re probably in the wrong environment, go where you’re valued 3. Take risks, even while fearful. If it is worth it for you, if you fail, you still have time to get back up 4. A job isn’t always about money, you need time. Time for family and friends. Time to unwind and do nothing. Time to do whatever makes you who you are. Money or the company name isn’t worth your time if it takes too much of your life 5. Make choices from a place of hope and not fear.

Attached is an image that sparked the idea to write this article. It was a milestone for me, an International NGO posting my article on their company website and their president and their Zambia Chief of party commenting on my LinkedIn post, whoa! I remember losing my breath when I saw it. I knew that I had overcome the odds. Always remember, go where you’re valued and respected as a person. Today marks two years of working in the NGO space.?And in total, four years plus of working on national systems from the ZRA TaxOnline II to MOH SmartCare systems, with industry experience cutting across national taxation, e-commerce, agriculture, e-tolling, and health. All this wouldn’t have been possible if I chose security over the possibility of.

Link to the full article image was gotten from: https://broadreachcorporation.com/broadreach-diaries-entry-1-life-advice-from-a-software-engineer/