Before You Decide, See Me!

 

My cousin graduated recently with a law degree and, if I am honest, it touched the nerves I have been trying to ignore. I am proud of my cousins for making it. At the same time, I was embarrassed about where I am in my own life. That is not easy to admit, but it is the truth.

Right now, I am unemployed. When people ask, I say I am freelancing. The reality is that freelancing means I work some days and other days I do not. I spend my time searching for gigs while also applying for full time roles, hoping that one application lands in front of someone willing to look beyond a checklist and see the person behind the paper. At my cousin’s graduation party, another cousin asked how my writing career was going. I replied that it was well, even though my words exposed the state I am in. In 2021, we went to Ibadan for a family getaway and I wrote on a mood board in our hotel that I would be a successful copywriter whose works would be framed in a book and sold.  Think of it as an art piece sold in a book. From the look on his face, I could tell he knew I was struggling. He is a medical doctor, so…

I understand why parents push their kids into the sciences, law, accounting/ business, engineering or even journalism. Their jobs are available and they get paid generously. For my end, it sounds impressive to say that I have degrees in English and linguistics, but no visible achievements. Most times, people become careful about their grammar when speaking to me, when I do not even focus on that. I love that you’re conscious but honey, I do not care genuinely. I slip too.  Besides I did literature for my graduate class which involves reading and literary criticism and my favorite: theories! I’ve even forgotten some of the rules I learnt in my grammar class in level 300. Art is both a pleasure and a venture, but it is a long road to climb. I feel older than I am expected to feel, with nothing stable to hold on to, and the constant pressure is wearing me out if I am being honest. Despite a “killer” portfolio, I sometimes feel I am not good enough for a copywriter job because I do not have a definitive agency experience and I have worked behind the scenes for people who have taken the credit per contract rules. I do not have formal training in communication. My graphics and video editing skills are not of high quality level, despite the fact that I can use capcut and canva. I do not have the certifications many marketing and social media roles ask for. My CV is filled with writing experience, research experience, creative & content projects. When I apply for roles, I compete with hundreds or thousands of candidates who know exactly how to present themselves. Meanwhile, I sometimes struggle to express everything I know in a way that sounds polished and corporate.  

Skills are transferable by the way! They do not belong to one job title. Roles like marketing executive or digital strategist require competitor research, digital analytics, A/B testing, audience segmentation, campaign performance tracking, market trend analysis, content planning, and data interpretation. These are not foreign to me. I have studied and learned widely from the small things I have done. I understand communication key terms, copywriting and advertising agency language, project management concepts, and tools used to assess performance and results. During my undergraduate and graduate studies, I wrote literature reviews that required research, critical thinking, and turning simple topics into groundbreaking forms. I wrote a thesis and over 20 academic papers. When I write SEO articles, I study topics thoroughly, research search intent, analyze keyword performance, and apply SEO best practices to create content that performs. These are practical, real world skills that translate beyond one title and this means GROWTH takes time and practice. I remember the first time I made shito. It was not as good as it is now. With time, I learned and adjusted; and there was, the improvement. Today, I can make it confidently without second guessing myself. Skills develop the same way when given the right environment and opportunity. All I am asking for is the opportunity to prove that I can learn fast, to show that I am reliable, and to demonstrate that I can contribute real value to a team.

Resumes and cover letters cannot fully capture determination and the willingness to grow. Take a risk on me and bring me onto your team. Trust your instinct in selecting me, and I am ready to deliver results. Back me today, and I will give you every reason to be proud of that decision.

 

Ps- my cousin asked for shito as a graduation gift. He wanted pizza too but cheese is so expensive now!!!!!!