This is how we found our dream jobs

How long can you hold down a job? A year? Four years? Three months? Our generation, the millennials, are fussy and choosy employees. We are nothing like our parents, who could faithfully work for the same employer, no matter how horrible, for decades. We are restless, impatient, and I daresay, disloyal. We will stay only when the job is fulfilling our dreams and if the hours are flexible and we have no qualms about resigning after working for only a month, no matter how well the job pays.

Strange, isn’t it?

However, there are those of us, few I might add, who will stick it out in one job for years. These ones will tell you that it pays to be loyal.

We caught up with four millennials from both sides of the spectrum who have some interesting insights on why they chose to either stay or leave.

***

Anita Nderu, 26

News anchor, TV presenter, emcee, youth mentor, voice over artist, travel blogger, fashion enthusiast and enthusiastic baker.

Anita Nderu represents a new chapter of workers with a shifting social timetable that is prompting this generation to prioritise their career above all else. Marriage has taken a backseat and the prime focus is on careers, at least for the young women.

“Men are not going anywhere, if that big wedding and a family can wait, let it wait,” Anita says.

“I saw my mom do a job that she did not love just to feed us, I did not want to become that person. It is hard to wake up to a job you hate, where your only motivation is that if you do not do it, your family will starve.”

Anita believes that happiness is both mental and financial, and if you can make money doing what you love, then it is even better.

Unwilling to settle for less, Anita kept changing jobs every three months until she landed her first media job with NTV as the host Teen Republik, a weekend music show for youngsters.

“I had traded my dream for a pay check, and I was miserable, struggling to get out of bed every day. In one of the jobs, I was a personal assistant, working hard, only to be shouted at by my boss for small mistakes. If you don’t love your job enough to willingly wake up at 2am to do it, you are probably in the wrong place,” she says.

 She hosted Teen Republik for three years. It took 20 auditions and a series of disappointments before she finally landed her dream job.

Today, Anita works at Capital FM as a news anchor, and TV presenter. She is also a panelist on NTV’s, The Trend, an emcee and youth mentor. She is also the head baker at Confectionery Factory. 

In an article published in the New York Times in August 2010, titled, What Is It About 20-somethings? Robin Marantz Henig makes a strong case for the changing social time table. He notes that many in their 20s are taking much longer to mature. A third of those in their twenties move back with their parents at least once, and two thirds live with their romantic partners but postpone getting married. Life milestones have not changed much, according to Henig. They entail finishing school, being financially independent, leaving home, getting married and then having kids, but the timetable has drastically changed. In the past, social pressures made it easier for companies to keep their workers because they were not going to quit with a family to feed. This shift however has made companies rethink their strategies on how to keep their workers motivated.  

***

Muiu Ngura, 32

Registration Officer UNHCR

With a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Africa Nazarene University and a masters in Public Administration from Moi University, the father of two has worked for the same organisation for 10 years. He started on a one-month contract in Daadab with a temporary appointment as a general service member for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He was 22 years. His contract was progressively renewed and three years later, he got a permanent appointment. Rising through the ranks, Muiu has worked in Kenya, Egypt and Greece; successfully leading big teams.

Ten years is a long time to stay in the same company, for a man who began his career at 22. Why did he stay?

“I have stayed this long because my bosses appreciate me. My job is also challenging and not repetitive. Also, helping comes naturally to me, so I am committed to my work,” he says. Muiu says that organisations need to listen to their staff and create an environment that encourages feedback if they want to retain their top talent.

“At UNHCR, we have a forum where we can give confidential feed back to the organisation without fear of victimisation. We are human beings before we are workers; when you treat people right, they are more productive,” he says.

His job also accords him extensive travel, with global experience and challenges, a fact that he also attributes to his long tenure. Currently, he works in the emergency response unit where he is expected to report anywhere in the world within 48 to 72 hours. His job also affords him several privileges, including meeting various dignitaries.  

Muiu thinks young people are too impatient these days; everyone wants a prestigious job that pays well.

“You have to be willing to do time, and to learn from those above you,” he advises.

He is also a delegate of International Youth Leadership Assembly (IYLA) that trains young leaders globally and gives them a chance to address the United Nations Assembly and the American Congress.

***

Wanjiru Njiru 23

You tuber and Entrepreneur

Wanjiru Njiru quit her first job after three months to focus on producing her YouTube channel and setting up her company, Zuri Digital Solutions and Sound Ltd. The move came after her YouTube channel and social media profile started to pick up. Fresh out of campus, Wanjiru was employed as a voice over artist and she got into the job hoping it would be a stepping stone into the media industry. The  pay was not much, but it was steady and at least she had something to do. Her dissatisfaction came about due to lack of purpose and progression. After about a month, the nature of the job changed and she moved to the back office to edit other voice over artists. This frustration led her to finally hand in her resignation barely three months in, much to the shock of her boss. Most employers think that a steady paycheck and work schedule will keep their staff happy, but research proves otherwise.   

“It was great at first, but after three months, I resented everything about my job, I just couldn’t take it anymore,” she says. “What killed me even more was watching my friends pursuing their passion - I was making more money than them, but I was frustrated. Our generation is motivated from the inside, not by external things; we are not lazy, we are just passionate about achieving our dreams, and we will not settle for less.”

Right now, following her passion is more important than the money and she reckons it is better to start early.

“I am not so desperate for money right now, I am still young, so I can afford to take some risks. My YouTube channel, Wanjiru Njiru, is still a work in progress, it’s more challenging than what I was doing, but it’s pushing me to become a better person,” she says.

Was the channel worth giving up a paying job?

“Yes. Initially, I was depending on my savings, but now I have some steady clients. I am happy with the progress I am making,” she says.

***

Rose Kwamboka, 25

Print and Digital Journalist

She studied Actuarial Science, but today writes for a local media house, a job she has held for four years.

Although it was not her intended career path, she loves her job because it allows her a flexible schedule doing what she has always wanted to do; writing.

“I got this job while still at university, purely because I was looking for some extra money, but now I love it. The digital world has opened many opportunities for journalists; we can work from anywhere now. I don’t really have to report to the office every day; it’s really about meeting deadlines and delivering quality work,” she explains. 

Like many in her generation, higher pay packages, health and retirement benefits are good additions, but she would not trade them for flexibility. Her mother, like many generation X’s, find this hard to understand, an issue that has been a source of conflict in the past.

“My mum tried, but could not understand what motivated my choices - however, I was the only one of my siblings who was able to accompany her to India for treatment, yet  I still managed to do my job. If I want to go back to school, I don’t have to take evening classes or study over the weekends only,” she says.

Flexibility brings along a work-life balance, an intricate advantage highly valued by millennials, who are not just about their jobs and careers, they want a life too.

Obviously, flexi-hours are a major priority for this generation.

“There is little I would exchange with the flexibility my job allows me.”