“Lagos na small London” was one phrase I heard amongst Nigerians living in other states that I don’t get? I also don’t get why people that don’t stay in Lagos see Lagos as a haven where dreams meet with reality?
Well, if you are first timer in Lagos I am sure that you must have noticed all the drama that comes with living and working in Lagos. The drama of struggling with hundreds of people just to board a bus, and spending hours in traffic after the struggle.
I am sure that like me, you must have experienced many things you probably don’t get about working in Lagos. Well, since there is nothing you can do about this sometimes, you only need to be patient and get used to these “25 things people don’t get about working in Lagos” to keep your sanity and enjoy Lagos.
1. Working in Lagos means sleeping less
Waking up hours before 6.00 am to avoid being held up in traffic and getting to your house by 11.00pm even when you left work at 5.00pm is the life your sign to live when you start working in Lagos. So if you are working in Lagos, Sleep becomes a precious gift
2. Not every job vacancy is actually a vacancy
Seeing every job vacancy as a vacancy in Lagos is opening yourself up to being a prey to some mischievous people. If you are searching for a job in Lagos,
You have open your eyes like this
Many "scammers" use fake job vacancies to decieve unknowing job seekers. The most available job vacancies in Lagos are teaching jobs. While some of them don't pay well, some others do. See the latest teaching jobs in lagos.
3. Working in Lagos means spending 1/3 of your day on the road
If you stay on the mainland and work on the island, then you should get ready to see yourself taking road trips every day. You will be spending nothing less than 5 hours on the road each day. There is actually nothing you can do about this most times, just make sure you grab a bottle if soft drink and enjoy the ride.
4. Working in Lagos means you have only your weekends to live your own life, if you are lucky
Your work plus traffic will take the meaningful part of your day if you are working in Lagos. So you are only left with the weekend if are lucky enough. So you only have the option to count down
or pray for the weekend to come soon
5. Working in Lagos means working longer than the actual closing time on most days
Working in Lagos comes with so much expectations that the usual 9.00am-5.00pm becomes a mirage. You really cannot do much sometimes. You just have to hold on to your job if you want to remain employed.
6. You have to learn to cope with other people’s stress
It is no news that everyone working in Lagos is stressed. So you have to ready to adjust to everyone’s default anger setting and always expect to meet one aggressive person every day,
because everyone working in Lagos is angry.
7. Working in Lagos is dealing with every form of stress
Since working in Lagos is synonym for the word “stress”, you don’t have to freak out when stressed
just take a deep breath and smile at every form of stress to avoid getting frustrated.
8. You have to be in queue to join a bus to work
You can’t be in your own world if you are working in Lagos. You would just need to follow the crowd most of the times.
Patience is one virtue you need to acquire if you are working in Lagos especially when waiting in long queues.
9. You can hardly eat healthy working in Lagos
Once you start working in Lagos, making out time to eat healthy is like going to the farm. "Snaking" becomes the ideal diet. What can you do?
Maybe watch pictures of delicious meals in magazines.
10. “Gala” and “Pepsi” are fast sellers in Lagos
After having a long day at work, a sachet of “Gala” and a bottle of “Pepsi” is what you may need to refresh yourself and calm yourself down while you patiently wait for the traffic to reduce.
11. Breakfast is a luxury in Lagos
Having a proper breakfast in Lagos is like affording the luxury of taking a trip to Dubai. Cost is not always the problem most the time, the real problem is affording the luxury of time to prepare a nice breakfast.
So you just prefer to stick to your snack and save yourself the stress
12. Working in Lagos, you have to learn how to spend your money wisely
Resist those hands that will come in front of your face showing you very nice paintings and different side attractions when you are held up in traffic.
If you don’t resist them, you might end up going home with an empty pocket at the end of the day
13. You can work and still live on the Island without spending so much
If living and working on the island is like winning a trophy for you, then you should pack your bags and be on your way to areas like Ibeju Lekki
where you can get a cheap one before it gets filled up.
14. Not all jobs on the island pay well
Getting a low paying job on the island is like throwing your hard earned money away.
If you think that all the jobs on the island pay well then get ready to be shocked to get an offer of N50, 000 on the island.
15. Not everybody living/working on the island is rich
Don’t let everyone living on the island intimidate with their location because not everyone staying on the island is rich. So when next anyone tries to intimidate you with "living on the island", just look at them and laugh out loud
16. Earning well in Lagos is not only dependent on the company
You don’t have to work for a multinational company to earn well in Lagos. You only need to have the right skills to choose your job like a boss and earn well.
17. You can’t avoid paying tax if you are working in Lagos
Paying tax is something you cannot run away from if you are working in Lagos. So just give up the race if you are trying to run away from it and give it out without frowning.
18. Most top factories are located in Lagos, so there more jobs
There are more companies in Lagos, maybe that is it is regarded as the economic capital of Nigeria. If you want to be open to more jobs, you should be in Lagos like
right now
19. You don’t always need to have a connection to get a good job in Lagos
You don’t really need to know any “big man” to get a job in Lagos, all you need is knowledge and information to search and apply for the best jobs in Lagos. So stop looking up to any big man and
man up
20. You can’t always get a job in Lagos even if there are lots of opportunities
It is true that there are lots of job opportunities in Lagos, but if you are not prepared to get one, then you will continue staring at them on job boards and newspapers without getting anyone of them.
21. You can have an accelerated career growth due to the availability of job opportunities and vast network
With loads of job opportunities here and there in Lagos, your career can speed up like a rocket
in the twinkle of an eye.
22. Banking is not the only industry in Lagos
If you are working in Lagos, that means you are working in a bank, that is one of the common believes amongst people living in Lagos. Why would someone think that everyone that does a decent job work in a bank?
Why
23. Most vacancies on walls are not really vacancies
Have you noticed job vacancies that are posted on walls of bridges? If yes, then just stop paying attention to them if you want prevent future worries for yourself. Most of those job vacancies are fake.
So the next time you see them just ignore them and act like you never saw them.
24. Getting a job is one thing retaining it is another thing
Your career hustle does not stop in Lagos when you find a job, it actually begins when you get the job. With the population in Lagos, you have to guide your job like money when you get one,
if not you may stand a risk of losing it.
With many tempting jobs all over the place, it is easy to find yourself jumping from one job to the other, which can distract you from following a career path.
You will need to be disciplined enough to look away from those tempting jobs and focus on your goal.
For me, working in Lagos is "building my life experiences". What is it for you? Don't forget to share the weird and funny things you must have exprienced working in Lagos in the comment section.
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