Over the course of your career, there'll be some moments when you decide to take a leap of faith. This could be pivoting to a new industry, becoming your own boss, taking on responsibilities you might not feel prepared for, or even trading the comfort of a high-paying job for better culture fit. In this blog series, we'll be sharing the stories of several professionals who have made rather bold or even unconventional moves in their careers, to help guide or inspire your own decisions.
Our first interviewee, Israel Ogunseye, is a seasoned professional in the African tech scene who took a pay cut in exchange for what he thought would be valuable industry experience. How did it pan out? Read on to uncover the motivations and lessons behind his career move.
My name is Israel Oladipupo Ogunseye. I work within the intersection of marketing, growth and customer experience in the Technology space within the sub-Saharan African market. I've worked within the space in the last decade.
Career is a long game and one singular deciding factor for me at the time was the new industry experience I would gain from joining the organisation for the future. I analysed the industry I would love to find myself in, a few years from the time, and the opportunity seemed like the perfect launchpad for it.
Hybrid was one of the culture fit for me as well as proximity to my place of residence. The open communication was also a culture lookout for me in this case.
It wasn't a big deal for me really, considering that it meant that commuting would be taking less from my monthly spend anyways and it was a short term deprivation of funds for long term accumulation of funds - this was really the prism I looked at it from.
Honestly it didn't, the corporate governance was too poor. I figured I was in the wrong place when I heard the CEO was marrying the HR Manager. It was too unbelievable for me to hear and both were still working in the organisation. It was a culture shock for me, as someone who has worked in startups in quite their number.
Yes, there were quite a number of challenges really. For starters, dealing with the low pay and huge expectations. I also had to manage the small budgets available and try to create a new category for the product which entailed a lot of category development. It was quite tough. In terms of handling, honestly I just "roughed" it and took it like a man and moved forward.
Looking back, it was an error that should not have happened. I now advise against settling for jobs, and caution against taking pay cuts unless the terms significantly favor you.
Be very careful and don't take such risks for small organisations, unless you're certain it's an essential step towards achieving your career goals. It's better to make that move for organisations with proper structure and planning.
Israel's journey serves as a valuable lesson, reminding us to weigh our options more carefully and if we can help it, to not settle for jobs that we're unsure of.
It's also important (especially if you'd have to take a pay cut) to be well-informed about a company's culture and inquire about other perks—like flexible work arrangements, transportation & fueling benefits, or even food & grocery benefits—that can help maximize your salary and enhance your work experience.
Motherboard enables organizations to manage and offer more diverse and customized employee benefits at low costs. Refer your employer to start enjoying the perks you deserve!
