FIRST JOB

The class was filled with students. Some standing at the back and some sitting on the floor. The classroom was small and couldn’t contain the over 700 newly admitted Agricultural students.

I had just gotten admission to study Agriculture though I applied to study medicine and surgery but my score wasn’t high enough to get me into the school of medicine. The school thought it wise to offer me admission into the faculty of agriculture. There were other departments. Microbiology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Science laboratory technology- these were perfect options for the University of Benin but they decided Agriculture was best for me.

That faithful day was election day. We were to nominate and elect our faculty and departmental representatives. I was quiet in class. I’d always been a quiet and shy person. I spoke when I had something reasonable to say.

Other departments nominated their representatives and when it got to my department- Agricultural Economics and Extension Service, no one came out. After some minutes, a lady came out from my department to represent us. Immediately, I turned to a boy sitting by my side and said to him, “I want to lead this class”.

I got up and joined the others standing in front. Others joined too but that lady’s action was the force that pushed me to nominate myself. I would have sat there and allowed the genius in me die.

We did the election and I won. My first victory at the university. I was to represent my department. The lady was runner up and became my assistant.
After school hours, I’d go for tutorials at Quintessence tutorials. I didn’t understand some of the teachings in class and needed extra help. Quintessence tutorial was the place to be.


George Uneze was my favourite tutor. He taught Inorganic chemistry and I understood everything he taught. I was close to him because of my activeness during his class.

One day he came to my faculty to advertise the “Q Pack”- A collection of past questions and answers for all the courses we were to offer. After speaking, he approached me and asked if I could help sell the pack for him since I was a class representative and was always with the students. The book cost ₦1,500. I was to sell at that price but when remitting the money, I would give him ₦1,400. I would make ₦100 from each book I sold. It was a fair deal and I accepted it. That was how I got my first job.

George wasn’t interested in the fact that I was a quiet person, shy and had no idea about marketing. He saw something in me. I didn’t know what it was but I just followed him.

Selling the book wasn’t difficult. I had my customers where I needed them – in class. I’d go to class like a regular students and when a lecturer leaves the class, I would announce to my colleagues about the book and interested students would come to buy. I had customers to my left and right. I could sell 10-15 copies daily.

I wasn’t paying for anything. I only paid to be a student and my dad paid for that, not me. George would bring the books in the morning and return later in the day for the cash.

I was making ₦1,000-₦1,500 daily for just going to class and talking.
Soon enough everyone in class stopped calling me by my name and started calling me “Quintessence”. Even when I felt like not going to class, the idea of making ₦1,500 daily would push me out of the bed.

I was making ₦5,000-₦7,500 weekly and ₦25,000-₦30,000 monthly outside my monthly allowance from my parents.
I was in year 1 and I was already a big boy. I wasn’t having a girlfriend to spend the money on or a business to invest into so I spent my money on good food. I had enough food stuffs and provisions.

When I was “broke”, I had ₦10,000 in my account and I’d call my parents for more money. I realised that if I don’t ask them for money, they will suspect something. I wanted my little riches to be on the low. When my dad called to ask if I needed money, my answer was always YES. No one had to know I was earning in school.

Quintessence competitors saw I was making sales for Quintessence tutorial and gave me same offer to market for them. I didn’t reject the offer. I accepted it. Moreover, some students wanted those other books and not Quintessence but I never allowed George to find out.
I was still making more sales from Quintessence pack but I sold from the competitors too. At that point, I was making ₦10,000 weekly and ₦40,000 monthly still in year 1.

I was in school to read agriculture but I was learning certain skills without knowing. My colleagues called me “The book seller”, others called me “Quintessence”. Unknown to them I was learning communication skills, marketing skills, social skills, public speaking and building my self-confidence. These are qualities faculty of agriculture did not teach me. Medicine would not have taught me either. George didn’t teach me but he saw something in me.

I was making money and learning skills at the same time.

The next year I moved to a new Faculty-Engineering. That’s a story for another day.

At Engineering, Quintessence noticed me and increased my commission. I was to get ₦200 from every copy I sold and also I was made the general secretary of the tutorial and my salary was ₦6,000 monthly. I was to work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. This was my first job that had a salary attached to it. All thanks to George for recommending me. The previous one was on commission and this was on salary base.

I didn’t stop selling the Quintessence books. I continued and was selling 15 packs daily making ₦3,000. I was earning ₦60,000 from selling books monthly and extra ₦6,000 for working as a secretary.

My parents never knew about this. I was still calling home for allowance. Remember, if they found out I was earning while in school, they’d be angry because my aim of going to school was to study and not sell books. All these happened in my year 1 in Engineering.
In year 2, I quit as the secretary because I needed to spend more time with my books. I stopped selling the books but paid people to sell for me. I applied the principle George taught me without knowing. I gave other students the books to sell and I paid them ₦100 for every book they sold and got ₦100 for myself. At this point, I had 2 years working experience as a marketer and sales rep.

I spent 7 years at the university and every year I did things outside my academic pursuit to improve myself. I did business and politics. As a fresh graduate, I already have 7 years working experience.

George saw something me in. I am who I am today because he called me that day.

My parents still don’t know I worked and payed all my school fees myself while in school and still collected school fees money from them and invested the money in something else.