‘FROM A SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER TO AN ELEMENTARY SCH TEACHER’ PART 1
Read Time:3 Minute, 18 Second
Joseph Omoniyi
Here is the chronicle of once a senior medical officer and deputy HOD of a General Hospital, about how he abandoned his well paid government job to pursue a passion driven career. His name is Fatai Olajobi.
Read his testimonial below:
‘My career path got a bit ‘twisted’ in the minds of some observers when I decided to leave my stable government paying job of public medical practice as a senior medical officer and deputy HOD of a general hospital in Lagos 6years ago.
I resigned on the 30th of march with immediate effect, and my colleagues who I only told of my intention to resign from the job the same day I left, felt it must be a joke! When I was able to convince them that it wasn’t a joke and that I was leaving immediately, that was when they decided to ask about the new job I’d found, maybe in a teaching hospital in Lagos or government hospital in Abuja (this was because they knew I had a project in Abuja to execute at that time) or if I was travelling out of the country for greener pastures. I told them that pastures were greener in Nigeria by my own understanding and perception.
It was then I said ‘’I will be doing my teaching job’’, someone said ‘’you will be teaching in the teaching hospital’’? I said no! I will be teaching Maths, science and some other elementary subjects. I remember the surprise on their faces. I had been part of Brainy Educare with my Counsellor and Educational Psychologist wife. I had always taught children that had problems in their academics.
I discovered almost 30 years ago that I had the gift of making people understand what our teachers could not make them understand. I did this within a short period of time each time I had to teach a friend. So, I left medical practice partially to face teaching elementary and high school subjects. I said partially because I still worked part time at a private practice so as not to lose my skills and also because I have great love for medical practice.
Though my teaching job was mixed with some strategy and educational consulting, the pay at that time was not enough to match my income at the public service, but I was sure I needed more time to face my business (that was being run by my wife and I) and then I could see it grow into the desired giant we envisioned. I did some personal assessment of my strengths as per passion and skills; my weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
I then concluded that the best thing to do at that time was to start teaching first and then setting up a clinical practice can come up later. I resumed at the educational consulting firm (our business) on the 3rd/4th of April 2013 to plan the Maths clinic and execute it in Abuja and Lagos. We barely broke even! It was scary but I was sure that was the way to go!
I continued my morning job at Brainy while I took up some evening private coaching that was just there to keep busy. Then came the big one that was going to pay the equivalent of my old salary for the next 9 months. I worked for about 8hours/week, in the evenings and earned same as I earned in the hospital working up to about 50 to 60hours in a week! That was massive confidence booster.
Though money isn’t generally a confidence booster for me, but that gave me some reassurance. It told me I must have taken the right decision. I gave it my best because it was a remedial job and it paid off as we got great results from the student we engaged. It was during this period I wrote my first book; ‘I’m loving this Maths!’.’ – Fatai Olajobi
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0