Zaini Found a Boring [Read: Dream] Job at 24. Her Life Turned for the Better.
She says it was the best thing that happened to her
“I never knew I hit a jackpot.”
I agree. I would not have guessed it, either.
Zaini is the co-working space floor manager at the office space where I reside. Her job requires her to,
- Manage the reception counter,
- Fill the coffee machine with beans,
- Top up the biscuit fillers with snacks,
- Clean the used tables,
- Do walkarounds.
She expected it to be time-consuming.
The opposite happened.
She had plenty of time.
Zaini was delighted.
A Day Job with Part-Time Involvement
We speak at the pantry often.
Zaini is a young lady. She could be 22. Maybe, 24? I don’t know. But she is one happy gal. She chats with all residents and guests when she has the chance.
Our conversations were [pretty] entertaining.
It started with frivolous conversations.
How is the center today? Many people? Would you like a donut? Ah, how are the new coffee beans? Good reception?
With time, I turned my attention to her.
Not for lewd reasons, of course.
Her workload, or the lack thereof, fascinates me.
During the day, Zaini would,
- Scroll Instagram for hours,
- Studying an accounting textbook in the late afternoon,
- Building and checking out an e-commerce website after dinner time.
She is [definitely] busy.
But I am unsure… if she is busy at work, for work.
She exhibited zero embarrassment when I asked.
“Oh, you saw?”
“Haha, well, it will be difficult not to?”
Loud chuckles filled the air.
The Workload at Hand
“They told me this job requires me to roll up my sleeves and be involved. I did. But I get things done faster than I imagined.”
She shrugged her shoulders.
I looked around the office.
I understand.
This office space opened 4 months ago. It was the latest addition to the real estate portfolio of the co-working business. It was nested within the airport terminal compound.
“Not many people come here to work, you know.”
I was baffled, too.
It does not take a genius to figure that one out. Human traffic from office dwellers is low.
I get to choose my favorite corner hot desk with a 90% success rate.
I have unfettered access to all coffee beans and pantry biscuits, too. It was a pure haven.
That was for me. I found a workplace haven. I like quiet places.
Zaini [quickly] realized that she had hit the grand jackpot.
“I remember how busy I was during my last job. I was an administrator. There were papers to fill out, customer emails to reply to, and order forms to be sent out. Nightmare. My online shop and evening studies suffered.”
Zaini took accounting classes in the evening.
Finding time to do her assignments was a challenge.
“I failed the same Income Tax course 4 times, you know. Sigh. It happens when you are stupid. You need more time. But I had none. I decided to change jobs. And I got this one!”
Zaini could not conceal her excitement.
Here’s why.
- She is paid $4,500 monthly, a 20% increment from her previous job.
- Her workload demands are way lower. 2 hours in, and that’s it.
- She studies and works on her website during working hours.
- She speaks to people from all walks of life.
- She has time for friends after work [again].
“If there is such a thing as a dream job, I must be in one.”
I think so, too.
“Of course, it can be boring when there is nothing to do. But I need to count my lucky stars. I accomplished so many things during working hours.”
Yeah.
What a lucky, lucky gal.
Making Use of Free Time at Work
“I don’t know how long this golden run will last. I assume that it will end one day. I am making use of every second I have now.”
Her side hustle, which is her online shop, never left her mind.
Zaini has always wanted a retail fashion shop she can call her own. She is doing everything she can to soak it up.
“I am a fan of Mark Cuban. I listen to what he preaches. He makes so much sense. The lesson I love most is about competition. He is right. There will always be competition. We must stay ahead.”
So, Zaini works to understand every component of her business.
And I [really] mean every single component.
It includes,
- Consumer trends,
- Customer spending habits,
- Integrating payment gateways to her website,
- Product sourcing from cheaper and more reliable distributors,
- Building and rebuilding a simple, elegant user interface,
- Using her Instagram account to drive web traffic,
- Writing blog content.
Previously, she worked on all these after work hours. Like 9, 10 in the evening.
Now? She does it all within working hours.
Income from her e-shop exploded by 30% month on month.
She was happy.
“But what about your boss? She doesn’t mind that you are working on your online shop?”
I know I sound like that party pooper.
But I figured that to be a logical question. I fired away.
Zaini did not dodge me.
“I was open to my boss. I told her about my studies and the website. She was encouraging. Her only message was to work on my main job as 1st priority. Once that is done, I can do whatever I please.”
Wow. What an open-minded boss.
Zaini was relieved to hear that.
Weeks later, she discovered that her boss was doing the same, less the part-time studies. It was an unexpected blessing for Zaini.
And~ DD~
I had to ask the money question.
“How much more money is your online shop bringing you, Zaini?”
She smiled. She was obviously~ pleased.
“More than my day job. Now I have twice the income for the same amount of working hours. The online shop earns me more than my day job today.”
She got me thinking.
Real hard.
The Close
I love Zaini’s life experience for 2 reasons.
- She did not quit her day job.
- She found a dream job.
Too many people I know believe quitting their day job is that unavoidable sacred step before setting up their business.
It is not about quitting our jobs, per se.
No. It is about finding that dream job.
That dream job with ample freedom and headspace to work on our future.
That, to me, is the key to a better life today and tomorrow.
Zaini has proven so, right?
Right.
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