By Ope Olurankinse
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
everydaymatters@nigeriahorizon.com

“Hello, my name is Ope, and I’m an independent journalist. I’ve been freelancing for a year and a half ”.
 
At times, that’s exactly what it feels like when I’m forced to admit my career path. The truth is, I graduated from University with an economics degree 4 years ago.
 
I can honestly say that I always wanted to be a journalist. Television and print have been my passion since I was a little girl. But after I became a teaching assistant in my second year in University, spent four years learning different economics courses and writing exams, it only seemed natural to find work in that field. More so, I’m not exactly related to Bill Gates plus I had student loans to pay back.

With my economics degree, I held a couple of positions in the financial industry but none that was fulfilling. To me, I went to work to get paid to do the job, and also didn’t want to feel guilty about the time I’ve spent learning about the industry in school.

But then something happened one cold evening, I came home confused and a bit lost, I didn’t love my job, I was upset, and things just weren’t working out, but for whatever reason, those things combined, drove me to pick up a pen and notebook. My hand took on a life of it’s own as I scribbled out everything on my mind.

I took time off to think about what I was doing. I did nothing. It came to the point where I truly asked myself “what did you want to do when you were a little girl?”. It was to write and report.

I decided to enroll myself at a local college to study Journalism. While taking evening courses, I pitched a couple of stories to some local newspapers and magazine editors. Afrika Herald picked up one of my stories and published it. I finally got a break.  Now my work appears in Planet Africa Magazine, Afrika Herald, and Covenant Blessings, to name a few.

Earlier, I had the opportunity of meeting some great editors and writers. I was taught that being a journalist, I must be very thorough, authoritative, and place all information to a context relevant to my audiences’ personal lives. It's with that spirit that I approach my job every day.

While I can’t say I have any yearning to go back to the financial industry, I’ve found peace knowing that I absolutely love what I do. It’s my bliss. Still, when I tell friends that I didn’t get into journalism for the money or fame, they find it hard to believe. I seldom know how to affect people and maybe may never know. But I do know that I want to make people think.

I didn’t think in a million years I would talk with Joke Silva on her play debut.

Certainly, this business is time-consuming and hard work. Sometimes, I don’t sleep eight straight hours. No, I’m not complaining. I simply use the experience as a stepping stone to prepare me for more challenging roles such as parenting, which may not allow me to sleep at all.

As individuals, It’s very important how we turnaround our careers. It’s time we go after what we want because not doing so keeps us from unleashing the true person that is inside of us. We must learn how to prioritize our steps and then put them into good use.

We are to focus on the future and make what we want a reality. There’s only one life to live so it might as well be a life we love.

Though, some of my friends who have stuck with the bank and/or investment companies are great. They absolutely love what they do. They’re hard-working individuals. They make a good living. Yet, I wouldn’t trade my career as a journalist for anything.

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