How I Built a Small Network That Paid Me in School

One of the things that makes school days tiring or annoying is how one can literally go broke and not have the means to survive, and despite how much time you call home to inform them of your plight, all you get are stories of how they're rich and you should try to manage till they can beg something to see to you. I find myself in that situation on several occasions, especially during my first year in school, and that was when I realized I needed to find a side hustle that I could merge with my education so it could fetch me some money to meet my needs and some school necessities before my parents could send something.

It was during those trying moments I began to think critically on what I can do and how I can make money. Fortunately for me, one of my neighbors in the place I stayed happens to be a caterer, and after I saw him working in a party in our street, I decided to walk up to him and tell him I'd be interested in working for him as a waiter to serve guests in any party he's contacted to cook and work. And that's how I gained ground in the catering business, not only serving in parties but also cooking alongside these caterers overnight before the main event, and in return, I not only get paid but also gain valuable knowledge on cooking and the business around catering.

Not long after working with the man, I was fortunate to meet and work with other caterers in my school community, and with my dedication and commitment to the work, many of these caterers began to trust me with their jobs and regularly call me to come work for them. And during the course of that, I not only work for them and earn on my own, but I also pave the way for my friends and other students to come work as waiters in parties and get paid for the serving. To top that, if food remains after the event, we still get to take as much as we like home. And that's how I escaped being broke during my school days.

Because I had a side hustle as a chef assistant, waiter, and supplier of waiters and ushers to caterers and event coordinators. It was a decent side hustle that I did, which helped me a lot during my school days, and aside from that, it also gave me an opportunity to explore, as I visited a lot of states during those periods because many of these caterers were being contacted to work in different places across Nigeria.

All photos are mine.