366 Days In Corporate Finance As A Communications Manager

The 16^th of December, 2020, marked 366 days since I took up a role as Communications Manager in Corporate Finance. Fam, I was not sure it was what I wanted but I knew that I wanted different and it looked like different.

Travelling is what I do. I never knew that covid will either ways play down on travel this year. Before you begin to imagine how luxurious my life is, travelling is a necessity for me because I have a job that requires that of me and, my partner is many seas away from Nigeria. Hence why I became a digital nomad- travelling while working.

The Journey To Corporate Finance- How It All Began

However, when I got the invite for this job, I knew I had to give that up for a little while. Also, I was expected to work from their office space with just one day off which is a complete shift from being freelance where I work remotely. I remember being asked why I was ready to take up a job that wasn’t remote and my answer was, I was ready for something different and the organisation is different from every industry I have worked with. Let me just insert here that, I may have spoken this role into existence after the blogger’s brunch in October 2019.

I met with Cassie Daves and at the time, she mentioned she was working in corporate communications. For me, it was a sign that what I desired was possible. She still had the time to run her blog which for me was a necessity. Blogging is my first love and I want to be able to still write irrespective of where I find myself. No doubt, the job takes up most of your time with very little for yourself but once you get a hang of it, work out your schedule, you can do it.

Few weeks after that, my cousin was all up in my DMs asking me to apply for this role and in less than 1 week, I did all the interview stages, aced them I believe, because I got the role.

Personal Challenges Working In Corporate Finance

The most challenging part of the job was having to go into work every day. Waking up early is not a chore for me. I wake up as early as 3am each day, not intentionally but my body just gets up at that time. The chore for me is the almost 2hours and 30minutes journey that I have to do each day before getting into work. In my opinion, quality time that I could have used to be creative. In order to stay productive and sane, I opted for E-cabs rather than the other forms of public transportation.

With E-cabs, I can start my work while in traffic. As a communications manager, I create content and the first bit is best out between the hours of 7am and 9am. I get to work at 9am and that means, if I was jumping bus, we may never reach the goal. I also get to relax a little more if I feel like I did not get enough rest the night before. Going home, I always used the bus though as I have a colleague who stays around my house. Having company made it easier and helped me save some coins.

The numbers were equally scary at first but, I won’t consider it a challenge. I am used to numbers in digital marketing but when it comes to finance companies, it is different. People are afraid of scam.

The Impact of Corporate Finance On My Career and Personal Finance

What I found to be helpful though and I am grateful for that, is that corporate finance has a structure. With the structure comes actual KPIs. Your deliverables are spelt out to you if not written in black and white. They tell you exactly what they want. What I did was to always make reference to the KPIs that I was given and in 3 months, I exceeded the target. The only thing is, when you meet one, you get more. Doing this in a pandemic was no easy task. Not to mention that an actual recession kicked in and the money market was in a really terrible state compared to the numbers people were used to.

The best part of my job was the impact it had on my personal finance. I became more aware of investment opportunities and the workings in that industry. I also became more financially responsible. Working with financial experts rubbed off on me a lot and I was determined to do better with my finances. I learnt a lot because in creating the content, I was having to research the industry. This made me aware of what was going on in corporate finance in Nigeria and sometimes, abroad. I knew a lot more about investment, interest rates and even became aware of the need to get my money to work more for me rather than allow it to work for the banks *smiles*.

366 Days After- What Next?

366 days after and I can finally feel the growth. I look at my finances now and I am proud of the woman that I am today. These were things that I knew but not so much and probably not enough motivation. If I ever took anything away from this role, it is the importance of savings and investment. Even with my zero risk appetite, there is an investment for me. In another post, I can share more details about this if this is something that you may have interest in.

I am grateful for the opportunity to push boundaries and explore new frontiers. Now, my portfolio looks like it has all the touch that I need. By 2021, I will have been in the Labour market for 10years. Should i need to make a move, 10 years experience won’t stop me. Now, I am focused on ensuring that I continue to put my best foot forward. 2021 is almost here and new targets have already been set.

Reading from you inspires me to write more. Kindly share with me in the comment section any tips you have for me. If it is a question, I always respond.