Post by Offiong Ekpenyong (@lawyerefik)

One of the most valuable professional lessons I ever learned came during one of the most vulnerable periods of my life.

Around 2020/2021, after having my first baby, I was out of work and focused on being a full-time housewife. Like many new mothers, I was trying to find my footing again.

At the time, I reached out to an NGO and offered to volunteer. I helped create human rights content, trained people, and contributed my legal knowledge wherever I could.

After a while, they saw the value I was bringing and decided they wanted to hire me full-time.

Guess the offer.

₦20,000.

I was already about five to six years post-call at the time. I wept, then I rejected the offer.

Looking back, I don't think they were paying for my expertise. They were paying for the version of me I had presented to them: a vulnerable, unemployed, nursing mother with time on her hands.

That offer hurt. Not because I desperately wanted the job, but because it taught me something important:

People often value you the way you present yourself.

If you present yourself as desperate, some people will negotiate with your desperation.

If you present yourself as idle, some people will price you as though your time has no value.

If you continuously give away your expertise for free, some people will assume it has little or no worth.

This doesn't mean you should be arrogant. It doesn't mean you shouldn't volunteer or help people. It simply means you must never forget your value, even when life temporarily places you in a difficult season.

A tough season does not reduce your qualifications.

Motherhood does not erase your experience.

Being between jobs does not diminish your expertise.

Today, I would rather walk away from an opportunity than accept compensation that is grossly below my worth.

The same principle applies when people seek free professional services. If a consultation fee has been communicated, respect it. Behind every piece of professional advice are years of study, experience, mistakes, growth, and investment.

Never be ashamed to charge for your expertise.

And never allow a temporary circumstance to convince you that your professional value has disappeared.

Know your worth. Then protect it.

#lawyerefik

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