I have had a lot of career conversations with individuals and I’d say this is easily among my ‘top 10’. A full-time medical doctor and a full-time writer? Favour’s unique career combination raises intriguing questions about how she manages them both, and what motivates her to pursue both paths…
Quick question, what’s your favourite thing about living in Nigeria?
Living in Nigeria means I don’t worry about being treated differently because of my skin colour. In some other countries, being black can sometimes be a burden because of the way people may perceive or treat you. But here, I can focus on other aspects of my identity without feeling like I’m being judged because of my race.
Very true. You do content writing and medicine, two very different things. Why did you pick these, especially when being a doctor is seen as ‘stable’ for lots of people?
Well, content writing actually came before my journey into medicine. Even before getting into medical school, I had a passion for writing. I started as a creative writer writing fiction and poems. Some eventually got published in literary journals like Midnight and Indigo. One of the stories I remember being published was “Mel Needs a New Name”.
It was a random story I penned down. Other pieces were published in Kalahari Review and African Writers as well. So, writing was a passion before I even thought about medicine. Then, someone introduced me to content writing and I went into the field alongside my studies. In school, I was working as a content writer and even after graduating and becoming a doctor, I continued with content writing.
How did you juggle medical studies and content writingin school?
So when people ask me this question, I’m always like, I didn’t do anything special…that’s number one. There wasn’t any secret formula. The most important thing was: that I saw they were both very important to me. I chose to see it that way because there’s something that happens when you’re in medical school, you feel as though the only important thing to you is medicine. And every other thing is less important and then you don’t strive to do anything else.
But I saw the value in both. Content writing wasn’t just a side gig; it was essential. It paid my bills, supported my education, and gave me a sense of independence. It felt good to go through medical school with financial stability and the freedom to pursue my interests.
You really managed a full-time job while being in medical school
It was a bit crazy to be honest, especially during my final exams. But I had to set my priorities straight from the start. During my finals for instance, passing those exams was my priority. I did manage to perform well, I was among the top 30. So, setting priorities was key for me.
Second is: just believing that you can combine them. There’s this misconception that medical school leaves no time for anything else. But that’s not entirely true. Yeah, it’s demanding, but there are also periods where you can socialize, relax and recharge. I know many people from medical school who managed to balance studying and enjoying life by going out with friends or doing fun things.
Thirdly, I made sure to read on time. The thing is if you don’t start reading on time at the end, you’re going to choke. I made it a habit to begin studying from the start of the academic year. Then when exams came, I would double down a lot. In as much as you’ve been reading the whole time, during exams you have to do twice as much and sacrifice more. It was tough and there were times I felt sad. But then I’d ask myself how many people are juggling these two things. I mean, you’re doing a lot on your own so there’s no need to feel like you’re not good enough, just breathe in and move on. I’d tell myself: If they give you termination of employment you will always find a new job.
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Haha. I’ve heard statements like “If you’re into medicine, you shouldn’t pursue other interests.”
Even now, with a full-time job I still write. I’d admit it’s more challenging balancing work as a doctor and writing but, I’ve found a hack. I write in the evenings and only work with remote companies offering flexible schedules. So while it’s not always easy, I still manage to keep both aspects of my career alive.
You mentioned in a LinkedIn post that marketing is one of your favourite topics to write about. Why is that? Especially since you enjoy creative writing?
I once worked at a branding agency in Ontario as a creative branding assistant. That job exposed me to marketing and advertising which I found interesting. I also worked as a social media manager before focusing on writing. Alongside my job, I was building my personal brand on Instagram and LinkedIn. I really enjoyed working at the agency because it helped me understand marketing better. You know, marketing is something you see everywhere, so it’s easy to understand and connect with.
Plus, I work as a UGC (User Generated Content) curator for brands like Google Jobs and Prime Video. Though I’m what you could call a nano-influencer with around 1,000 plus followers, I now understand how UGC and marketing operate. Applying these skills to my brand makes marketing easier to understand. Writing about something you don’t know much about can be hard.
