How I Messed Up in a Job

When I was in my first semester at JKUAT in 2007, I landed a job to teach the daughter of a rich couple how to play the piano and made five mistakes.

First was charging KSh 500 per lesson that lasted an hour. That was a big mistake because students in Nairobi paid about KSh 1,200 for half-an-hour lesson.

Second was scribbling untidy notes when teaching the daughter music theory, something I later realized made the mother unhappy.

Third was texting the mother at around 3:00 a.m., telling her I would come to pick a calculator I had left. Have you noticed the mistake I did? Texting at 3:00 a.m.!

Fourth was teaching the daughter complex stuff instead of how to play simple compositions clearly, correctly and up-to-speed.

Fifth was turning up in a confused state of mind. I particularly remember the evening I found the whole family seated in the living room and the mother told me her daughter was sick. As I left their home, I had a sickening feeling that they were talking about me.

That evening, the mother asked me whether I had taken her daughter's exercise book. I said 'no', only to find it in my collection of books at JKUAT. I'm sure they thought I was a thief but I had carried the exercise book by mistake.

With such mistakes, is it any wonder that the mother asked me to go away - firmly but politely - when I turned up for work one Saturday evening?

The following day, I sent her a message, apologizing for my confusion and thanking her for the opportunity she'd given me to teach her daughter piano. I really messed up in that job.

********************
RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy "Doors God Closed for Me".