Grace Wairimu has a rich career background, having taught at some of the top Kenyan Universities, including Mount Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), and Kenyatta University.
Narrating her journey, Grace revealed she lectured for 25 years, but the salary was way below her expectations, which forced her to relocate to the US in 2019 in search of greener pastures.
Unfortunately, she could not continue lecturing in the US because she lacked the formal qualifications required for the same career in the US.
Better die than poverty, she decided to take up a caregiver job where her role entails taking care of the sick, elderly, recovering, and those in their dying days.
“I realized that regardless of one’s level of education or wealth, there comes a time when you will need to be taken care of and assisted in doing daily tasks,” she said.
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She, however, revealed earnings from the caregiver job are better compared to what she earned from teaching in Kenya.
“As a lecturer, our financial stability largely depended on projects and part-time teaching opportunities, which became scarce. When I came back to Kenya in December 2020, I decided to return to the US,” she says.
Her quest for a better job in the US led her to pursue a Certified Nursing Assistant Course that provided her with the necessary skills to secure a well-paying job in hospitals and nursing homes.
While the job pays her well, she admitted that it is not attractive given the many challenges, including long working hours and abusive clients.
“The remuneration is generous. You are paid $15 (sh2,284) per hour onwards. But it is not an easy job. It is physically demanding and emotionally draining.
“You work long hours and end up with back pains. Sometimes it is back-to-back shifts. Sometimes you have to deal with verbally abusive clients,” she said.
In a day, she attends to at least nine people and is paid on an hourly basis.