WHY MUST I DO FREE JOBS?

I always tell gospel artistes that gospel music is a profession and that means it is done by professionals who have invested time and resources to develop their skills which in turn means they'll
need to recoup their investment so they can use it to develop their skills further among other things. So it is necessary to charge a fee as a professional.

As a student of a tertiary institution at some point you have to go for an industrial training (IT) as part of your education. Usually, you apply at a relevant company and hope they accept you. It is their prerogative to give you an allowance or not. If you're fortunate, you get one, else you don't. Reason being that they are giving you the practical training required in the market place which ordinarily you should pay for so they owe you nothing and if you get an allowance you're just fortunate.

As a gospel artiste, are you a professional? Have you gone through the relevant training required to make you a professional? Yes, you passed your music exams with distinction, have you done your industrial training? Are you in demand yet? Why do you want to get paid? what are you offering that no one else is offering? Will an organiser miss you if you don't perform at their show? what's your fan base like?

These are some of the things you have to consider when you refuse to perform a gig just because you aren't being paid. You have to remember there are levels to this profession. Don't skip your IT level in an attempt to get a pay check at all costs.

Even big corporate organisations are required to do free jobs. It's called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or Pro bono in the legal system.

So why shouldn't you do free jobs?

Please share with us in the comment section below why you think you shouldn't do free jobs at the stage your career is and let's see if you're making the right decision. :)



Best wishes!
Jesam.