A promotion is a major milestone for any professional who is serious about their career growth. However, it does not come without its challenges.
What do you do in a case where you get a promotion at the expense of friendships that you have built over time? Do you focus on growing your career, or nurturing a social life? Here is one professional’s story.
Melon’s Story
“I graduated like most people, hoping to get a big NGO job that paid me a lot of money, but that was a long dream. I hustled for close to 4 years before I even managed to get just one call for an interview. The first time it happened, I panicked so much that it cost me a job opportunity.
However, a year later, I was lucky enough to land a good job, though the pay was very minimal. I was bummed at first, but then I decided to be content with it and make it work. I gave my all and eventually, it turned out to be a great opportunity.
I have worked at the company for more than 3 years now, and have grown in terms of my skills. Apart from this, I have managed to make good friends, who are also my colleagues at the office. It has been an exciting experience.
Last week, my life at the office changed. My boss called me to his office and offered me a promotion. In normal circumstances, I would have been very happy, but I was not. This is because he wants me to supervise my friends. I feel like he is putting me in an uncomfortable position. When he told me about the promotion, I told him that I would think about it.
I really want to take the promotion and advance in my career, but at the same time, I do not want to lose my friends. How will they relate to me once I become their ‘boss’? To be honest, I feel like I will not be able to be both a friend and a supervisor to them because that is a very thin rope to balance on.
Please advise me because I am very desperate. What makes it worse is the fact that when I confided in my friends about the offer, they just stopped speaking to me. I need to know which decision is the wise one to make before my boss withdraws his offer.”
