I had this dream that by the time I turned thirty I’d have my life figured out and know what I wanted but from my experience that’s not the case. Currently I’m unemployed, broke and meant to be living my best life in Australia, travelling around and seeing all sorts of places. However, here I am sat in bed at 10 on a Tuesday morning beginning a blog because I don’t have anywhere else to be.
I left my job as a teacher in December for a number of reasons (I could talk about why for hours- but I won’t) and since then have been trying and failing to find a new job with all the apparent transferable skills I’ve gained as a teacher. I can tell everyone that I have good people skills, am organised (although I’m really not) and am good at admin tasks but turns out I’m just not that employable. It’s been six months and so far, no bite. I’m not for one minute saying that I’m the only person in this position because I know that so many people are going through this and the feeling sucks.
I lie, I was offered a job in Indonesia, but I have turned it down because I feel settled in Melbourne. Also moving countries is a lot of work and mental energy. I know because I’ve moved countries three times- Spain, Chile and now Australia. My Mum found me moving to Australia the hardest because “why would I leave her?” and “how could I?”. I think because she always saw Spain and Chile as temporary, but Australia has the possibility of being permanent- she’s an Aussie who met a Brit, when over there on a gap year and then never left. She’s worried that will happen to me- I can tell you if the current state of my love life or lack of is anything to go by, she has absolutely nothing to worry about.
My Mum might end up being a common theme in this blog. I may be thirty but somehow, I still feel like a child who calls her mum about any small inconvenience in my life. My Dad and many others believe we have a co-dependent relationship- he’s not wrong. It’s partly why I moved to the other side of the world- to give myself a chance to prove I could survive without being able to run home every time things got tough. It was working well until I became unemployed and now rely on the parents for everything again. The only difference now is I don’t live under their roof and am 12,000 miles away but I do have to justify any purchase I make- really helps you feel like you’re thriving as an adult.
I have been told by so many people that thirty is an age of change. Many people change careers at thirty and retrain and try something new. I took this on board and started a master’s in special and Inclusive Education. Who thought I’d be back living the student lifestyle at 30? Relying on my parents, lying in bed all day and leaving all my work to the last minute- not me that’s for sure. I honestly forgot how rough referencing is and made the rookie error on my first assignment of not referencing as I went along. It took hours to find where I had got all my information. I mean hours. Hours that I will never get back.
On the bright side, I have watched so much tv that I could probably become an encyclopaedia on shows worth watching at this point. In addition, all this free time on my hands has meant that I’m around to purchase concert tickets when they are announced. I spent five and a half hours of my life in February trying to get Hilary Duff tickets- time will tell if that was worth it. As long as she sings “What Dreams are made of” I’ll be happy! Concert tickets are the thing getting me through- 7 concerts over the course of 2026. Some of you might say a bad financial decision given my current circumstances and my Mum would agree. I on the other hand need something to look forward too, plus I swear I bought most of them before I spent all my savings.
If you want to follow my journey, a thirty-year-old, who recently found out she has ADHD and Autism; calls her mum about every small inconvenience in her day (while navigating a time difference); started a master’s and is navigating her chaotic life, while trying to find a job. If any of that sounds familiar, welcome. We’ll figure it out together — or at least spiral entertainingly.
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