Moved country and scared to look for a new job.
To cut a long story short, I’m a Brit who met an Aussie girl while backpacking around Europe. We ended up getting quite close, travelled around Europe together for a few months, and eventually lived together in Australia for three months. I decided to get my Working Holiday Visa and come back out here to give things a proper shot. If everything works out, the plan is that we could eventually apply for a partner visa.
Back in the UK, I worked in the TV industry for about a decade, mainly as a cameraman. But the industry has been shrinking, partly because of the rise of social media, and I’d already started thinking that it wasn’t necessarily the most stable career for the future. I figured that if there was ever a good time to change direction, this was it. Coming to Australia seemed like a good opportunity to try something completely different and find a more stable line of work.
The problem is that now I’m actually here, I feel completely paralysed by the choice.
1. I have no idea what I’m qualified for.
TV is such a niche industry that I feel like I have very few genuinely transferable skills beyond the usual things everyone puts on a CV: teamwork, working to deadlines, problem-solving, critical thinking, etc. I know I must have developed useful skills over ten years, but I’m struggling to translate them into jobs outside of TV.
2. I have no idea what kind of work would actually suit me.
Would I enjoy sitting in a cosy office, or would I go completely stir-crazy after spending years running around with a camera? Would I actually enjoy construction or labouring, or would I realise very quickly that I can’t hack heavy physical work all day? I don't really know what I want because I’ve never had the chance to try many of these things.
3. I’m terrified of making the wrong choice.
I can imagine getting an office job, sitting in a cubicle for a few weeks and feeling the walls closing in. Then I’d feel ashamed for wanting to quit — or actually quitting — after such a short time. I’d feel like I’d failed, and then I’d have to face my girlfriend and everyone else and explain why I’d given up.
So I think that’s where I’m stuck. I came here wanting to use this as an opportunity to start a new chapter and build a more stable future, but instead I’m overwhelmed by the feeling that I have to somehow pick the right career without having any idea what the right career actually is. The idea of being in the 9-5 rat race, after a decade of doing a job which didn't feel like that terrifies me also.