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Crossing fingers has been ineffective. Prayers to the christian God, and other gods have been ineffective. The imaginary goat has been ready for sacrifice for some time now, as part of a policy to try all avenues, including sacrifices. Last Friday the goat was spared, and I was offered a job. The goat, who lives in Adelaide, is happy – I am told.

Some happy people

People often ask what happens to cyclists after their big bike trip. Like many others, I left my job and got rid of all my possessions to do the trip. Now I’m at the other end of the adventure. This is the third update of the ordeals of a world cyclist starting a new life post-cycling adventure. (This is the first update, and this is the second.)

Returning to Adelaide, months later.

I have been offered and accepted a job as medical writer at NPS Medicinewise (https://www.nps.org.au). NPS is a not-for-profit organisation that provide independent information on medicines and medical procedures for medical professionals and the general public. Their goal is to improve healthcare delivery in Australia. I am really looking forward to starting the new job this Thursday.

I ran past the opera house a lot.

It took ten months to find a job. That’s if you count from the time I finished my 41483km bike trip from the Netherlands to Adelaide, Australia. If you count from when I got really serious, moving to Sydney and sending off many, many applications, it has been 5 months. I applied for 63 jobs and was invited to 11 interviews. I also had 3 job recruiters that put my name forward for positions that didn’t lead to an interview. I have been to three networking drinks, volunteered opening envelopes on multiple occasions, and given a motivational talk for runners training for a marathon, raising money for cancer. Many friends have helped, and for all their support, I am truly grateful.

This has been a journey every bit as tumultuous as the 2-year bicycle trip. I left my life in Europe mid-career and mid-life (I don’t think it was a mid-life crisis though). I arrived in Australia with a good CV but no professional network in Australia, and a two-year gap on my CV. I was interested in working in communications in the not-for-profit sector, and found myself in a dilemma. Not-for-profits are typically small and pay poorly. No-one believed I would stay in a job like that, and so I didn’t receive any offers. Jobs in the communications market in general are hotly contested given the number of skilled, experienced journalists who have been made redundant as the journalism industry goes online and is undergoing fundamental change. For these jobs, experience in Australia is valuable, as is an Australian network. So, here I was, watching my savings dwindle, and applying for jobs. Lots of jobs.

View from Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair

My mood was like a rollercoaster. When interesting jobs were in the pipeline, I was happy. I
spent my time with my new partner Aaron, and running in the glorious sun (which has been shining here all winter). There were days when my irons in the fire all dissolved and left me returning to square one. Again.
‘You are a very strong candidate, but..’
‘There was an amazing number of really great candidates, and unfortunately..’

Being unemployed and looking for work, I felt like less of a person. All around me were people working, contributing. Although I have never really been extravagant with money, I noticed myself looking after my money more than ever, and even becoming angry at this consumerist world. All the while, I was thankful for my family, friends and partner, and wishing for this period to be over.

The email must have arrived (although I was offline) when I was at Frazer Beach. I saw the email a few hours later. I tentatively opened it. I had opened many emails like this before. I was great, but.. And, in this one, I got the job. My worries washed away, and I was happy. Now, the next phase of my life can begin. 🙂

Frazer Beach

The bike trip took 2 years, and spanned 41483km to Adelaide and about 43000km to Sydney. It was the best thing I have ever done in my life, and I am so, so happy to have done it. I never felt any other way about this during and after the trip. If you know what your dream is, do it! I am now excited about the next chapter of my life. Bring it on!

I will finally get a job when it falls off, I said, not usually one to believe in random charms. Around my wrist are the last remnants of a yellow ribbon giving me luck from a monk in Laos. That thread has been hanging on grimly for ages. Sydney has not yet given me a job, but it has given me new green and black ribbon from a lovely new partner.

My new green and black band

When I stood in front of the Brighton Jetty in Adelaide, after a two year and 41483km journey from the Netherlands, the last two years overwhelmed my mind. Every day I was living a new story – a new piece of the journey. I felt like I had more memories of the last two years than the preceding 44. Eight months later, the cycling adventure has receded to become an episode – a really cool one – of my life. The following (and current) episode is challenging me – finding a new life is harder than I thought. I am ready for it, but my new life is not ready for me yet, telling me ‘no’ time after time. So, as well as writing job applications, going to interviews, volunteering and doing some maths tutoring, I am going on long runs.

Running to the airport makes me feel I am on holiday again!

Royal National Park

I have been invited to interviews for a comms job at an eco-tourism organisation aiming to protect endangered species. I didn’t have the Australian journalist network another candidate had. With an aboriginal organisation, they wanted a combination data analyst (I have 12 years experience) and comms person (4 years experience) to help drive their policy development. For that job I didn’t have practical experience making infographics. For an organisation giving youth education scholarships, I didn’t have the experience in the Not-For-Profit space.

Getting ready for a job interview.

This is disheartening, but I am consoled that I am not alone. I am not alone, as there are thousands of other professionals out there hearing ‘no’ a lot too. More importantly, I am not alone as I have my loving family and friends, and a wonderful new man in my life.

Me and Aaron.

I expected that the last update would be the last before my ‘I have a new job post’. Maybe this one will be. When I get a job, I’ll move these posts to the top of my blog. Next for me is moving out of my flat away from a flat-mate personality clash, and spending more time getting to know my new partner, Aaron. Life goes on. I live in happiness that I had cycled my dream, and, when the universe is ready, the next stage will be amazing too!

My run to Bronte Beach.