There’s this idea we’re all sold early on.
Study hard. Pick something you enjoy. Go to university. Graduate. Walk straight into a job you love.
Nice story. Doesn’t always happen.
A lot of people leave university full of hope, especially in creative fields like graphic design, film, fashion, writing… and then reality hits. Jobs are competitive. Experience is required. Entry-level roles don’t feel very “entry-level” at all.
And suddenly, you’re stuck.
You’re applying. You’re hearing nothing back. Or you’re being told you’re not experienced enough. Weeks turn into months. Months turn into years. Confidence starts to dip.
That doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
It means you’re in a gap that nobody really prepares you for.
Here’s the part people don’t like to say out loud: sometimes you can’t get exactly what you want straight away.
And that’s not the end of the story.
It just means you need a different route.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting a job that isn’t your dream job. In fact, for most people, that’s exactly what happens. You take something that pays the bills. Something steady. Something that gives you breathing room.
Then you build your dream alongside it.
That might look like:
- doing freelance work in the evenings
- building a portfolio bit by bit
- offering your skills to small businesses
- creating your own projects instead of waiting to be hired
- learning new tools that make you more competitive
It’s slower. It’s not glamorous. It’s not the version you imagined when you graduated.
But it works.
Because while everyone else is waiting for the “perfect opportunity,” you’re actually building something real.
Also, there’s something else worth saying.
Three years “on the dole” isn’t just about not working. It can quietly chip away at confidence, routine, and identity. You stop feeling like you’re moving forward. You start questioning your choices.
That’s why momentum matters more than perfection.
Even a small job. Even part-time work. Even something completely unrelated. It gives structure. It gives you people around you. It gives you a sense that you’re back in motion again.
And once you’re moving, things start to shift.
Opportunities don’t always come from applying online. They come from doing, meeting people, trying things, being visible.
You don’t have to give up on what you studied.
You just don’t have to wait for it to arrive perfectly packaged either.
Build it on the side.
Grow it slowly.
Let it develop while life carries on.
It might not be the path you planned.
But it’s still a path forward.
And forward is what matters.
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