Most statistics out there reflecting on the several to seven career changes we will supposedly have during our lifetime, pertain to Americans. It is hard to find a strictly Australian statistic on this matter. In fact, I have not yet found one story that could point me to a shred of factual evidence to say we share in the American trend for so many career changes. The “evidence” out there is, it would seem, circumstantial and anecdotal.

So why is this even a point?

Well, for starters, when we say “… most people…” when referring to a supposed statistic, the chances are the research, if any, was done in the United States of America. This means that there is a lot of “research” being batted about the web that is simply wrong, or incorrectly applied. It is this kind of statistical plasticity that leads to “urban legends” and factual gymnastics. Also, it’s just annoying.

Having said that, I am heading into a career change myself. Some have told me that it may not be a wise move to write about such a topic. To those people, I thank them for their obviously kind and thought out advice, but I write about events surrounding my life, and this is a fairly large occasion requiring documentation. If you happen to be a professional in either of the fields I happen to currently be involved in, hi! I would really like it if you could add your two cents worth in a comment down below.

Yes, there have been mutterings in regards to the appropriateness of certain things I have been writing about. Some have said I should not state that I am a newbie when it comes to certain things because it will show prospective employees “the truth” behind any claims I may make in the future. For instance, if I suggest I may be a complete whiz at one program and then it happens to come to light that there was a time that I was not, that may reflect poorly on my subsequent work. To this I say, we all had to come from somewhere. We all have a path that has led us to the present. Thus we all have a history that, in this day of the web and blogging, will be indelibly marked on the face of the web forever.

So, back to the original story. I am a professional body piercer. This, in itself, may taint some prospective employer’s opinion of me. They may hereon in see me as an overly pierced freak who cannot hold down a ‘real job’ or is a threat to the professional image of their business. This is, unfortunately, an outcome I am used to. That is not to say it does not effect me when it does occur. However, it is why I now include a picture of myself in all of my CVs and applications I have sent out. When staring in the face of potential discrimination, it is best to be proactive.

Now that I have come to the one-third-through milestone of my degree, I feel it is time to start employing the learning I am currently conducting. It is time to start making a difference in another field. I have done all I can for the body modification industry in Perth. They can survive without me. It is time for this verbose, opinionated, hard-working personage to get out and try something different. Time to interact with something else I feel requires my magic touch: the world of Social Media.

Now, those of you who know Nephthys will know that she is rather tirelessly active on multiple platforms. Perhaps a little too much. It is for this reason that I have decided that this is the Way To Go. I have done a fair amount of unpaid work in this field and, for the sake of sanity and perhaps world betterment, think it is time to start looking for paid work.

However, this is more than a little scary. They do not add all the scary stuff into the glossy brochure they hand out at career advisory agencies. Yes, they tell you where you can go to get all this magical learning. They show you how to rework a resume or CV to get A job, but what about what you need to do to get THE job? No one can tell you that, and that is the scary part.

When you have been in an industry for some time, you know what is required of you to obtain THAT job. You can look at a business, see their needs, understand what it is of the position they are actually asking for and, if necessary, dazzle them with your awesomeness when the actual credentials might fail you. When you are embarking on the journey of entering a new career, you find yourself second-guessing your abilities. You may know that you are perfect for the position, but how do you let them know that?

That is where this particular link comes in. It shows amazing ways in which people have managed to take the ordinary piece of paper that everyone sends off, and turn it into something eye-catching and original. Let’s face it. Reading resumes is boring. As someone previously in charge of filtering through many many resumes for a single position, it gets tiresome very quickly. If even one of these came across my desk, I would have offered them the position in a heart beat. They may not have had the requirements of the position, but they did something different. They got my attention and kept it. Simple. I think this is the way to gather interest in you, especially in light of the web and whatnot. Do something that gets attention and maintain it.

In light of this, I shall be revolutionising my resume. It may take some time, but it’ll be amazing. I shall link to it when it is complete, and you may revel in its glory.

This time ten years ago, I was alone in a hospital room. I was scared. I was nervous. I was tired as hell. I was hungry. I was cold and feeling very very lonely.

This time ten years ago, I was almost double my current weight. My hair was double its current length. I had significantly less piercings. I had no tattoos.

Exactly this time ten years ago, I was writing in a journal, now long lost in a myriad of house-moves. I was writing what may well have been the most important letter of my life.

It was a letter to my then unborn daughter.

I was young. I was single. I was unemployed. I was a burden on society and my family, and I was very very pregnant.

I wanted to tell my daughter all of my mistakes in life up until that point, knowing that there would have been more to come. I wanted to tell her so that she would not have to make them, knowing she would have plenty of her own. This time ten years ago, what it meant to be a parent finally started to fall into place for me.

I wanted to tell her that no matter what anyone might say to her, that she was most definitely wanted. That no matter how people judged her and her family, she was exactly where she was supposed to be in life. That she was loved. I wanted to tell her that she was my daughter and that nothing would come between that.

Ten years ago I could not have foreseen the tumultuous lives we have both led. I could have seen that mistakes of mine would come between us, that she would stay within the family, but not with me, for a little while at least. I was not aware that there would be times when I would question my own motives in keeping her, and that these would be triumphed by the times when I held her so close I never thought I’d let her go.

Ten years ago, there was a beating heart besides my own inside me. Now it walks the world, albeit at the end of my hand. In know in the not too distant future I am going to have to let it go so that she can walk the world on her own.

Ten years ago I could not have guessed that in ten years time we would be where we are, in a loving home where we are safe and feel wanted and loved. I could not have guessed I would be proud of the little baby who kicked at my sides, aching for more room.

I hope that in ten years time I will be able to look into my daughter’s eyes and say that I did my best, as I see her off into the world. I hope I have the strength to do so without crying. I hope I will not have been so hardened by the world that I will not dare to cry either.

Ten years… it’s a long time.