What a Difference a Year Makes (a 2013 Life Update!)

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A wee bit of a philosophical post for you today guys :)

At the start of 2013 I was feeling pretty unsettled and needed a change in my life. I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but I wanted to do something exciting, and travelling was the first step.

Chilling in Erinsborough ;)

As you saw if you read my blog back between March and May, I had an INCREDIBLE time in Australia. While I was there I realised so much about myself. I gained confidence I didn't know I had. I realised that I love discovering and exploring new places, but living far away from my family and friends just isn't an option for me - my favourite people are always going to be my priority! I also figured that that little adventure was the perfect way to finish off my years of total freedom before coming back and getting a ''proper job''.

The reality was ever so slightly different though. In the two months I was in Australia, the job situation back home didn't exactly change, and getting a full time job doing anything never mind something I was remotely interested in was proving to be near impossible. Which became incredibly stressful and frustrating. After starting a part time job in June I knew it wasn't enough and I needed something more. Every interview I had said ''we really love your passion and ideas for digital marketing BUT you don't have any marketing qualifications''. It was that awful catch 22 - you can't seem to get a job without previous experience, degree or not, but experience alone isn't enough either. Going back to uni to do a Masters was always something I wanted to do at some point, but until the summer I hadn't thought that point was now.

And now I'm in the midst of my first term doing a Masters Degree in International Marketing. Is it a lot of work? Yes? Am I currently typing this blog post and avoiding reading yet another article about Competitive Advantage? Absolutely yes. But would I change the decision? Not in a million years. I love being at uni, and I'm incredibly lucky to be in a position to be able to go back and study. Obviously I'm pretty sure this is something that will get me a good job in the end - I wouldn't be doing it otherwise - but having the chance to be back in an educational environment and learning new things and meeting new people feels great.

View of the library from where I'm currently working...

The point of this post really is just to reflect a wee bit on how much has changed in the past year. I have a horrible obsession with time (just ask my best friend!) and how quickly it passes by, and so if you had told me in October 2012 that within a year I'd be in the midst of a Masters Degree and have flown to the other side of the world on my own and travelled around for a couple of months, I'd never have believed you. Add to that the impact blogging more regularly has had and the lovely friends I've made through that, and it's safe to say things are looking just a tiny bit different!

So it's true what they say. A change is as good as a holiday. I have no idea what the next year holds, but I'm excited. It's crazy how you can sometimes find yourself on an unexpected path and realise it was the best thing for you, so if you're at a point in your life right now when you're not sure what comes next, try not to freak out. Life is rarely ever perfect, but things have the strangest habit of starting to fall into place without you even realising it <3 Thanks for reading - here's to the next adventure, whatever and whenever it may be!