My big leap: from France to Melbourne

So here's the deal. I was settled in the South of France, living a pretty calm and well-oiled life: freelancing, sunshine, the sea, good beers, and my little bike...

Basically, the dream for many people. But then, there was this little voice telling me I needed something different. It sounds crazy, but one morning, I thought to myself, "Dude, you're about to turn 30, go for it: Jet off to the other side of the world." And bam, a few weeks later, here I am in Australia, in Melbourne, at the start of 2024.

The first days: a mix of WTF and awe

Melbourne is another planet. Arriving here, between the jet lag, the language barrier (even though it's English, the Australian accent is something else!), and the mountain of paperwork to settle in, it was a bit of organized chaos trying to figure out how everything works here.

Facing the struggles: ingenuity for survival

The thing is, when you arrive in a new country without knowing a soul, you have to fend for yourself and build a new professional network. So, I put my dev skills to work. AI, automation, web development, I used it all to make my life easier, find plans, contacts, work. It's crazy how coding can save you in situations like this.

Building a new network: The human adventure 2.0

The biggest challenge was creating a new professional circle... Personal life was fine, I'm quite sociable when I want to be, no issues there! But here, far from my comfort zone, I had to learn how to sell myself in a language I barely mastered, to pitch my profile and skills in a kind of professional speed dating. LinkedIn became my best friend, and my personal projects, my best business card.

Midway review: Between struggles and revelations

A month later, I'm starting to see the first results and my first interviews. I had my doubts about my English, but I quickly realized that the terms we use in France, well, they're the same here.

Life lessons from a nomadic dev

If I had to draw lessons from all this, I'd say that embarking on an adventure means accepting struggles, but it's also an opportunity to reinvent yourself. You have to be ready to question everything, to learn, to adapt. It's not always easy, but honestly, it's worth it.

In short, this adventure is me diving into the deep end, with my doubts and hopes. Melbourne has become my new arena, and I'm ready to face the next rounds. Bring it on!