Ep.8 “Youth in Australia – Freedom, Confusion, and Finding My Own Path”

Hello everyone, this is Susan from Artisue.

Today, I want to share a story from when I was twenty —a time filled with freedom, confusion, and endless searching.

After working at a five-star hotel, I decided to challenge myself again and return to art.

So I saved up the money I had earned and enrolled in a design academy. I told myself, “This time, I’ll do what I truly love.”

But reality wasn’t that simple. Things didn’t go the way I hoped, and eventually, I entered TAFE, majoring in Product Design.

The reason I chose product design was actually pretty simple. Since I was young, I’d always read books about business and success stories. So I thought, “If I study product design, I can create my own product, start a business, and make it big!”I wanted to learn a type of design that could clearly make money.

But once I started, I realized…it wasn’t at all what I imagined. We were designing cars and motorbikes — things I had absolutely no clue about. What I wanted was to paint, decorate, and express emotions with colors. Instead, we were sketching with markers and working with 3D CAD programs.

It was so technical, so hard —and honestly, it just wasn’t me. Even now, I get nervous around computer programs. But back then, I didn’t know what else to do, so I just kept pushing through.

The course was supposed to take two years…but it took me four. 😅And during that time, the only subject I truly enjoyed —and did well in — was Art History. I loved researching and presenting about art movements and their meanings. That’s when I realized —maybe I loved the stories behind art, not the technical side of it.

Eventually, I accepted that design wasn’t my path. So I decided to go back to what I was already good at — hospitality. I switched my major to Hotel Management at TAFE, and at the same time, I started preparing to become a flight attendant.

To gain more experience, I joined the Four Seasons Hotel. Because I already had work experience, I quickly adapted and did well. At 23, I was one of the older ones among my peers, and within just six months, I was promoted to VIP Executive Lounge Attendant.

Working there changed me .Every day, I met some of the wealthiest and most successful people in the world. I learned so much from them — their eye contact, their way of speaking, their manners and confidence. Those were lessons no classroom could ever teach.

I still remember one night vividly. After finishing my shift, I sat alone in the quiet, dark lounge, looking out the window at the Sydney Opera House glowing under the night sky .And I thought to myself, “One day, I’ll come back here — not as a staff member, but as a successful woman, dining at this very place. ”That dream gave me strength. 🌃

And… it was at the Four Seasons Hotel that I met the father of my child. That meeting would change the course of my life completely.