Uh oh…what is this? A woman revealing her age?  Yes, proudly.  This is a tribute to my 30s.  Thirties you were amazing, even though you started like a Netflix horror series trailer.  Are you ready for the plot?

A week before my 30th birthday, I was made redundant. Not a good start right? I was living in another city so had to leave my independence, and moved back with my parents to my hometown. Plus I had bought a fridge the day before so had to sell it again -for less money- as my parents didn’t really expected me with that type of souvenir. Anyway, I felt awful, sad, and my mind collapsed for a week like Ally McBeal.

Terrible news, but not tragic; it was the perfect excuse to travel.  Therefore, I changed my mind, looked at the positive side, and used the redundancy money to buy myself a holiday to the UK to visit my British boyfriend. It was supposed to be only for a month but I ended up staying longer. I went for a break, and came back and landed a job. Now the story is looking better ah?! Light at the end of the tunnel!

In 10 years, so many things happen, kids, life, jobs, trips, and all the happy news we share on social media. A redundancy letter was only the start. It’s our decision to be the martyr or to move on and find our own luck.

One of the things I remember the most about my 30s was listening to Paula Scher at a D&AD event, a woman who reinvents herself at every decade. Paula is one of the most influential graphic designers in the world and her advice is unbelievably good. Ian Black wrote a perfect summary with key points from Scher’s career story. If you have time, have a look at “5 lessons from influential designer Paula Scher”. If in a hurry, read below.

Your career is like a staircase

• 20s – When you start out, you are learning an awful lot, climbing higher and higher in leaps and bounds. Yet you don’t seem to get very far forward, because you’re still soaking everything in.
• 30s – You have developed some professional status, giving you some satisfaction and assuredness. You can finally expect some recognition but you’re still learning a lot.
• 40s – You’re learning less, but refining your craft as an expert in your field. You’re also working to fight off those younger designers still in their 30s for the same jobs.
• 50s – You’re growing much less, but it doesn’t matter because you have power. Your clients are all the same age as yourself. You likely grew up with many of these people, and they have the power to give you great projects. You may not be as innovative as you were when you were young, but you have acquired a lot of knowledge.
• 60s – It’s really just your 50s extended until the end where you don’t know what’s going on any longer!

Life is a rollercoaster, so it’s your choice. We are the things we do and also the ones we don’t.