I'm a 3D artist working for a video game developer. My situation is very unusual. I couldn't find work for over a year after graduating because the video game industry is very competitive and barely recognised by the government. So I took an incredibly stupid risk and did an unpaid internship for an indie mobile app developer I never heard of, working in my boss's apartment and his makeshift office (literally his dining table).

10 years later, I'm still working for the same company. Except now I'm earning $75,000 a year (expecting $90,000 next year), and we're in the process of upgrading from shared floor space in a skyscraper to occupying the entire top floor ourselves. We got acquired by a major company, which activated my employee options that I have since reinvested.

I could be earning a lot more for my age, but I have no dependants, a cheap mortgage, a good relationship with my boss, and love what I do for a living. Plus, finding a permanent creative arts job that provides super and annual leave is rarer than hen's teeth, so of course I'm going to hold on to it.