It's tough building career confidence with a disability. Here's how I landed my dream job

Gabrielle was self-conscious of her disability and struggled in job interviews after she graduated. It took 17 years, but now she's landed her dream job.

Gabrielle at her graduation ceremony for her bachelor's degree.

The 9th of December 2021 is a day that I’ll never forget. On that day, I was offered the job of my dreams.

For most people, getting a job that they train for after they graduate is a normal rite of passage, but for me, it’s taken over 20 years.

Having Cerebral Palsy has made life a little more difficult for me. I grew up having my intellect questioned and my ability was limited. I remember being told that I’d never go to university.

I was born in Australia, but grew up mostly in the UK. My family moved around often for my dad’s work, which left me with a love for travel and an interest in other countries.

I finished school in Perth, and after going to TAFE for two years, I got into university for a Politics and International Studies degree, which I remember completely blew my 20-year-old mind. I loved studying the big picture in international affairs and looking at how culture, politics and economics impacted individuals.

Gabrielle Trenbath at UN Headquarters in Geneva in July 2010.

My parents always wanted me to be financially independent, so I could eventually move out of home. But I struggled with the courage and confidence to front up to interviews for the kind of jobs that most people do as students. Some jobs seemed impossible, especially when my poor balance and coordination prevented me from doing tasks like serving tables.

For most of my twenties, I found casual work. It was very precarious, enough to stay off welfare, but not enough to move out of home. I washed dishes, worked in hot kitchens and flipped burgers. I worked as a carer in nursing homes and in hospitals, and did administrative office work; whatever I could get my hands on.

When I was 28, I began a Masters in Diplomacy and Trade; my dream course that allowed me to complete an internship in Malaysia at the Australian High Commission and attend the United Nations’ Graduate Study Programme in Geneva.

Gabrielle graduating with her Master's Degree alongside family in 2012.

But as my graduation approached, there was no job certainty. I desperately wanted to work, move out of home, and look at buying property like many of my peers, but somehow I always completely froze in job interviews, like a kangaroo in headlights. I had such a hard time articulating what value I could bring to the workplace. I felt like such a fraud - that it would only be a matter of time before they would find out I wasn’t capable.

In my final semester I did a traineeship to become a nursing assistant in a large Perth hospital. The full-time, stable employment finally enabled me to move out of my parents house - which, I can tell you, they were super happy about it. I was also able to travel, volunteer abroad at the Red Cross in Ghana, join a journalism project in India, and complete a marketing internship in Shanghai.

Gabrielle in her first full-time job as a nursing assistant.

Then, 17 years after completing my undergraduate degree, I was finally successful in joining a graduate program with a state government department. It was a huge boost to my confidence, and after working there for a few years, I applied for the job of my dreams on a whim, not even half-expecting to get an interview. After all, I had applied for literally hundreds of similar jobs without any luck in the past.

But this time it was different. I landed the role. I thought all my Christmases had come at once.

As I sit here in Perth surrounded by boxes, the move to Canberra to actually work in international affairs does not seem real, and sometimes I wonder if I’ll wake up and realise it’s all been a lovely dream.

I’m so glad that I didn’t give up. I’m now in my 40’s, but if I could speak to my younger self, I would tell her to have more confidence in my abilities, and to focus more on what I could contribute, rather than what I couldn’t do. I’m looking forward to my new life, it’s going to be so exciting.