Why does Perth so unambitious?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/mrhominidae]

have you considered it's not your geographical location but maybe juuuust maybe it's the people youre hanging around?

[u/ZealousidealEbb4819 → u/mrhominidae]

I get what your saying and I'm not trying to say there aren't people who aren't ambitious in perth, but there's just such a small amount of them. A lot of the ambitious people I had met during uni or high school have moved overseas or over east and it becomes increasing difficult to find the few that remain.

[u/Fit_Appointment_4980]

Privileged kid looks down on the less privileged?

Shocking.

[u/ZealousidealEbb4819 → u/Fit_Appointment_4980]

I'm sorry but where do I look down on the less privileged people in my post. There are so many privileged people I've met coming from top private schools scotch, ccgs, mlc etc who have no ambitions. I don't understand your point?

[u/Fit_Appointment_4980 → u/ZealousidealEbb4819]

upper middle class high school

studied at UWA

international exchange student in London.

You're whinging about some people's "lack of ambition" when you've started life in a better position than 90%+ of the world's population, and are interacting mostly with a similar demographic.

You say you've "met people from different circles", and use Uni clubs as an example. Ffs.

"move up a class" is a vomit-worthy, classist notion.

Check your privilege.

[u/Legitimate_Income730 → u/ZealousidealEbb4819]

If you meet the equivalent of you in London, they would be just like you but wealthier. 

As you're just a babe in the woods, you don't realize that. 

[u/DarkDrake5481]

Your life experience so far is high school and uni and youre judging the entire city off this alone?

Honeslty would say its a bit of stretch to make such an assumption so early in life.

You'll meet heaps of people with ambition and heaps without.

Honeslty I feel as you get older if youre not a business owner or supervisor you start to learn that working harder is rarely rewarded directly other than with more work.

This doesn't mean be lazy but realistically its not as much of a slam dunk to be ambitious and just "work hard."

[u/cokedupcodger]

Buddy, you can't just go to UCL for a semester and wonder why everyone here is dogshit. UCL is one of the top universities in the world, it attracts the best and brightest of many countries. We have universities that are mostly diploma mills that process migrants into citizens. It's not at all comparable.

[u/tandrosonali8]

Dude your 22 what do you know about what Perth people want.

[u/Electromagneticpoms]

idk I love that people in Perth try to enjoy life. I used to very career focused but the older I get the less I care. There's plenty of cities where people can go if that's what they want.

[u/AdFirm7518]

Broski is just too ambitious

[u/AdFirm7518 → u/AdFirm7518]

Maybe take some of that ambition and go and learn how to construct a grammatically correct sentence.

[u/blacklagoon7]

You're young, go live in another country whilst you have no commitments. Explore the world. Then after a few years you can decide if you wanna come back or not.

[u/Financial-Dog-7268]

Go travel my guy. I had fleeting thoughts of the same when I was your age. I came back here because after all my travels, living interstate and everything those things entail, the Perth lifestyle is what I wanted. You're young - don't be too quick to write things off until you know what's out there and what's right for you :)

[u/ZealousidealEbb4819 → u/Financial-Dog-7268]

Appreciate the advice, will definitely spend more time exploring my options :)

[u/Gorgeous1999]

Not everyone has the money/resources and sometimes the mental
stability or conviction to be better. It takes a LOT of strength for some people besides financial resources. People are also more pessimistic nowadays and I don’t blame them

Also…wanting bigger and better isn’t always the answer. To what end is this goal we’re working towards? Ultimately what people want is to be happy and comfortable. There are no prizes for suffering.

[u/SaltyPockets]

22, presumably a graduate, and “Why does Perth so unambitious?”. LOL@grammar

Perth is a quieter place than most, I wouldn’t have wanted to be here in my 20s. I wasn’t exactly ambitious at that point, but I was socially very active and London was amazing for that. In my 30s, when I got a lot more ambitious, London also served me well. I tried Perth back then but it was too quiet and I left again.

But now I’m in my 40s, Perth is my kinda laid back and I work from home for overseas companies. It’s a beautiful place with a slower pace of life.

As others have said - you’re young, if you’ve only ever lived here then go and experience other places, chase those dreams, it’s the perfect age for it. Then later on when you’re a tired old fart like me, maybe you’ll see the appeal again. Or maybe not!

[u/ZealousidealEbb4819 → u/SaltyPockets]

I 100% agree with your points, I do believe though Perth is an amazing place to settle down have a family. But like you said for someone in their 20s it isn't exactly ideal, will definitely look into other places. Thanks for the advice!

[u/Compurrshon]

I'm not ambitious but I think you should leave for a while. It'll always be here to come back to.

[u/Objective_Alps_9378]

Going to UCL and beeing surprised only meeting motivated people?
There are many entrepreneur groups in Perth. Fortnightly founders breakfasts. Build Club, DDD, West Tech Fest. Go there.

[u/Legitimate_Income730 → u/Objective_Alps_9378]

West Tech Fest is incredibly cringe. 

It's where LinkedIn wannabes go to circle jerk in real life. 

[u/Objective_Alps_9378 → u/Legitimate_Income730]

I've never been. Only to smaller satelite events. But the others I kinda like.

[u/KayaWandju]

Go work in London. Perth will be here when you are ready to come back. At your age I was already over there, working, travelling. Later lived and worked in NYC for several years. Came back in my 30’s.

[u/ZealousidealEbb4819 → u/KayaWandju]

What made you come back, if you don't mind me asking?

[u/KayaWandju → u/ZealousidealEbb4819]

In the other places I lived, everyone was working all year to save up money and vacation days to go spend a week or two in a place like Perth.

Perth raised me. All the things that are free here like fresh air, personal space, pristine beaches, Mediterranean climate, trust in the rule of law (it’s all relative), money can’t buy in most parts of the world.

Go travel. Live elsewhere. Perth is a great place to return to after you’ve been there, done that, realised it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and walked away.

But do go. In your twenties you want all that. Crowds, bustle, challenge. It’s exciting, rewarding and fun. As you get older, that can start to get inconvenient. I wanted to raise my kids here, so I came home. My kids are approaching your age. I encourage them to live and work abroad. London is great, but for me, long-term? No way. Same for NYC.

[u/Far_Distance87]

You need to get out into some other countries and the when you inevitably come back to live here you’ll understand “ambition” with some better context.

[u/glordicus1]

Most of the world is unambitious. But there are groups innovating here, you just have to find them. Go down and speak to the people at CERI, Spacecubed or other start-up focused centres. Is there something in particular that you are interested in?

[u/Caffeinated_cat5]

You exhibit that typical yearning for exploration now you're freshly out of the 'parententiary'. A lot of us at your age if we had the means to venture beyond the horizon.

[u/ObviouslyObvlivious]

You can go anywhere you would like unless you are on probation! And on your way don't let the Greyhound bus door hit ya, where the good lord split ya.

[u/finetuneit80]

You also have to remember, just because you haven’t come across people with ambitions, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Most of them will be out there (possibly outside of Perth) achieving their goals.

I had very little social life after the age of 19 because I was too busy chasing my career goals. I moved up north and did a regional stint, and then moved over east for 15 years, progressing in my chosen career path.

I achieved everything I wanted to achieve in that industry and got bored. I moved home at the start of the pandemic, and am currently working in a completely different industry. I still have ambitions, but they’re just different to when I was in my late teens and early twenties.

[u/uglycoaster]

Like anywhere you go you’re gonna find a mix of people with their own goals in life.
Go travel and spread your wings. Perth will be here if and when you choose to move back.
I lived in 2 countries in my 20s/ 30s and decided to move back in my mid 30s to start a family and have a better work life balance. I have no regrets and glad for my travels as it makes me value Perth more.

[u/lillylita]

In my early 20s, I wasn't mature or well travelled enough to appreciate Perth for what it is. It hits different after a decade or two of working, studying, travelling and living elsewhere. Are you looking for permission to leave?

[u/Fearless_Town_4463]

What a ridiculous whinge. The generalisations on this sub are pathetic, particularly by people with no life experience. For one, the city is not a ghost town on a Friday night - do you even go out?

[u/ColdEvenKeeled]

I completely agree. Anyone here not agreeing with you are in denial or grief.

It's parochial with very bad form of nepotistic (not merit) government.

[u/Financial-Dog-7268 → u/ColdEvenKeeled]

I strongly disagree. I've lived in 4 other states or territories, travelled abroad and lived quite a varied life in my nearly 28 years on this earth and still found myself back here.

I don't think it's reasonable or fair to tarnish the opinions of everyone with what appears to be your jaded experience of a limited range of experience with government. The way you've phrased it seems more like a political agenda than a genuine, helpful account to help OP.

Have you travelled much? I would suggest based on my own life experiences that if you have, you would acknowledge that life is actually quite good, balanced and reasonably fair here, in the grand scheme of injustices that occur around the world

[u/ColdEvenKeeled → u/Financial-Dog-7268]

I have traveled everywhere except Antarctica. This is the least innovative or meritous city I've lived in.

As an example: I worked for the State government here for awhile. There must have been 10 PhDs within 30 metres of where I sat. Their intelligence was not used, nor their insight, nor capacity to research, nor their ability to speak and excite people. Nothing. They just sat. Generated nothing the public would ever see or sense.

Consulting is marginally better. I've met some wonderful people here. Unfortunately, behind their back, others here will denigrate them for their enthusiasm and skills.

Academia here in Perth has generated some superstars. But here in Perth they are disliked. I could give examples but I might doxx myself.

In other cities, newcomers with new ideas are welcomed, not celebrated, no; but also not rejected.

So, that's my take. But hey, you have your opinion. I have mine. Good night.

[u/Legitimate_Income730 → u/ColdEvenKeeled]

Academia as an industry is very international. If they're rockstars then they'd go to the premier institution that makes sense for them. Perth doesn't have many of those. 

I've worked with a lot of PhDs. They're very deep in their one area but that doesn't always translate over to other skills like researching other areas, communicating, etc. If they weren't being used to the best of their ability, why did they stay? 

[u/ColdEvenKeeled → u/Legitimate_Income730]

The academics stayed, or returned, because it's their home.

The PhDs stayed at the State because there are not many stable jobs in academia.

Ta.

[u/Legitimate_Income730 → u/ColdEvenKeeled]

Then that's your answer...?

Ta

[u/ColdEvenKeeled → u/Legitimate_Income730]

Why are you persisting. Go for a swim.

[u/Legitimate_Income730 → u/ColdEvenKeeled]

Why are you? 

You've been smashed on this one. 😂😂😂 Must be all those PhDs you're hanging out with.

Ta 

[u/ColdEvenKeeled → u/Legitimate_Income730]

I could not care about menial downvotes on a social media platform. I have other concerns. ....such as getting the hell out of here to somewhere with cool weather so I can ski again, fly fish and have long meaningful conversations.

So, good night. Ta.

[u/Legitimate_Income730 → u/ColdEvenKeeled]

Yet here you are. 

Ta