Today’sstudy-abroad and migrationstory

isan inspiring and heartwarmingstory

and also avery typicalstory

Starting from scratch in Australia,studying abroad,

spending years learning and building expertise,graduating,

with nothing but drive,working, getting PR,

smallachievementsalongside somesetbacks,

but throughhard work,perseverance,andambition,—

career, family and life

move steadily forward.

Dreams, blueprints, determination and effort — we all arrive with those.But perhaps a few years later, you look back and still feel lost:when will I finda stable footing in this big city?Will the future I wantactually come?Give up?But what about thoseirreplaceable years?

Everyone has their struggles, wherever they are —Australia is no paradise.People work overtime, face redundancies, complain about sky-high house prices and living costs, and make sacrifices for visas and PR.

But perhaps unlike your original environment,,thosewho come to Australia — most of them, at least —arrive alone in an unfamiliar land,and through each carefully taken step, sooner or later, through hardship or with a stroke of luck,they find their way towards the life they want.

That’s what we call 【hope】.

It sounds ordinary,but isn’t that exactly what we live for — these big and small hopes and goals?Even when starting from nothing.

Now, let’s step into Jensen’s story.

Blueprints and Plans |Architecture and Life

If you’d prefer to watch the video, long-press the QR code in the image.

My name is Sun Jian, my English name is Jensen, and I’ve been in Australia for ten years.

I came in 2012. I’m from a northern industrial city in China, and a lot of relatives and friends there have children whose parents used connections and money to get them set up in a state-owned enterprise or a government institution.I felt that kind of life was too uneventful, and sometimes there wasn’t much to look forward to.

I’m someone who really lovespushing forward,or taking onchallenges.My personality is drawn to things like roller coasters, skiing, diving, and even skydiving. So when I was at university, I thought that after graduation I’d love to step outside and explore other parts of the world. I considered quite a few countries, and felt that Australia had a wonderful cultural and natural environment. Sydney has consistently ranked among the world’s most liveable cities.

So I chose to apply to the University of New South Wales in Sydney. My undergraduate degree was in civil engineering, so when I got to UNSW, I continued with a master’s in civil engineering. I then went on to complete a master’s in project management at the University of Sydney.

Once I actually graduated, I started looking for engineering-related work. Without status at first, the easiest thing to find was labouring on construction sites.I personally put on the safety gear, strapped on a tool bag, picked up the power tools and did a labourer’s job — truly mastering the on-site skills from the most foundational, front-line level.

Later, once I had my status, finding work was relatively smooth — I joined a company building apartment buildings. It was an all-Western team with me as the only Chinese person. I genuinely learned a great deal there.

Around 2017–18, I hit a small bump in my career. I moved to another Western-run apartment construction company and had barely been there two months.

I was working hard, and the projects I managed were going well, but the company ran into financial difficulties and carried out a large round of redundancies.Of course, as a new employee, I was among those let go.I was feeling pretty low at the time,especially because my first daughter was born that year.My parents had come over to help, so there were quite a few people at home — but I was afraid of burdening them and making them worry about me because I was out of work.

So I didn’t tell the family anything during that time.I was still getting up before 5am, putting my laptop bag and tools in the car and driving off as if I were going to work — but I was actually at a café or the library, job hunting.

I also reached out to some of my former managers and colleagues to see if there were any openings they could point me towards.

Fortunately, within about a week I reconnected through a friend with someone in the industry called Richie. We were similar in age, he had many years of experience in the field, and we immediately clicked. I made up my mind on the spot and joined his team.

At the time the team had only three or four people and just two or three projects a year. When I joined I was already a licensed builder, and I kept contributing and pushing the team forward.From those three or four people back then, we’ve grown to more than 20, with annual revenue consistently above $20 million.

So I’ve grown alongside this company, step by step,and I’m very fortunate to have become one of the company’s partners.

Outside of work, I’ve always been pushing to learn and improve myself.I’ve earned a number of licences, things like forklift operation, traffic control, first aid, and scaffolding installation. I’ve also been actively studying building regulations, and recently completed a short course at UTS to deepen my knowledge of building approvals and construction law.

I also have a strong desireto study architectural design further down the track.One of my idols is Japanese architect Tadao Ando — originally a complete outsider to the field, he was a boxer in his youth, and through his distinctive understanding of architecture and sheer hard work he became one of the world’s most celebrated architects.

I hope that one day I can truly learn from people like him, and design and personally build a few buildings that are truly impactful and thought-provoking.

Beyond work and continuing study,I also do some things on social media.A couple of years ago I set up an account on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) and became a content creator there — regularly shooting videos and sharing knowledge and experience about construction. I now have more than 3,500 followers, and I’m steadily building up my Xiaohongshu channel. I also have my own YouTube channel. My hope is that through sharing what I learn, I can be genuinely useful to others.

Day to day, my work mostly involves driving between different construction sites to coordinate materials delivery, visiting clients and negotiating contracts with subcontractors, managing people, and solving problems as they arise.

In terms of family, in 2018, 2020 and 2022 I welcomed three little ones — my eldest daughter is called Daisy, her nickname is Peach; my second daughter is called Azalea, her nickname is Apricot; and my son is called Atlas, his nickname is Plum,so we’re a fruit family.

On weekends we love taking the kids out — whether that’s to the park, the beach, or to join other children at birthday parties.

I find that seeing the smiles on my children’s faces truly lets me feel the happiness of life in Australia.I really hope my children can genuinely enjoy that happy life. I have siblings back in China, and I see my nieces and nephews under enormous pressure — parents pushing them to learn too many things, study schedules packed to the brim.

I want my children here in Australia to have a lighter load, to grow up more joyfully.I think my ideal in life is simply to be an honest, confident person with dreams — and I hope my children will carry love in their hearts and light in their eyes.

I want to express deep thanks to my family and friends for their support.In particular, I want to say a special thank you to my wife.We’ve known each other since 2009 — more than a decade now. We met at an off-campus training class when we were at different universities. From the start of our relationship we went overseas together; from girlfriend to fiancée to wife, and now the mother of our children.

Along the whole journey, her support has been indispensable. When I was studying and the pressure was immense, she was always there behind me, supporting and encouraging me. After work began, no matter how late I came home, there was always a hot meal waiting when the door opened.I feel very fortunate.

Beyond work and family life, I’ve also made a few good friends. We really enjoy freediving and spearfishing.

Each time we freedive and descend ten-plus metres underwater, holding your breath with the pressure mounting,it squeezes the blood from your muscles up into your brain,and in that moment you become intensely alert,you can actually hear your own heartbeat,and in that space you can truly let go of every worry about work and daily life, and focus entirely on the breathtaking beauty of the ocean floor. That’s my most treasured experience.

Building a house is a lot like living a life.To build a house you lay one brick, one tile, step by step until it stands — and life too passes day by day, moving forward one step at a time.Keep a calm and grounded mindset and take it steadily. The construction industry isn’t some high-tech field that demands exceptional talent. As long as you approach it with patience and care, anyone can succeed.

Especially here in Australia — it’s not the cutthroat competition you’d find back in China.Here, if you put in the work,you don’t need all the socialising or other draining obligations,and you can absolutely build your career.

Whether in life or building a house — do each stage properly, stay grounded and take it one step at a time, and you will eventually build that house, and live that life, beautifully.

When we build a house, we work from a set of drawings — a blueprint. Every builder follows the blueprint to carry out the construction: through it you know the size, height, and every interior detail of the building you’re creating.

Life, too, needs a blueprint. Through your own ideal blueprint you understand the breadth and height of your life, and what you want to do. With that blueprint, that goal, you build it slowly — one brick, one tile — and in time you will build the great structure of your life magnificently.

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