Getting a job in civil service was definitely the highlight. I've been searching for a proper job for years, and for my patience to finally pay off felt sooo great. I took the civil service exam in December 2015 with a score of 92.8. There's an average wait time of one year before you get interviewed for people who score in the top range like me... Waiting that long was tough and I often thought nothing would come of it, but I was clearly wrong.
Also made some cool new acquaintances at my last job, and made some great connections at the job before that. Things are really looking up right now! Early 2016 was very poor but it's ending on a muuuch better note. I have high hopes for 2017.