Vittoria Rinaldi, from Livorno,  30 years old and a graduate in economics, had resigned herself to a life of an unsatisfactory work experience.

Then, in 2013, she came to Malta to learn English. After some months in Malta she got a job with an indefinite contract working for an online betting company.

In an interview which appeared yesterday in Il Fatto Quotidiano, she said: "At a certain point, I had become really worried. I thought 'This is all there is , then. It will always be like this. There will never be a day when I wake up happy in the morning to go to work.'

She was living then in Livorno, where she was born 30 years ago. After graduating in economics in 2008, she worked in various jobs, as a shop assistant in a clothes chain, then as an employee in a company which after some months stopped paying her, and later in an insurance company. Months passed and she found she was working just to cover her rent and electricity.

Nevertheless, she still had enthusiasm and ambitions in life. 'At first I thought I am 23, have a degree in economics, and can do anything.'

But this 'anything' did not take in consideration the bad economic crisis that enveloped the world and the recession it caused and loss of jobs.

'What I was doing did not bring happiness to me, because essentially I was grateful I was one of the few among my friends who had a job.'

So, at 28, 'I thought, this is it, waking up every morning with my stomach all churned up, certain that I would never have a house of my own, be independent and do work that enthused me, gratifying or stimulating work.'

Vittoria loves her city, she has profound links to it, and did not think she would ever live outside her city. But the feeling of dissatisfaction was present in her and in the long term it drained her.

But an end to a relationship proved to be a stimulus for change for her. Í began to think I needed to go abroad but I needed an excuse. So I looked for a course in English to give me a higher qualification. '

She thought of London and England but she soon felt that was not the right destination for her.

She continued searching and soon after she bought a ticket to Malta. This was in June 2013 and Vittoria began studying English at a school in Sliema. Her enthusiasm returned.  'That was what changed me: something that happens once in a lifetime.  I had gone abroad to see how i would do with a change of scene, not to study for three whole months.'

This experience opened up for her a new scenario. 'I started to explore the job possibilities around me and after a time I discovered  that Malta is famous for its online betting companies with numerous job opportunities offered by the international companies that are here. They employ people from all over Europe.'

She sent her first CVs and soon was invited for interviews, including one for a trainee in the marketing sector of these companies. 'I had thought I would never even get a 'stage' in the area in which I had studied.'

Her probation period was successful and after two months she was offered an indefinite contract. 'Before I signed it, I looked for its expiry date. I was deeply shocked when my colleague replied: 'Expiry date?  You are not a milk carton.'

'I was deeply embarrassed. because in Italy the expiry date of a work contract is taken for granted  and is even written down before the name of the person being employed.'

Some months later she was promoted to affiliate manager and later she had another promotion.

'Here I learned a lot, far more than in five years in Italy and every day I learn more. It is all so stimulating. Here they seek to help you grow, it is in their interest to help you feel that what you are doing is worthy.  At home, on the contrary, I used to feel grateful just for the fact that I had a job, regardless what that job was and regardless what satisfaction it gave you.'

Living in Malta, despite the closeness of the sea, is different from living in Livorno. 'Malta is much smaller and more peaceful. The cost of living is cheaper so much so that I and my partner are looking for a house, without any hurry, we wait to find the right one, because we now can afford it.'

And the morning stomach churn has not returned. 'This was a radical change. I dont anymore 'get that feeling in the morning of going to a job and work which does not please you , you do your eight hours of work and get back home and always wait for something to happen. This is something awesome, a feeling I had never felt and did not think it existed.'