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Original poster

What job would you like your dc to do when they are grown up

111 replies

Lardlizard · 04/07/2019 18:38

I know it’s not our choices
But if you could choose for them what direction would you guide them in
Or tell them to avoid

OP posts:

Camomila · 06/07/2019 21:51

DS is 3, I can see him has some kind of engineer/surveyer. His 2 great loves are collecting pebbles and vehicles.
He's very good with his hands. Under supervision he can unscrew toys and change batteries.

ElphabaTheGreen · 06/07/2019 22:01

DS1 (7) wants to be a scientist but is also a lovely dancer with the perfect physique for ballet. I would die happy if he could make a career in dance (but I am fully aware, as a failed dancer myself, what a long-shot this is with a shed-load of heartbreak attached).

DS2 (almost 5) wants to be a rock star. He’s great at defying authority, trashing the house and sticking it to the man so he’s most of the way there, but gets quite disappointed when I tell him how much practice is involved in learning guitar and drums.

alostpainting · 06/07/2019 22:01

Oh my god why the hatred of the arts? I’m an artist and it’s amazing!

SallyWD · 06/07/2019 22:04

I wouldn't want them to be worried about paying the bills and I wouldn't want them to have a stressful job. Apart from that, whatever they like!

BlushPinkRose · 06/07/2019 22:12

We never guided any of our children into specific careers. We advised on taking subjects for the careers they were interested in though!

One is now in the final year of nursing after starting off studying history.

One is now a commercial pilot after completing a degree in English and deciding being an English teacher wasn’t a route they wanted to follow.

One is a pilot in the forces after having aspirations to be a musician then realised the band they were in wasn’t going to be the Beatles.

Our guidance was clearly shite. 😂.

FlatPackPat · 06/07/2019 22:14

@alostpainting as someone who has managed to carve out a career in the arts I actually completely agree with all the people who hope their DC avoid the arts.

I trained as an actor at one of the best drama schools in London and, out of the 30 graduates in my year, I'm the only one earning consistently within the industry. Others have had peppercorns of jobs and work 2/3 other jobs in between and are miserable because of it. No one has "made it" as a name actor. It's incredibly over subscribed, the work that does come up is often unpaid or you're battling against others undercutting you and the hours are abysmal.

I bloody hope DS doesn't go in to the arts but he's already a massive showoff.

Darksideofthemoon19 · 06/07/2019 22:18

Ds wants to be a police man. He’s hitting above average on his reports so I’d like him to aim higher😩🙈

MadameJosephine · 06/07/2019 22:27

6 year old DD wants to a gymnastics teacher but decided there’s probably not much money in it so she’ll be an engineer during the week and teach gymnastics on Saturdays . I’d be happy with that

SospanFrangipan · 06/07/2019 22:29

DS is only two but is plane mad, so I'd hope a pilot of some sort 😁 Whatever he chooses to be, I'll be right behind his choice 👍

applepieicecream · 06/07/2019 22:32

I’d like mine to earn a lot of money- DS wants to go into finance, probably banking but might do accountancy and transfer. DD wants to be a lawyer. Life is easier if you don’t have to struggle financially

I’m happy with both. I wouldn’t want them to be teachers / nurses / police etc. They

alostpainting · 06/07/2019 22:34

@flatpackrat I know what you mean. But I wouldn’t trade it in for, eg, the life of an actuary or an accountant or a lawyer. I have lots of friends with those jobs and they don’t enjoy them, despite the money. (Although I am talking at the end of a particularly successful and meaningful weak ... next week when I look at my bank balance I might not be feeling so optimistic!)

alostpainting · 06/07/2019 22:35

Oh sorry I meant @flatpackpat !

NigesFakeWalkingStick · 06/07/2019 22:36

Genuinely anything that makes him happy, pays decent and inspires him. That said, I'd probably err towards warning him off teaching.

Right now all he enjoys doing is anything to do with numbers and eating beige food though, so who knows

llangennith · 06/07/2019 22:37

None of my children have jobs I'd have chosen for them.
DD1 highly academic wanted to be a lawyer. Oxford uni, solicitor in one of the top five law firms. Hated it. Now practises NLP.
DS wanted to be a soldier not found out at 6 he was almost completely colour blind. Wanted to be 'a scientist'. Got a physics degree, various non science jobs, now happily with his own kids go-cart business.
DD2 wanted to be a waitress till she was in her teens. Realised the wages wouldn't support her clothes and shoe buying hobby so went to uni and is now earning lots as a Marketing Director.

Fatted · 06/07/2019 22:45

I would encourage them NOT to go into my line of work for a start.

I'd probably also encourage them to do more vocational qualifications. My parents pushed me to go to uni without much thought about what came after. DH on the other hand left school with no qualifications and has worked his way up with work based qualifications and now has his HGV licence.

At the moment eldest wants to be a paleontologist and youngest will probably end up in jail by 18 at the rate he's going.

Oliversmumsarmy · 06/07/2019 23:50

FlatPackPat

I know a few actors. None work for free.

Infact I know one young girl who does any little bit part or extra work or anything that isn’t a ft job. She has already bought her first property for cash and let it out.

All of them might not be household names but they bring in a wage.
They pop up now and again on adverts.

Oliversmumsarmy · 06/07/2019 23:53

Should add Ds wants to be a plumber but he is never going to get his GCSE English so he is going to his plan B

He is going to try out acting

FlatPackPat · 07/07/2019 12:17

@alostpainting yes I completely agree with you, I love my job so much and I wouldn't trade it in for a desk job either. But I know I'm one of the very very few lucky ones who have actually managed to make a living in the arts. So that's probably why I wouldn't actively encourage my DC to go in to the arts but of course I would never dissuade them if they had their heart set on it.

FlatPackPat · 07/07/2019 12:23

@Oliversmumsarmy the actors you know are honestly the few who have made it through the slog if they are still doing it now. And of course I didn't mean that become a 'name' is the only way to make a success as an actor, most actors who are still slogging it out are just jobbing as you say and make a living.

But honestly being on the front line of it you would be aghast at how many naive actors take work for free, for a plate of sandwiches or the ever illusion 'exposure' that is offered. And then the jobs that should be paying ££££s that are billed for ££ and they still get hundreds if not thousands of applicants. Equity (actors union) are forever waging the war to get proper wages for actors. In my arts niche I get offered £10 for a job that should be £250, i always turn it down and explain why I won't work for £10. It's like smacking your head against a brick wall sometimes.

Anyway I could honestly go on about this all day, and it's really great that the girl you know has made enough money as an actor to buy a house I just can't stress enough that she is in the minority!

MeanMrMustardSeed · 07/07/2019 12:27

Anything that they are passionate about, uses their intellect and allows them a good work life balance. Most of all, I will be encouraging them to always live within their means and be generous with what they have.

Geraniumpink · 07/07/2019 12:45

Mine really wants to go into theatre/ film/t.v/computer game industries. Which is a fairly broad spectrum. She’s very arty, excellent at English and very determined, so it might be possible. As long as she earns enough to on, I don’t mind.

Chloe9 · 07/07/2019 12:58

The eldest will probably do something STEM or medical (no idea what though)
Middle child will be a performer of some kind
The littlest I'm really not sure yet

Aragog · 07/07/2019 13:01

One that makes them happy and fulfilled.

DD is 17y and has known what she has wanted to do for years, and been working towards that for a long time, basing volunteer work, work experience and subject choices on it. She wants to be a primary school teacher, eventually possibly having a focus on SEND.

GrasswillbeGreener · 07/07/2019 13:07

I think I've always hoped for mine to find something they are passionate about and that they would find a career that fits with or enables their passions. My youngest is nearly 14, could well end up an organist, and we first had an inkling of this when he was 4 or 5. If not that then mathematician / computer scientist / video game composer ... I could see him ending up in academia, he has what I would term "teaching instincts".

My eldest has always been harder to work out. So I've listened to her interests, encouraged her, talked about things that come up, and let her follow her dreams where that's been possible. My thoughts along the way have included architecture, law and more recently linguistics. She's just been (post GCSEs) to her first uni open day and come back really enthusiastic about English and History. I'm thrilled because I would like her to go to university to study something she really wants to do. For her, a solid academic degree is a first step and career related stuff can come later. Singing is a definite career possilibity but, like actors have mentioned above, needs a fall-back income earner until / unless you make it! Teaching singing might sound obvious, but so far she doesn't have the "teaching instincts" I mentioned above! (I come from a family where some have taught, at various levels, and some have tried to teach and regretted it!)

maddiemookins16mum · 07/07/2019 13:10

DD wants join the Navy. At first I was a bit 😕😕 but I’m now actively encouraging her and will be quietly disappointed if she changes mind. She’s 16 next April.

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