What did you want to be when you were leaving school and did you make it

[didkdt]

When I finished my A-levels I thought I was going to be some amazing child psychologist (too many American films) it didn't take long at uni for me to realise that wasn't actually how I wanted to spend my life.

I now work in the 3rd sector in a role that I never even considered aged 18, but everything I have done has somehow naturally led to this role,

I had no idea what I wanted to do. I wasn't allowed to choose my A-levels so I don't think that helped. I'm no good at what I qualified for and am currently a sahm.

I still don't know what I want to do, so I guess I made it

I wanted to be a judge! I had to write a speech for my English GCSE defending a criminal and I got quite into it and then my dad told me 98% of judges were male, so I decided to redress the balance.

Now, I work for a children’s charity so I do do some judging, I suppose

I wanted to be a doctor since I was at primary school and I am! I had to work incredibly hard as I am not naturally brilliant - when I have a terrible day I try hard to remember how very lucky I am.

I wanted to be a teacher, changed my mind and wasted a few years (gained life experience though), then went back to it. It was meant to be I suppose.

I wanted to be an environmental scientist/ecologist but kept failing the one exam that I needed to specialise (organic chemistry) so I ended up leabing university, as there was nothing else I wanted to do.

Got a job in an office, the accounts assistant job became available so I was offered that. Discovered I was good at numbers and I am now an accountant.

I wanted to be well off. I was very materialistic and dreamed of a nice big house and a new luxury car. Didn’t happen because I discovered other things were more important.

Teacher, thankfully very quickly realised at university that it wasn't what I wanted to and managed to diversify within the degree I was doing before graduating. Doing that career still (a bit specific and outing!) it's hard because at school you're so rarely told about the variety of jobs it's like: teacher, policeman, lawyer, etc.

I was desperate to be a hairdresser my whole life. I did quite well at school and I think the teachers were very frustrated that I had chosen that path. They would have discussions with my parents about it.

I started as a Saturday girl at 15 then went straight into it full time after Gcses. I hated it and left after a year but had got used to the money so still wanted to be paid. After seeing a career advisor it was just agreed I would do business admin so thats what i do now and hate it. It's so very boring compared to hairdressing. Doesn't stimulate me at all, my head is anywhere but it my work. I got into too much debt and was never in a position to train as anything else and unfortunately that will be the same for the foreseeable.

Fortunately I had a child now and will only be returning part time so it feels like it doesn't really matter now anyway.

I know it's cheesy but my big dream was always to be a mum, I've made it and love it! I'd happily never work and spend all my time looking after my kids and home

But unfortunately our world doesn't work like that and I have to work. I wanted to go into business, when I was at school it was pushed in a big way, I didn't even know what i wanted to do but business was apparently where it was at. I wished they pushed trades more. I now work in admin, it's okay, I'd love to do something with my crafty skills but haven't figured out what

When I left school I had no idea what I wanted to do.. tried a couple of apprenticeships (health care & then business admin) now im a part time cleaner with a 10 month old :) very happy

I wanted to be a graphic designer or a TV producer, I went and studied for it but then ended up buckling with the workload because (I didn't know at the time) I had ADHD and I really struggle with that sort of self-directed organisation - executive function.

I then went back to do A Levels instead and studied a random mixture of things I liked, the most interesting of which was psychology. Thought I might go to uni and study something like advertising, but a controlling relationship interrupted that path, I did actually get work as a graphic designer for a while, but then got made redundant in 2008 and spent a few years as a SAHM instead.

Later decided I wanted to go back to uni and due to stuff I'd been through/learned on MN wanted to go into social work - either with children or something helping women leave abusive relationships. That fell through also due to an international move, felt a bit lost, decided to do TEFL course to give me something I could do immediately. Been teaching 5 years now before taking a break for DC2. Then had a bit of an epiphany a few months ago and realised I've been fascinated by car safety for years and probably I should have kept up the maths/science I was good at at school rather than going towards art where I was mediocre, and that I'd love to design car seats.

So I'm now at a bit of a crossroads where I could either go into car seat safety or continue the teaching. I have plans for both, so it's just a case of which one works out over the next ear or two.

The common threads running through everything really have been:

• design and process
• helping children

I like @SouthernLands didn't have much choice in what I did for A level, and certainly no choice about whether to go to uni or not. I got into a very good one and promptly had a nervous breakdown and was forced to leave. Then got pregnant so have mostly been a SAHM since, with occasional stints at bar/pub work to try and keep us afloat. I might not have had much idea what I wanted to do (because I knew I had to do what my parents wanted) but it certainly wasn't how I've ended up.

Always wanted to work in travel and did so for 9 years

Inadvertently led to a few different sales roles that brought me to current role of sales director, although now work in cosmetics industry!

I wanted to be a nurse, I went to college for a year and now ... I am a hairdresser 😄

Jurassic - what kind of crafts are you into? Maybe you could develop a small business running something like craft classes for children in your local area. If you can find a niche these kinds of things are fairly popular, and all it takes is finding a space to rent and buying the materials (of course it's usual to include a charge for materials in the class costs). You could even start small with friends' children in your own home to try out a few ideas, different class sizes etc before looking into things like premises and insurance.

Or handmade stuff - toys or clothing, but those markets are a bit harder to get into.

Activity crates also seem popular at the moment and if you did a really good one, that could be a lucrative business. I think they are a bit hard to make money from but might be worth looking into the economics of them. Either craft kits for kids to make alone, kids to make with parents, or possibly something for parents to make for their kids (or themselves) framing it as a kind of relaxation activity.

You're never going to get rich doing these kinds of things but if you only need a modest income it can be worth doing if you enjoy it.

I was interested in accountancy, arranged my own work experience at a local firm for a couple of weeks in the sixth form summer holidays and really enjoyed it, did a maths degree rather than accountancy as I didn't want to limit my options, then got an accountancy training contract where you do your qualification while working.
Spent 4 years training and afterwards at my firm, did a couple of years abroad at a big 4 firm, temped for a few months when I came back while I sorted where I was living and a job, and have been here since 2000 with a couple of maternity leaves and an extended compassionate absence leave thrown in.
I'm good at it and mostly I enjoy it, just been away for a week and procrastinating about getting ready and going in atm! The dog has missed me and is currently cuddled on my knee 🙂.

namby YY I feel like I didn't get a sense of what jobs I could do until I was much older, an adult already and had some friends doing various jobs. It sounds silly but at 15 I had no sense of how big companies are made up of lots of small parts and everyone has a very individual part to play. I think this is part of why I didn't continue with the maths and science because I was thinking at that age that you had to have an idea of what career/job you wanted to do and work towards that, rather than starting with what I was good at and working out the career options later, that would have been more useful to me. I didn't know what kinds of jobs scientists or mathematicians did, just had a vague notion of professors or white coated lab technicians, neither of which interested me. So because I didn't know what career options existed there that's why I went into design I think because that was clearer - to be the person who makes the graphics or the person who brings the TV programme together. But I was always more academic and structured than that and I should have stuck to it.

What is in the 3rd sector? I don't even know what that means, I still feel so ignorant when it comes to jobs etc.

Wanted to be a nurse, and am a nurse! After trying a few different areas in nursing I enjoy where I am now, and have worked in that area for 20+years. Most of that is down to the team I work with. We all get on really well, have fun, but have each other's backs when the proverbial hits the fan.

Although, I think if I had my time again, I'd choose something within the forensic line. Not sure exactly what, but along those lines. But in my 40's now with a primary age child, and the main wage earner (earn more than DP) I'll stick with what I know, and do well. The main thing is, I'm happy doing what I doing.

I very specifically wanted to be a rehabilitation officer working with visually impaired children, because in my friendship circle growing up there was a boy who’d been born without eyes and I guess I found it inspiring. My mum managed a multi-disciplinary assessment centre for children with SEND. I did my work experience age 15 at a school for children with visual impairments, LOVED it, but by the time I finished college I decided to generalise a bit more and I did a degree in SEN and Inclusion. Then I did a masters and had a career in a professional role specialising in disability (I won’t say what as I’ve probably outed myself enough!). I work in a school currently while I have small DC, but am planning to do my PhD soon to hopefully become an ed psych and bring all my skills together. I have never had a job paying anywhere near the wages I read about on here but I have always enjoyed it all the same

I wanted to be a journalist. I did it in an in house magazine as well as editorial at a company while I was working in a marketing position, but never managed to get the break to purely be a journalist, sadly. Now I'm working abroad as a teacher.

@BertieBotts the third sector is social welfare delivered by not for profit associations/charities rather than the private sector or public sector

This is what the National Audit Office says

‘Third sector organisations’ is a term used to describe the range of organisations that are neither public sector nor private sector. It includes voluntary and community organisations (both registered charities and other organisations such as associations, self-help groups and community groups), social enterprises, mutuals and co-operatives.

I did my A levels in 1973. Growing up I didn't know many professional people so I only had a limited idea of what to aim for. My parents had left school at 14 (and my Dad had done quite well due to The RAF and evening classes) and I was the first to do A levels and be able to go on to Higher Education after school. So, I knew of doctors and vets (didn't like science much so they were out), Nursing wasn't then a graduate profession and I didn't fancy it much anyway, I didn't want to work in an office and only had a vague idea of what people in offices did - teaching was the only thing I knew about.

I wanted to be a receptionist in an office in London - I was the first in my family to complete a levels and office work seemed glamorous 😂

I'm now a qualified accountant managing a large team for an insurance company totally different to what I thought I. Was capable of!

I wanted to be a teacher and despite many setbacks, I made it. Been teaching 13 years and couldn't imagine anything else!