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 decided age 12 that I wanted to be a secondary school MFL teacher and became one. I'm now in my mid 40s and still teach MFL but mostly in a range of primary schools. I'd quite like to do something completely different now tbh, but not sure what!

Dancer

I’m sad about that because I made some very very poor choices at the age of 16/17 I don’t blame myself exactly because I was still a child, but it does upset me thinking back to the hopes and dreams I had back then that I completely ruined all by myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not unhappy in my life right now, but I’m a million miles away from where I thought I would be and sometimes I mourn the life I thought I was going to have.

Sorry that’s not really the age you wanted but it precipitated everything else in my life!

I left school at 16, with mostly A-star grade GCSEs. I wanted to work in a nursery but nowhere would take me on because I didn't have qualifications or experience. I did eventually spend most of my twenties working as a TA in a primary school, which I really enjoyed.

I went to university at 28 and am now a PhD student and hoping for an academic career. Looking back I do feel sad about my experiences of school. I had undiagnosed ASD and couldn't cope, but because I was quiet and high-achieving, it was completely overlooked. I hated school and my attendance was extremely sporadic. I was told that my inability to cope with going to school meant that I wouldn't achieve anything in life. Nobody in my family had gone to university and the impression I got of it in my early teens was that it was pretty much like boarding school except with rowdy drunk housemates keeping you up all night. Absolute hell for someone like me, in other words. I never considered it as an option.

When I was ten I wanted to be a physicist. I sometimes wonder what kind of life I'd have had if I hadn't had such an awful time at school - but I'm very happy where I am now, so I don't feel so bad about it any longer.

No I wanted to be an archaeologist I got my degree but not many jobs in the field in reality. Do boring office based job but it gave security and chance to get a house blah blah blah I just want to be Indiana Jones is that too much to ask?

I wanted to be a nurse. Qualified as a nurse and midwife. Worked in healthcare for nearly 40 years and am now retired.

Currently volunteer in a prison (not healthcare related).

Went off to uni to study Politics and International Relations with vague hopes of working for a think tank/charity/"helping people"

I've done lots of vaguely related entry-level bits with various breaks for mat leave and further study.
Currently studying again now but when I'm done I think i'll SAHM for a year or two as I'm exhausted.

I did think I'd have a house by now though!

It's fascinating to see what different experiences people have had
I think @CurlyhairedAssassin is right there is a lot more exposure to information now and young people can make much more informed choices, and I think a lot more are making the choice not to go to uni.
At the same time what jobs are out there and how they are done is changing quite quickly

Singer - did a diploma and then professional singing here and there and one truly once in a lifetime gig (lots of other cool gigs too), but always as a sideline because it only paid pocket money really. I didn’t have the performance confidence or desire to be in that industry, once I’d seen a bit of it.

I should have gone to catering college or art school, looking at where I’ve ended up! Wish I had!

I wanted to drop out and be a New Age Traveller and that's exactly what I did!
Now I'm a welfare rights worker with an awkward 10 year gap in my CV

I grew up in the US and I either wanted to be a spy or to join the Foreign Service. My DF had been CIA for a while (nothing exciting- based in Jamaica in the 60s) which I suppose is where I got the spy idea. I interviewed with the CIA during my final year at uni, but then got a bit freaked out. I was too lazy to go for the Foreign Service exam so I decided to move to Scotland instead. Am still here.

Social Worker.
I now work in a social setting. But I'm not a social worker

I wanted to work in a theatre or as a drama teacher. Left a-levels half way through.
Then decided to go back to college at 21 through the subjects became interested in inequalities in society which led to my undergraduate degree changing subjects completely just before I was about to start. Worked in public health for a few years now I’m working in the 3rd sector finishing my masters (dissertation due 2 weeks time eeek!) and a Councillor for my village.
Nothing like what I would have picked at 18 but I’m definitely nothing like I was at 18 😂 still think a drama teaching job must be a lovely job though to this day know one and she seems very enthusiastic years in.
I think long term I’ll end up working in local government.

I wanted to be an author or a journalist because all I wanted to do was write.
After many bumps, wrong (right?) turns and crossroads I eventually became a national newspaper journalist.
I loved writing daily news but it’s stressful! I burnt out. I hung up my journalist notepad several years ago.
I’ve since done PR, copywriting, local newspapers and admin. I’ve also run my own online business.
It’s all change again for me, in a month’s time I’m starting Uni full-time: BA Creative Writing.
Maybe I’ll finally be an author

Always wanted to be a nurse - parents wanted me to be a doctor but nobody seemed aware suggested any other related careers.
Hated nursing from the start. Radiographer, Occupational therapist or something on those lines would have suited me much better.
Finished training, had kids, wnt back briefly but then looked at changing. Did a secretarial course (TOPPS) and went into a sales office, went with that for a while then became Sales Rep, (somewhere along the line becoming single parent). Got totally fed up with unachievable targets, changed direction, worked in a children's home and then got into the third sector with Sure Start. Did 'Train the Trainer' course and got into community training which I loved. Worked in various aspects of that for 20 years then started doing leadership and management with Care Home managers. Packed in and retire 3 years ago and built programme managed the building of a new house for me.

Last week went back to work as a Manager with a local branch of Age Uk, 18 hours over 3 days. Loving it so far.

Was considering either speech and language therapist, or marine biologist . Now work for the Ministry of Defence!
However I did work in languages for a time and am passionate about ocean pollution so maybe a few traits carried through

Well I had no idea and am about to leave my current job and have no idea what to do next. So yes! I made it in the game of NO IDEA

From the age of 4 until 19 I wanted to be a dancer. I have a diploma in dance and auditioned for dance schools which I got into. Unfortunately my parents couldn't afford for me.to go and I didn't get funding so couldn't go.
I then got a bit lost in what to do. Made a decision to go accountancy and I've done that for the past 7 years. I'm now at a crossroads where I want to change career. I find psychology fascinating and always have. So something in that field but maybe helping children and women who have been victims of domestic abuse as I was once one of those women and witnessed it growing up. I'd like to help people and not crunch numbers where I'm helping no one.

I wanted to be a high flying PA, on the top floor of a skyscraper, in a swish roomy office suite with amazing views across London city, working for a top boss. I did a secretarial course and trained as a PA but didn’t really make the grades.

Then I wanted to be a fitness instructor, but that never happened either.

I ended up as a clerk with the electricity board, but then trained as a nail technician and ran my own business. I have plans to run a b&b next 😁

I decided when I was 8 that I was going to be a primary school teacher...and I am!

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I was good at writing and considered taking English Lit/Lang with creative writing. My mum "advised" me that I would be heading for an unstable career...I was also interested in childcare, so I took an GNVQ in nursery nursing and that got me into a top London nursing school. But I was hopeless and dropped out.

I found work at a poncy department store (honestly, for a social-phobic, I was incredibly lucky) and considered going back to uni to do the degree in English again. My mum again "advised" me this was a dodgy path (I was 22 at this stage, an adult) so I applied to work on the Tube. Again, very lucky to get in. I've been there ever since.

My daughter has shown great aptitude for creative writing, maths and art and I have learnt not to stand in her way in whatever she chooses to do. If one thing doesn't go right, try something else! My niece is interested in forestry management but her parents want her to find office work. I never reached my potential, and I think it is sad that even now, parents try and shoehorn their kids into careers they do not want to do.

Btw my DH wanted to be a curator or archaeologist but ended up as a postal worker. His family were struggling financially and he needed to go out and work. It was only meant to be temporary but he's been at RM for 30 years now.

I agree, fudge. When a child shows a particularly strong desire to go into a specific career then parents and teachers should do everything to encourage them to try it. It’a Fine to point out the potential downsides but also give the positives and tell them they are still young, if they don’t enjoy it or find they aren’t suited to it they can always try something else. It’s the not trying it that will get to them later in life when kids and mortgage has got in the way. They may always regret not having tried for their original “gut feeling” career. Like me with primary teaching.

Author - yep.
Dressmaker - still working on it.

All I ever wanted to be was a teacher. For various reasons, it hasn't happened. I did do a degree, but due to the shit storm that became my life in third year, I did not get the results I needed to get into any post grad courses. My degree, a 2.2 from a Russell Group university, is an albatross round my neck. I gave retraining one last shot last year, but did not get in to anything I applied for. I have used up my student finance allocation, and I can't self fund further study, so that's that. Geographically I am limited, I can't just up and move.

I now work in a fairly dull job which I am overqualified for, with no career progression. It pays the bills, the people are decent, and it has enabled me to get a mortgage. I can't believe I have ended up in such a job, however. I was clever at school, a straight A student, and I worked hard. I feel as though I have wasted my potential, even though I didn't mean to. I wish I wasn't clever, because then I would have been contented with where I am, and I would not have realised how great the gulf was between where I am now and where I feel I should be.