If you could go back and choose a different career, what would it be?

[meateatingveggie]

I'll start. I'd do medicine and become a coroner

It depends on the type of work you're doing - the kind of jobs open to accountants are far more varied than a lot of people realise.

My specialism is fairly niche, but I have a good work life balance and not too many meetings.

Hedge fund manager. Then I'd develop a conscience and go and do something worthwhile with my ill-gotten gains.

Artist, writer, vet assistant, travel writer, life coach

I'd be a Beaty therapist with my own business by now... working the hours I wanted to work.

Or an award-winning actress

Captain Kate’s job - in charge of a massive cruise ship with the best cabin that opens up to the bridge.
Amazing uniforms, 4 months on 4 months at sea with amazing people having the time of their lives.
Plus, as Captain, puss gets to come along too.

I'm a chartered company secretary. If I had my time again I'd be an ER doctor or a police officer.

I'd be in the police.

Perfume 'nose'. Didn't even realise it was a possibility till I read a profile of one when I was in my 30s. You can go to perfume school and everything.

How I wish you’d put this thread on the Mature Study and Retraining board@meateatingveggie !

www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

It’s nice to see the fantasy sometimes, rather than the sometimes problematic reality.

I would be a joiner or cabinet maker

Formula 1 Driver! Technically already in the 'industry' as I work in finance in motorsport, but just not on that side of the pit lanes sadly lol!!! (And no, it's not what my username suggests lol but one can dream!)

Sounds of these sound like dream jobs, rather than jobs that the person has the skill or opportunity to do, even if they could start all over again.

Forensic linguistics.

I didn't even know this existed, until a few years ago. Didn't even get linguistics at uni; only when I taught it a few years later and I suddenly had to know it.

A hairdresser, it was all I ever wanted to do but I got railroaded by my parents to join the Civil Service because being a hairdresser wasn't a job for life.

I have always wanted to be a talented artist, unfortunately I have zero talent so I have a science job instead which sucks my soul dry a bit.
however DS is a professional artist so I kind of live through him.

Paramedic

Any career plan at all would have been useful.

I wish, I wish, I wish I hadn't listened to my parents, for whom teaching was seen as a job with guaranteed wealth, easy days, lots of holidays and job security. Both my parents left school at 15.

I'd just follow the money, if I could do it again. I have friends who earn twice as much as me, but envy the way I 'make a difference', while they just make money for people. I would be happy making the money and not living the job.

Something in the medical field, doctor, pharmacist, paramedic or optician. But I didn't appreciate the value of education at the time and had no direction. If only I could have my time again

Costumes in films. My aunt does this, and I was kind of pushed down that route in school by my parents.
I am now discovering I may have ADHD, and that is why I am fucking useless now.
As an adult, I had the dream of working in operating theatres, and I did train for it. Dropped out because qualified staff eat their young.

join the civil service at 18, or maybe 16.
not waste time messing around being unproductive.
basically wish i'd made more money, had a pension, been more aware of the importance of money earlier on.

Literally anything

I'd join the police as a dog handler.

Air traffic controller. I'd be retired by now on an excellent pension instead of flogging myself stupid doing poorly paid admin

I’d be a detective. I still might. They do fast track entry in my local force and I think about it every time it opens up. I’m lucky though. My actual job has been mentioned several times on here.

How lovely, best of luck