What career would you choose if there were I barriers in your way?

[tinkersfig]

What would your dream career be? Ideally a rich stay at home wife is my ideal job but, alas, the husband is poor.

I'm looking for some inspiration as I have no real direction in my life.

I don't have children and I can potentially retrain (not as a doctor, mind) but I really don't know where to go or even start. If you were able to peruse any career, what would it be?

Black cab driver

Good money, sure, but a working day of 7am–6.30/7pm is quite normal in the City. And weekends and unsociable times like NYE/NYD, depending on the sector and company.

My totally unrealistic parallel-universe job is coroner/pathologist à la Cora in Shetland or Quirke in the John Banville novels.
Totally unrealistic because a) I'm squeamish and b) I do NOT have a science brain.

Slightly less parallel-universe ones are, not a job per se, but I sometimes wish I'd studied linguistics and/or musicology. No idea what sort of careers those might lead to, but I think they're fascinating.

A midwife

Me too

Astronaut. But there was never a hope in hell in reality.

Oh yeah astronaut too.

I'm not very good at science though. Or maths. So it would have been a short and catastrophically dangerous career (/life). I'd be like that pair that got stuck out the door in outer space. Or Sigourney Weaver, getting aliens implanted in my crew mates and forgetting my lines in the West End.

I would have loved to have been a pilot.

Lighthouse Keeper.

None left now 😭

I guess the thing is, the fantasy of these jobs is never the reality. To PP I am an academic (not classics, but equally non-reality based humanities subject!) and it fucking sucks. It’s killed my love of the subject. HE in the UK is an awful place to work at the moment (axe of cuts constantly swinging above your head and you rarely get time to do any actual research or writing - ie the thing you got into academia to do).

It was my dream job too and I loved it until the HE landscape changed about 10 years ago. Now I wish I’d done something else with my life!

That’s called a music supervisor. I’ve known a few in my time. All very cool!

@HippyKayYay is it! I had no idea that's what the job was actually called. How did your pals even get in to it?

This sounds perfect. It would include her fabulous looks too - what's not to love?

Years ago I had to go to return to work interviews etc with dwp. It was soul destroying. I kept getting asked what my ideal job would be. Having answered the question numerous times I finally snapped and said I'd like to be a supermodel. They took a long look at me and didn't ask the question again.

From the music industry. So loads of contacts/ connections to established and up and coming bands and artists and labels. A big part of the job is persuading the artist they want their song in the film and then negotiating the contracts.

Edited to add - this is a good episode of a great podcast, with the music supe who put Murder on the Dancefloor in Saltburn. shows.acast.com/spinning-plates/episodes/episode-130-kirsten-lane

Pop star
Or Oscar winning actor.

There are 3 things I would like to do but can’t afford the salary drop and training

• open a home store/boutique with an interior design consultancy (I did interior design at uni just never got lucky early on in that field with a job)
• florist and flower farmer
• massage/holistic therapist

none are really unreachable as I’m not going for grand things but it’s the salary drop and training that is stopping me

One of those mystery undercover food critics for the Michelin guide.

Paramedic. I can't afford the salary drop now. If I won the lottery that's what I'd do.

@autumn1610 florist for me too. But yes, the salary cut.....

Or a forest school teacher - my aversion to being cold and/or wet is an additional barrier there.

Not to burst your bubble but real film acting involves saying the same few lines over and over again with several takes until the picky director is happy whilst probably pretending that February is really a flaming hot July in a bikini and the location is quite obviously not Hawaii but New Jersey.

Bit like modelling really. A lot of repetitive gurning and clothes held together with pegs behind your back and the wrong size shoes on photoshoots.

I'd like to have been a travel rep of some sort but for an "upmarket" company particularly focused on ancient historical sites. I'm good with people, like helping them, planning things and speak a few languages so that ticks some of the boxes. Also know a fair bit about ancient history, Roman in particular. Alternatively I'd like to have worked in the arts in some capacity. Unfortunately I'm way too old for any of it now.

Another job I would have liked and could possibly still do - considering that in this internet age you can pretty much self publish with a degree of credibility - is being a proper investigative journalist.

My secret morbid self would have loved to be a coroner.

I’d have loved to have been a doctor. Medicine is so fascinating. I also secretly love long hours so that wouldn’t even put me off.

But I should really be outside for my mental health so maybe I would design and tend for gardens. Or have a market garden/smallholding. Maybe with a cafe. I dunno just spitballing.

Textile design