AIBU to ask what career you want for your child or children?

[glammother31]

Have you got it all mapped out or are you just going to roll the dice? Will they go to uni or have you not decided?

I'd be really interested to hear different points of view.

I want for my kids the chance to make experience: Travel, meet new people from different backrounds, work as a farm helper or on a fishing boat, be a voluntary in a children hospice, try new things, be brave and free and happy.
If they have career plans, fine, but they shouldn't feel like a failure when they need time to find their way. It's ok to change your opinion, it's ok to regret a decision and find a new way. Life is not always straight forward. It has curves and crossing roads and even 'dead ends'. And sometimes a detour is the best way to reach a goal.

@Oliversmumsarmy I wasn’t laughing at the idea of being a gamer - I was laughing at the OP thinking you could steer a child and her example of a child wanting to be a gamer wasn’t really an issue.

We've said DD can be whatever she wants, as long as it's legal. Except in space. She can totally be a Han Solo-esque space pirate.

Oooh. Now I want to be a space pirate too!

Today 13:15 DieAntword

@DieAntword“throw under the bus” because I want them to be good people preferentially over happy people? I’d love it if they could be both of course but in Nazi Germany I would want them to be the people who were full of negative emotions (and did something about it) not the ones dancing in the beer halls! Wouldn’t you? - when we're back in Nazi Germany I'll take that argument on board.

It's not really up to you though is it

Also gaming is a massive industry and will only be getting bigger. Getting into tech or coding would be a smart move so not sure why you're turning your nose up.

I quite fancy my bump becoming an architect tbh.

He can build me a fancy house at the top of a hill for being such an excellent mum (let's face it, I'm going to rock this) - and anyway, I've already exposed him to a steady diet of George Clark, Kevin McCloud and the two chaps whose names I can never remember from the 100k house all through the pregnancy.

Sure he's half qualified already!

You’re funny OP, hope this thread doesn’t get zapped too!

If their future job is legal and pays enough for them to have a good life on them that great.

With regards to the gaming on YouTube :

1. How old is the child? Being a YouTuber is this generation's equivalent of wanting to be a footballer.
2. If the child was serious and learned how to edit videos then they will have a skill that could lead to work in TV and film.
3. If they record themselves speak, the practice could make them excellent public speakers. Lots of jobs require giving presentations, delivering speeches.
4. Being able to review a video game is no easier than reviewing a book, film... Good writing skills and analysis are a great skill for work.

Are you Katie Price OP?

I would give anything for my boys to be footballers
This is funny because I’d give anything for mine NOT to be footballers! I can imagine myself aged 60, having supper with friends and muttering into my glass of port... erm, my son works in a sport related field... no he isn’t a dancer... it’s more of a ball sport than ballroom... (quickly change the subject).

My daughter (5) wants to be a vet as many children do, if she ends up a vet I'll be delighted but I'll also be gobsmacked that she doesn't change her mind between now and when she's an adult.

So long as she does something she enjoys I'll be happy, I'll also encourage her to go for a well paid professional career but that's encourage not force as at the end of the day its' her call

As I say, gaming/YouTube/streaming is a brilliant career if you're serious about it and willing to put the work in. My DP does the above, he's worked ridiculously hard to get to where he is now and earns a healthy sum because of it.
Those who are turning their noses up at that career idea, think again!

Cannot wait to hear what OP's 3 year old has decided she is going to be.

My almost 16 year old has fairly clear career plans in that he knows roughly what sort of degree he is applying got in a couple of years. Middle child still not clear, but few ideas. Youngest wants to be a zoo keeper.

At the age of three, the oldest wanted to be a dinosaur, the middle one wanted to be Dora the Explorer and the youngest (a boy) wanted to be "a grown up lady like Mummy".

Can't work out if OP is thick, shallow, deluded or a combination of all three.

Think you've had some harsh responses! Clearly I can't actually choose my children's career path and will support whatever they want to do within reason, but if I COULD choose, cool jobs that spring to mind would be newsreader or best-selling author!

Cannot wait to hear what OP's 3 year old has decided she is going to be.

She said a model in another thread.

And as pps have pointed out, wanting to be something and being good at it are quite different things. What happens if the OP's daughter is not particularly tall for example? The OP comes off like a Kardashian wannabe who is wanting to live through her daughter.

I haven't completely given up on DS becoming an F1 driver, but I haven't been able to interest him in karting and he's already 13!

Worst case, I'll end up doing the gaming circuit and appear in youtube videos as his sidekick.

Are you Katie Price OP?

I think KP would love her kids to have a career like YT streamer as it would give her an opportunity to flog merchandise, appear as a guest, meet fans at conventions etc

My 4yo wants to be Darth Vader. Tbh if anyone can achieve that it’ll be him, so I shall resign myself to support his dreams of taking over the universe in a long swishy cape. I guess it’ll have its perks, being the mother of an intergalactic tyrant, although I shall exercise caution when telling him to tidy his room...

I want them to be happy so will encourage them to choose a vocation they will enjoy ‘choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life’

Plus it changes so much let them dream when they’re little when I was 4 I wanted to be Kylie when I grew up not like kylie as in a singer I actually wanted to morph into her somehow 🤔 but my mum let me think it was possible. Then I wanted to be a window cleaner, Lollypop lady, went through a phase of forensic scientist too before deciding on drama school. Now I’m in public policy. Kids will and do change their minds.

Come on those of you that are saying it is up to the children, of course it is but it doesn't stop you as parents having hopes and dream for your kids. I would love my daughter to be a scientist of some sort or an astronaut. She has shown interest in both of these. At the end of the day as long as she is happy I really don't care, she can be what ever she wants, it doesn't stop me thinking about the future and what she could become.

Come on those of you that are saying it is up to the children, of course it is but it doesn't stop you as parents having hopes and dream for your kids.
That’s not how the op is worded. The op asks if you had already decided if they were going to uni or not. That’s far beyond hopes and dreams.

As long as there happy I don't care