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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What is your dream job now?

78 replies

HoppityChicken · 20/04/2019 19:25

If you could go back and chose a career all over again, regardless of what qualifications you'd need or commitments you now have what would you chose? And could you still do it?

OP posts:
MightyAtlantic · 20/04/2019 22:10

Literary translator. I enjoyed languages at school and was good at them too. I wish I'd done a languages degree. If I ever have the money, I might do one for fun. I love reading and tinkering with words so translating novels would be my absolute dream job. I imagine only a very small number of people actually make a decent living from it though.

RubyWho · 20/04/2019 22:13

Barrister. I work in law and did the GDL, and then weirdly an LLM. I was too lazy to do the BPTC, convinced myself I’d never get a pupiallge and bottled it.
Eedjit.

BillyAndTheSillies · 20/04/2019 22:20

Either an interior designer or anything to do with furniture restoration.

I'd love to do the full courses but don't have the spare cash or time.

Original poster
HoppityChicken · 20/04/2019 22:23

For the those wanting to be teachers or singers - I know a chap who, following a rubbish few years in corporate promotions, decided in his 50s to become a primary school teacher. Which he did (though it was tough going, mainly due to total self doubt). At 60, while teaching, he then decided to start chipping away at his original dream of being a singer/song writer, something which he'd pursued for years but abandoned decades earlier after endless set backs. He's gone from doing the odd acoustic gig in the pub to successfully recording and touring again for the last few years. He's nearly 70.

OP posts:
MintyCedric · 20/04/2019 22:25

Wow Hoppity that is truly inspiring.

Just yesterday I remembered the phrase 'You're never too old to be what you were meant to be' - your friend is actually living it.

Original poster
HoppityChicken · 20/04/2019 22:29

I know MintyCedric! It makes me smile every time I think about it. Both careers were such big things to go after at that point as well. I'm not sure the music career would have happened again if he hadn't qualified as a teacher, that was where the new found confidence came from.

OP posts:
MintyCedric · 20/04/2019 23:28

My two 'things' are art and writing...I discovered today that one of my favourite authors was published for the first time in his early 50s having been writing since he was at uni.

It's really good to read stories of older people's achievements against a backdrop of young celebrities, footballers etc who seem to achieve world fame, professional recognition and ridiculous bank balances when they're barely put of their teens.

Original poster
HoppityChicken · 20/04/2019 23:43

Mary Wesley who wrote The Camomile Lawn got her first book (for children) published in her 50's and then wrote her first novels for adults when she was 70. After 7 successful novels, all written and published in her 70s, she got bored apparently and stopped writing!

OP posts:
Minkies11 · 20/04/2019 23:48

Counselling Psychologist.
Busy doing a degree in the vain hope I'm not too old at 39 Sad

thishouseisashittip · 20/04/2019 23:53

I would love to have been a Mechanic 🔧......... or a bricklayer 🧱 😁

MollyYouInDangerGirl · 20/04/2019 23:54

Hmm... maybe a solicitor or an architect.

I work in marketing which is what I always wanted to do but it's not turning out to be a lucrative as I imagined...

MollyYouInDangerGirl · 20/04/2019 23:55

@minkies11 - at 39 you've still got about 30 years of your career left so definitely not too late! Smile

seesawteddy · 20/04/2019 23:57

Children’s novellist

ShinyButtons · 21/04/2019 00:04

I'd love to be a marine biologist, a chiropractor or a carpenter.

Sadly I don't think my 5 C grade GCSEs and a BTEC national diploma are going to get me very far.

I so wish there was better careers advice 20 years ago when I was at school. Everything I wanted to do they told me I couldn't or it would be a stupid idea. I should aim for an office job.

I now have an office job and while I like the people I work with it's just so dull and pointless.

Every time I see a documentary and they are out at sea studying some lovely marine creature I get so sad that I'm not out there doing the same.

FenellaVelour · 21/04/2019 00:08

In a dream world, I’d be a full time writer.

In reality, I’m happy being a social worker (not working for the local authority though, which makes a huge difference), and writing part time.

Serin · 21/04/2019 00:28

Fighter pilot/red arrows pilot.

mcjx · 21/04/2019 00:33

I'd love to be a veterinary nurse. I'm only 22 so not old but would have no idea how to get into it.

Currently working in finance and it's mind numbingly boring.

DramaAlpaca · 21/04/2019 00:47

I wish I could've been a doctor. Unfortunately, I was strong on the arts & humanities side but not so much on the sciences & my degree is about as far away from medicine as possible. I've had an interesting & varied career though, and am far too old to think of retraining again now.

Moonchild1987 · 21/04/2019 00:52

Oh I would love to be a successful childrens book author and also expert in medieval literature.

MintyCedric · 21/04/2019 09:01

I so wish there was better careers advice 20 years ago when I was at school. Everything I wanted to do they told me I couldn't or it would be a stupid idea. I should aim for an office job.

Yep, much the same for me nearly 30 years ago. All the girls...secretaries, childcare, nursing. Boys...armed forces and trades. Exceptionally bright ones of both sexes...teaching.

Tbf many of my school friends found their way into fabulous jobs, but most of the girls, whatever they did initially have ended up in the service industry or working schools around their kids. I'm only 43, it doesn't really seem right.

I did manage to get qualifications in graphic design and journalism and had a few opportunities come my way, but timing and family commitments didn't pan out, so I've never managed to get enough experience or build on my qualifications to that I could actually get a decent job in either industry.

GimmeChocolateNow · 21/04/2019 09:06

I love what I am doing - took a few dead ends and hard work to get here but if I wasn't this, there are two routes I would loved to have gone down

Hands on and practical eg mechanic, carpenter, joiner, plumber etc

Or

Prosthetic engineer - saw a uni course on this by chance and would have loved to have had the opportunity.

Foreverlexicon · 21/04/2019 09:17

Police officer

It took me 7 odd years to work out what I want to do, and 3 more years to actually get there but I start in a month and absolutely cannot wait (Police call handler at the moment so well aware of what I’m getting into!)

Glaschu · 21/04/2019 09:21

I would have liked to have been a florist.

Twolipstulips · 21/04/2019 09:28

Town or transport planner. I work in construction building things, but am now more interested in the planning of transport and infrastructure, deciding what should be built, where roads should go etc. Also interested in how decisions on private developments are made.

Ive looked in to it, but it will mean paying for a masters course and potentially years of relatively low pay. Finances just don’t work at the moment. Maybe when the mortgage is paid off...

DoctorDread · 21/04/2019 09:36

I already do my dream job!

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