What did you want to be when you grew up?

[JordanIbe]

I will start
Wrestler
Shopkeeper
It guy
Hollyoaks star

For me.

• WW2 fighter pilot (had to specifically be WW2 though - not a fighter pilot today)
• Vet

When I was about 6, Princess Jasmine (so I could marry Aladdin).
I also wanted to be a rugby player, a binman or a lifeguard so I could sit on the big chair and blow a whistle at people.

Sadly I didn’t become Princess Jasmine who emptys your bins and saves you from drowning. I was a semi-pro rugby player for a while though, my actual proper job is being an actuary.

Nothing involving machines or computers
I'm a teacher.

I wanted to be
A doctor
Do a holiday show , so I could always be on holiday
Estate agent

I was a dental nurse and now work in early childhood and a adventure water park place .
I’ve also travelled lots so lucky

Mainly safe, i had an abusive childhood. My Dad often said that I'd have a broken jaw by the time i was 16 and i should plan on leaving by then.

I would have loved to have done law, but had no support or self esteem.

I wanted to be a spy. I also wanted to conduct a famous orchestra, happily married no kids!

In reality: fraud examiner / forensic linguist and song writer, long since divorced with loads of kids! I'm happy with that

I wanted to be a farmers wife.

Dancer
Choreographer
Actress
Tv presenter
Lawyer
Events organiser
Magazine writer
Poet
Screenwriter
Politician

Nothing. I could never think of a single thing :( I always envied people who had things they wanted to be.

Librarian. I made little slots in the back of all my book for tickets.
I think it was the stamping I liked.
Must be boring now with the computers.

A member of the Italian Mafia (didn't do it)
A writer (did it!)

Nurse
Cabin crew
Teacher

I'm a teacher.

In sort of age order....
Astronomer (lost interest when I realised it was a lot of Hard Maths)
Novelist - talent lacking
Barrister - put off when looking at universities & it seemed to be 95% private school/upper class. Probably wouldn't have made it any way.
Politician - rapidly saw sense in late teens.
Archaeology - actually did a degree in it and then realised jobs in it pay a pittance and can be insecure, and there are far too many people trying to get into academia, oversupply of PhDs.

I now work in something that has a strong law angle and often involves working closely with lawyers....
Its pretty well paid when you are qualified/experience but doesn't involve the long hours lawyers do. It feels like winning.

Singer but knew i didn’t have the confidence performing. I did do a bit of professional singing for a few years but nothing enough to pay the bills. Other than that had no clue and still don’t 😭!

Oooh hipslikecinderella - librarian I liked too in my teens, but it seemed a hard area to get a decent/well paid job in.

I forgot that I also secretly dreamed of working for MI5/6. I had zero idea what it really entailed and am probably completely lacking any suitability. No foreign languages for one.

Not a failure. My school told me I was stupid and not able to learn anything and my parents told me how much of a disappointment I was. The school refused to give me a reference for the access course I wanted so I got no college place and went on the dole and married an abusive man, got divorced and married another, been no contact with all family for years.

A botanist, a detective, then a writer! I did none of those!

Nun
Missionary worker
Journalist
Lawyer.

Writer
Singer/guitarist in an indie band

A cleaning lady. The irony - I cant stand cleaning

Early years teacher
Journalist

Those were two ‘career paths’ I’d thought of from mid-teens onwards. Discounted the first after GCSEs then tried to work towards the second but stupid decisions and missed opportunities happened.

I am lucky in that I’ve been able to use my writing skills in my working life, but am not doing so now.

I’ve always been fascinated by social history and would love to do something in relation to that but have no idea what. I’m approaching 50 and my job is as boring as hell 😂