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Original poster

What career do you have VS what you wanted to do when younger

108 replies

Perfectlyblended · 15/08/2023 18:35

My DD was talking to me the other day about her future dreams ( she’s still primary school aged .

got me thinking about how different my path ended up compared to my childhood dreams.

what did you want to be ?
what did you end up being ?
If you could start again what would you choose now ?

I wanted to be a zoo keeper
ended up being a forensic pathologist

OP posts:
resipsa · 15/08/2023 20:22

War reporter in the mould of Kate Adie. Globetrotting, worldly use, committed, changing the world's view. Ended up as a part time lawyer helping big organisations with the right to practise in the UK only 🙈.

GlobetrottingPercy · 15/08/2023 20:23

Wanted to be an orthopaedic surgeon, have ended up in HR. If I had my time again, I would want to work as a Forensic Detective (have been on the CSI night at the Natural History Museum and loved it!).

resipsa · 15/08/2023 20:23

Worldly wise not use 🙄

HappiestSleeping · 15/08/2023 20:23

I always wanted to be a lollipop man because they don't start work until they're 60.

Seriously, I didn't have any great ambition to be anything and sort of found myself doing the thing I do more by luck than judgement. Have ended up really being a professional meeting attender which seems to be how it works in the jobs of today. 😂

OuiLaLa · 15/08/2023 20:23

Unicorn - lawyer

OuiLaLa · 15/08/2023 20:26

Also a guide dog trainer for a long time until it was explained to me that I couldn’t keep the dogs.

happy as a lawyer now I have found my niche.

Original poster
Perfectlyblended · 15/08/2023 20:27

@GlobetrottingPercy how old are you ?
as Much as the job isn’t as glam as portrayed on telly. I do really enjoy my job, don’t get me wrong there is some cases that scar you and change you as a person but overall I am glad I went with it.
is there no chance I’m retraining ?

OP posts:
Poblano · 15/08/2023 20:28

Wanted to be:
Lorry driver
Fashion designer
Teacher
Author
Translator.

Am actually a statistician.

Myfirstbornisacollie · 15/08/2023 20:28

I wanted to be a vet
ended up a GP 🤣
often wonder if I should have become a pathologist, 20 years in I think I’m stuck

SummerWillow · 15/08/2023 20:31

I don't remember wanting to be anything in particular for a long time which was quite problematic! Then I considered doctor, but my Mum thought it was too difficult for me.

After uni I still didn't know what to do and somehow ended up as an accountant! Still doing it 35 years later 😳

I wish I had had burning ambitions as this would have helped!!

useitorlose · 15/08/2023 20:34

Childhood dream - nursing
First job - student nurse (Army Nursing Corps)
Then...
2) customer advisor, building society
3) as above, different city (started OU degree while here)
4) customer services, energy consultancy
5) PGCE student
6) primary teacher - school 1
7) IT teacher - school 2
8) primary teacher - school 3
9) primary teacher and senior leader - school 4
10) primary teacher and SENCo - school 5
11) Deputy Head and SENCo - school 6
12) Head of Inclusion - school 7 (outside UK)
13) Local government SEND project manager (outside UK)

During this period of almost 40 years, there are 2 babies, 2 weddings, 1 divorce, countless house moves, two countries/continents, an OU degree, 2 Masters degrees and currently a doctoral student.

I love my role now, but have always said I'd make a great detective!

CherryBlossomPants · 15/08/2023 20:36

I wanted to either be a vet or a fighter jet pilot.

Ended up being a combat medic in the army and I’ve now done 20 years. Only another 2 to go until I’m out and onto something different.

TranscendingTheSituation · 15/08/2023 20:37

I flipped back and forth between archeologist and vet as a young child.

I was 100% set on vet all through secondary, and had the grades for it, but as it was time to apply for university programs I changed my mind.

I did a degree in applied mathematics and am now a secondary maths teacher (15 years!), and love it!

Outdamnspot23 · 15/08/2023 20:42

Wanted to be a film director

Ended up after a very circuitous route as a radio producer

so kind of similar but also… not at all 😂

nocoolnamesleft · 15/08/2023 20:42

Myfirstbornisacollie · 15/08/2023 20:28

I wanted to be a vet
ended up a GP 🤣
often wonder if I should have become a pathologist, 20 years in I think I’m stuck

You should have come into paeds.

We have large "animal" practice (teens) and small "animal" practice (neonates), we work everything out on weight, our patients generally can't tell us what's wrong, and their "owners" are very attached to them.

TotalDramarama · 15/08/2023 20:44

I wanted to be a vet (but I'm no good at science), a barrister (but I didn't study law - too much reading) or a teacher.

I do work in a secondary school but don't teach, so I wasn't far off!

Elmo230885 · 15/08/2023 20:46

I wanted to be a marine biologist, I ended up being a nurse. I love being a nurse.

AllTheLaundry · 15/08/2023 20:50

I wanted to be a vet. Realised I wasn't prepared for putting people's beloved pets to sleep and that I'd likely not get the grades. Studied biology at uni, got an MSc still unsure what I wanted to do. Sort of floated for a few years doing animal-y outdoor jobs.

Now I'm an ecologist and I LOVE IT. I get to think and talk about animals all day long, I write about animals all day, I walk miles to survey for animals usually in good weather, it's great and makes my inner 5 year old very happy. I only didn't want to do it earlier in life because I'd never heard of it!

OCDmama · 15/08/2023 20:55

Usual kid stuff, ballet dancer, actor and vet.

Then hit teens and actually stopped thinking about it, just imagined it would be a job. Encouraged by history teacher to do a-levels, got signed up by classical civilisations teacher at college to do classics, she then couraged archaeology degree so I did it (my parents didn't finish a-levels so no family background in HE).

Did well, got offered money off masters and turned down a place to do forensic archaeology to become objects conservator instead because thesis supervisor suggested it (wanted a technical archaeological based qualification). Travelled world doing that then came back and am a very happy museum Curator. It's all because of other people's suggestions tbh! I've loved it all the way through.

mumofteenss · 15/08/2023 20:58

Wanted to be a paramedic.

I am an a&e nurse.

If i could start over but without the teenage brain during exam time, if have applied myself and would have done medicine instead of nursing.

TVTurtle · 15/08/2023 21:08

Wanted to be a television director, turns out I am rubbish at directing but quite good at bossing people around.

I run TV studios and I love it! It’s the best job ever!

164tI21 · 15/08/2023 21:16

Wanted to work in a uni, because both my parents were academics. Now I work in a uni and have my dream post in the exact uni I dreamed about as an undergrad. Sadly having achieved all that am now quite bored. Have another 25 years to go. Really really need a new challenge.

midsomermurderess · 15/08/2023 21:17

I wanted to be an archaeologist. Via law, I now work in publishing.

unicornsinspace · 15/08/2023 21:30

Bonjovispjs · 15/08/2023 19:13

Wanted to work with animals, first thing the school careers officer said to me was "there aren't any jobs with animals" 🤔 I've now been a nanny for over 30 years, but if I had my time over again, I wouldn't do this.

Funny, I wanted to be a vet and our careers officer told me "no one gets in to vet school"

I wanted to be a vet, I'm now a Teaching Assistant. Not a job I ever saw myself doing but I enjoy it and it works well with childcare.

DelurkingLawyer · 15/08/2023 21:37

Wanted to be an actor.
Am a barrister and KC (they say a lot of barristers are frustrated actors)
If I had my time again I’d be an interior designer.