tell me about your 10 years old who have already decided what they want to do in future

[mom17]

I met couple of kids who are already very clear with what they want to do and all big big things like medical in Oxford, science/Engi @ standford etc. and my DS has no idea what he wants to do? Seeing UCAS point system and Ivy leagues requirements, seems we should plan since Yr1-Yr2 around. Tell me your child story if they also have similar vision for their future and what are they doing to achieve this and how you as a parent, are helping it ?

Dd came home from school towards the end of year 3 and announced she wanted to be a pharmaceutical biochemist. She's about to start year 6 and hasn't changed her mind.

We've no idea how or why the idea came about and will be interesting to see how long she pursues it for.

She does get extremely good science and maths reports so there's hope yet !

DD is 9. She wants to be an illustrator. Luckily she seems to be talented at drawing.

She recently met a young ish professional illustrator and that was hugely inspiring to her, so I think that will have cemented the goal for her.

I have been sending her to Art classes since she was 6, she will embark on a more complex drawing class presently and I am looking at the local private school Art scholarship...... but that's just my pipe dream, though she is quite content to try for it, and surprisingly laid back about trying for it. We'll see.

I can't draw a thing so this one really is down to her.

DS at 3 announced he wanted to be an armed robber. So I'm thinking theatre classes and perhaps a comedian

My DC has wanted to be a theoretical particle physicist, ever since he knew what one was. Hasn't changed in ten years. Main influences IMO has been my interest in Science, The TV program Big Bang Theory and success with his natural ability in the area.

school is holding him back :(

Mine wants to be a prima ballerina! It won't happen as sadly her talent doesn't match her enthusiasm!

My ds(8) wants to be musician, artist, mathematician, palaeontologist and computer game programmer. Basically what he is interested at the moment.

Mine wants to be a YouTuber, apparently that's a job !

At ten my DD wanted to be a writer and spent most of her spare time writing. At nearly 16 she's still the same and has written reams and reams of chapters for different books, exploring different ideas. Her writing is now very good and her english teachers and I are very impressed with her. She's looking for a course that can explore her love of writing alongside her love of history. SHe's decided she can be a history teacher as a fall-back option and is now aware that there are many jobs that use a strength in writing as core to the role.

DD2 wants to be a teacher. But I think that's mostly because I am and she sees that I have the holidays off. Also, she says 'I can be a teacher so I can tell the children off!' So I'm sure that her choice of career is going to change quite a lot between now and (hopefully) university.

I didn't know at ten what I wanted to be. I fancied being an archaeologist, but hate being outside in the cold or very hot weather and don't like getting mucky. So that was no good.
It was at about 16 that I decided I'd like to be a special needs teacher. Then the best route was to qualify as a teacher, then teach and return for additional training in SN teaching. Once in a mainstream class I found that the wide range of needs and abilities was more than enough to keep the job interesting and challenging and I've been a teacher for the last 18 years.

DS wanted to do environmental work, mainly in preventing coastal erosion and had offers to study environmental science. He has had the same ambition since he was 10 but has turned down his offers and has applied for a foundation degree in civil engineering or applied science with the aim to work with water services, possibly within international aid. The turning point for him was a live q&a with UN specialists in the field. I'm very lucky to have a lot of friends who work for aid agencies and while he's still interested in coastal erosion, talking to other specialities has given him a bigger focus.

I can see DD going into theatre or film, especially pyrotechnics or special effects, maybe even sound engineering. She has the most amazing imagination and I was very surprised that she took to reading plays like a duck to water. She started with the Cursed child and has started to read Shakespeare (for kids) off her own back. She does have a lot of access to the local theatre through my friend's husband who is a light and sound engineer, so it's familiar to her. Funnily enough I can't see her performing and she's not someone who is comfortable with being the focus of attention, but she loves writing and creating scenes. A lot of her more recent interests have been fuelled by a joint initiative with the local university's media department where her class were taught stop motion animation and filmed their own short stories over a term.

Dd has wanted to be a writer since she was about 8. She spent lots of time reading and writing. In secondary school dh and I steered her towards journalism as a possible career so that she could make a living out of writing but still pursue more creative writing in her free time (we both work in publishing and know how difficult it is for people to make a living solely out of writing! She edited her school newspaper for several years at secondary, has done work experience on a national newspaper and is now studying English at university. She has just lined up and a role on the university newspaper for this coming year which should help her cv. Having said all that, in my experience it is not the norm for children to know what they want to do at that age - I certainly didn't and nor did dh or ds.

Another 10 year old who wants to be a writer here. She actually refers to herself as a writer now. I was talking to her recently about different types of writing - journalism, screenplays and writing for tv, she said. No - I'll stick to what I am good at . I am a novelist.

My 14 year old on the other hand has no clue. She has identified a university she wants to go to based on the fact that they have a good sports team in her favourite team sport.

My 10 year old wants to be an actor (yes I know and so does every other child) but mine was serious, so much so, we actually enrolled him in Italia Conti and he has been going since he was 6. He has even had an audition at the Old Vic's Young Vic and got a part in a summer youth show. He has never swayed except this last holiday he mentioned he might like to work with animals (but rather vague about exactly what).

I knew what I wanted to do when I was 8 years old. I never wavered and I did it.

My other two have no idea at all.

My 9 year old daughter has said so far: Chef, Model, Designer.

I am not concerned as it changes a lot; I wanted to be a teacher or flight attendant when I was her age; I wouldn't imagine myself doing any of those jobs now.

One DC wants to be a dr...to be fair from the age of 6 could describe the kidney and intestines better than most adults I know! The reasons however..."coz I will be able to work with you and see you more mummy" broke my heart . DC2 however wants to be either a blacksmith or a 'car washer'. Time will tell, I don't care what they do as long as they are happy and can feed themselves and their families.
Still not sure now, at my ripe old age, what I want to do!...

Most have no clue or it changes several times. One of mine said from 7 the same think. Now 14. We have taken her to activities, events and exhibitions but that's it.

She is now at a specialist 14 plus school.