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Original poster

When did you know what you wanted to do? Did you do what you decided to do as a child/young adult?

34 replies

QuootieSpookypie · 23/10/2007 23:35

Just been thinking alot about careers recently, my whole life (well, from about 7) I wanted to work with horses in some capacity and until I had a riding accident at 16 it stayed the same. Now I am out of that 'world' I am scared because for the first time in my life I don't know what to do. I have about 4 diffrent careers in mind, but they are all so different I can't do my A-levels because they all need different ones, or a college course. One day I still want to work with horses and want to go back to agricultural college, the next I am passionate about becoming a teacher, then I am back to wanting to be an accountant and then I think I may want to work at a nursery. Did you always know what you wanted to do? If so, are you happy now doing it? How did you decide if you didn't 'know' for ages what you wanted to do? How old were you when you decided? I am in a total muddle!

OP posts:
spottyshoes · 23/10/2007 23:42

I understand your confusion, i feel the same. I'm 27 and fell into my current line of work and am really unhappy. Since I was very young I have swung from fancying one career to another - my qualifications are a botch of all things! I'm now on matty leave and facing the prospect of 'should i go back? if not, what should I do next?.......' I am drawing a blank.

I really envy people who are set from day 1 and know what they want to do for life. I wish you luck - if you find the answer let me know. xx

expatinscotland · 23/10/2007 23:43

never.

i'm 36 and still tooling along.

silkcushion · 23/10/2007 23:46

Just suck it and see. Try lots of things and see if you like them. I never decided. Just fluked my way into a job and seemed tod o alright at it.

Good Luck

wohmum · 23/10/2007 23:47

I'm not doing anything i planned to do - i can remember wanting to be a teacher at around 7 ! and then an opthalmic optician at around 15, but now work in IT ! (plus WAh on the side)

but it's not all rosy if you do know - Ihad a friend who wanted to be a chiropodist (yes , i know!!) and wouldn't consider anything else, but then found she didn't actually like it when she qualified!

Original poster
QuootieSpookypie · 23/10/2007 23:52

I am scared of wasting years of my life at uni for something I decide I don't like anymore... or having loads of half qualifications (which is what I have now!) Argh, I wish I could see in to the future at my career so I know what to concentrate on now.

OP posts:
cat64 · 24/10/2007 00:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

nappyaddict · 24/10/2007 01:17

i would say go with the horses. its what you've always wanted!

nappyaddict · 24/10/2007 01:17

i would say go with the horses. its what you've always wanted!

hunkermunker · 24/10/2007 01:31

I still don't know and I'm 32. I'm trying my hand at all sorts of things these days and haven't got enough time to do any of them properly

MrsJohnCusack · 24/10/2007 02:20

I don't know either and I'm 33 and all washed up with no career and no idea what to do. But I need to do SOMETHING.

(am having a bit of a crisis over this at teh moment)

when I was a kid I wanted to be a three day eventer, then design record covers, then run a shop (well, I managed working in several) and then I think I wanted to be a clarinettist, and I have just failed to get the only available regular job doing that here so I am clueless

not much help there! but at least you know you are not alone in your indecision

AussieSim · 24/10/2007 05:02

I figured it out in my second year of uni whe I was 19yo (industrial relations/human resources) - had a very successful career - well paid, high demand, great travel (before kids), flexible if you want to contract or work part-time. Sometimes I think I should have done something more creative - but then it probably wouldn't have paid the way HR did - and I wouldn't have met my DH

GrapefruitMoon · 24/10/2007 06:23

Still waiting for inspiration here too (and I'm in my 40s!)

lizziemun · 24/10/2007 07:02

I'm 38 and have no idea what i want to do when i grow up .

I toy with the idea of becoming a quailified bookkeeper so i can work from home.

foofi · 24/10/2007 07:15

I never figured out what I wanted to do either. Think it is probably too late, but I keep hoping I will come up with something great soon!

tiredemma · 24/10/2007 07:49

Im 29 now- decided at 25 that I wanted to go into nursing and went to college, decided only recently that I wanted to go into psychiatric nursing.

juicychops · 24/10/2007 07:57

When i was at school, from 14-16 i wanted to be a film director.
Left school at 16 after dropping out of 6th form to work full time in a shop and decided i wanted to work in retail management.

Decided i didn't want to work in retail. Got a full time job as a purchase ledger for associated newspapers. Also decided i didn't want to work in accounts as a career.

Fell pregnant and was sahm for 2 years.

Im now 22 and back as a purchase ledger for a different company part time and in second year of a Psychology degree with Open University.
Im determined now to be a forensic psychologist and have been for about the last 2 years. I dont think its likely i will change my mind again as i feel like ive truly found my calling and something im going to love forever!

GooseyLoosey · 24/10/2007 08:10

I picked an option at 11 (when someone asked what I wanted to do) and never, ever allowed myself to consider an alternative. I am now 38 and still doing it.

Not sure that it has made me particularly happy and would not advocate that approach to others, but there is something to be said for the single minded pursuit of something without pausing to doubt whether it is the right thing or not.

Good luck with working out what you want to do. With the benefit of hindsight, the most important selection criteria should be what is most likely to make you happy. Not sure that would be accountancy, sounds more like the horses if you can cope with it.

Pruners · 24/10/2007 08:16

Message withdrawn

choosyfloosy · 24/10/2007 08:20

Was sure at 11 that I wanted to be an advertising copywriter - stuck to that until 16 and a week's work experience decided me that the world of advertising was vile, tawdry and immoral. Maybe that was right, but possibly influenced by the agency I worked at being in Tunbridge Wells - chortling sexism and self-satisfied gin-and-tonic complacency was a major feature of the week. Anyway, did a degree because it never really occurred to me that I wouldn't - loved it but failed to get a research job in the field and then went off to do various jobs. Found that I loved healthcare (or perhaps more that it was the only field I could actually care about). Am now (at 38, having decided at about 36) retraining as a speech and language therapist for a lot of reasons - tbh at first it was more of a 'head' decision, but the more I have done towards it the more important it gets to be to me.

I too have always envied people who know what they want to do, but tbh as said below, at least it is not such a big deal these days to change and try stuff.

The first thing to do is to see your 'half-qualifications' as positive - those are achievements just like anything else and you know the reasons why you chose to do them at the time. Then don't forget that local councils usually offer free careers advice; although my adviser didn't actually come up with speech and language therapy, she was a great adviser (light years away from the one I had at school) and it was part of the thinking process. Having said that, it was my mother who eventually came up with the idea. Have you tried asking all the people who know you best what they feel you would be good at, what your best aspects are? It feels really nice to do this and the results may surprise you.

Does teaching riding to small children interest you?? Why not combine a few ideas?

choosyfloosy · 24/10/2007 08:21

wow pruners, what are you into now? (sorry if you don't want to say)

bealcain · 24/10/2007 08:23

i always thought that i'd make a good teacher, and wantd to do it from about the age of 12, until i told a teacher and they said it was only becasue that's all i've ever know. so i forgot about the idea and ending up failing my Alevels coz i had no clue what i wanted to do so kept switching and changing. ending up working for prison service, then having babies, i'm now at the stage where i know what i want to do, it;'s just the logistics of getting there!

bealcain · 24/10/2007 08:25

saying that my DF has been in the same job for 5years, really unhappy and doesn't have the confiendece to leave, so i;d rather sort my traning out and be hapy for the nexxt 35yers of my working life than be unhappy!

Original poster
QuootieSpookypie · 24/10/2007 15:33

Wow, alot more posts! I am trying to look into teaching at an equine college, to combine both but there are so few about you have to be really good to do that. I mean, a teacher at my college taught riding, husbandry and business studies /accounts so it combines alot of my intrests in one job. Hmmm

OP posts:
erniecrackles · 24/10/2007 15:46

Often people 'fall' into jobs, don't they? Sounds like your teacher didn't have one career in mind, but managed to combine different skills?
I always wanted to be a writer, but hey, who doesn't?
Would love to do a PhD but am too skint and it's too selfish.
Thinking of becoming a teacher, but totally terrified. If I ask anyone who has been a teacher about it, they look at me in horror!
Being a librarian appeals, but was told I would be best off getting MBA, not an arts degree, as all computers and budgets!
I go through phases of just wishing I had been more focused and sorted my life out earlier. I would love to be able to look into the future and know what would be best to do ...

bookofthedeadmum · 24/10/2007 16:02

I'm going to work it out when I grow up. Which at 35.5 should really be about now .

Seriously I know how you feel but I'm quite happily temping away as a secretary right now. Work 9-5 and off home on the dot. Suits me fine and my qualifications are all over the place (in fact, almost in reverse). At least I'm getting paid whilst I'm being indecisive.

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