Your ideal career -- are you living it?

1. 78

   Mighty Momposted 14 years ago

   All kids at some point in their childhood think, "When I grow up I want to be a _______."
   
   What did you set your sights on being as an adult? How close is what you really do for a living to what you dreamt of being as a child?

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   1. 71

      TrinaLynneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      When I was a child I used to always be a writer. I wrote pages instead of paragraphs. I wrote stories to pass my time at home. And I would read large books to broaden my vocabulary.
      As I grew up I lost sight of my writing, but I went through a tough time a couple years ago and slowly started writing again. This year I been trying to hit the ground running with my writing. As far as I'm concerned writing, in whatever aspect, is the only profession/career I am willing to do.
      I love writing and always will.

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2. 81

   LondonGirlposted 14 years ago

   Sad to say, I wanted to be a barrister - and I am!

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3. 64

   Julie-Ann Amosposted 14 years ago

   I wanted to write a book.
   
   Sigh.
   
   Be very careful what you wish for, people...

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4. 60

   Colebabieposted 14 years ago

   When I was little I said... When I grow up I wanna be a Doctor/Marine Biologist.
   
   Let's see.... I'm a biology major who will be applying to Physician Assistant school this fall.
   
   I also scuba dive all the time
   
   Pretty close!

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   1. 80

      Sufidreamerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Same here - did the Marine Biology degree, worked on a fish-farm.......sadly, redundancy meant a few years in the Hell otherwise known as retail management
      
      very happy as a writer - no complaints here

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5. 59

   Pete Maidaposted 14 years ago

   Yea I am and it is because my wife and I planned carefully and never lived up to our means.  I lost my job in December with three and a half years to work before retirement.  Cathy is retired from the US Judicurary and she has always been careful with her money.  I have always saved and our combined efforts allows me to retire now without suffering any setbacks.  We do not carry a balance on our credit card.  Our mortgage is well under control.  It worked out so well that we are not going to have to dip into our savings because we have kept our expenses to a minimum.  I'll be writing a hub about financial planning and the idea that it doesn't take a wizard.

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6. 68

   cindyvineposted 14 years ago

   When I was little, I don't think I wanted to be anything.  I used to spend all my time reading and escaping in books.  Then at 14 I wanted to be a Vet, but managed a racehorse stud far instead.  I became a teacher which I never had a desire to do as I didn't really like school, found it boring and cliquy.  I was one of those who graduated high school with no idea what they wanted to do, except become a mother.

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7. 80

   Bard of Elyposted 14 years ago

   I always wanted to be a pop/rock star/singer-songwriter and I am one but not very successful at it financially! I have recently discovered and ideal job but sadly also just lost it - classroom assistant, and I had never dreamed of doing that. Now if I can find another such job I will be happy!

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8. 85

   Marisa Wrightposted 14 years ago

   I wanted to be a dancer.  That was never going to happen, because I had very bad asthma at a time when effective treatments weren't around (or at least, not where I lived).  Even going for a brisk walk was difficult, so dancing was out of the question. 
   
   However, these days I don't regret that.  In fact, I don't think that what you dreamed of as a child is necessarily your "ideal career".
   
   If I'd become a dancer, I would have had a life of hard slog and very little money, and quite likely would never have "made it". And that career would've been over by my thirties or forties, anyway. Then I would probably have ended up in some dead-end job, not having trained for anything else.
   
   If I'd become a dancer, I wouldn't have had the colourful life I ended up having, either.
   
   Maybe I didn't end up with my "dream" career, but I think, on the whole, I ended up with a better one.  And I'm still a dancer of course - just not a professional one.

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9. 60

   Teresa McGurkposted 14 years ago

   Yep!

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10. 61

    Kudlitposted 14 years ago

    I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

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11. 0

    ralwusposted 14 years ago

    I wanted to be a doctor, until I realized i could not stand some peoples bodies and other would give me an erection. I also could not envision giving someone an injection, not realizing that usually a nurse does that. So I just became a nothing.

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12. 81

    LondonGirlposted 14 years ago

    One of my best mates was a ballerina - she went to a ballet-specialist school, and trained intensively from 14 to 18. Then, after A levels, she danced for a while with a German company, and then with the Royal Ballet in London.
    
    Her dancing career was over when she was 24, and she's now in her late 30s, and a barrister.
    
    Ballet is seriously hard on your body, as you say, Marissa. She has lots of trouble with her knees, ankles and shins - she says almost all the dancers took large doses of painkillers before every performance, just to get through them.

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13. 60

    abhitgoposted 14 years ago

    When i was a child i wanted to be everything what i saw... a cricketer, a football player, astronaut, a lawyer, etc.
    But as I grew older i used to love rock music. I wanted to become a rock-star.
    Even love Animation...
    and now i have my band... and even doing my animation..

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14. 78

    Mighty Momposted 14 years ago

    Wow! Lots of really interesting responses. I should have guessed that hubbers would have a range of interests and talents (in addition to writing). Pete -- your comment really smacked me on the head. I am sooo waiting for that hub on financial planning. I could use more than a few tips.
    
    I think I was always destined to be a writer, too. Although I had a few brief flirtations with other careers.
    When I saw "The Sound of Music" I wanted to be a nun like Julie Andrews. Of course, even then my ideal was to be the kind of nun that ends up married to a rich, handsome Captain:)
    
    Then I went into a drawing phase and wanted to be a cartoonist. And then a lawyer (or as London Girl calls them, a "barrister).

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    1. 81

       LondonGirlposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Not all lawyers are barristers - very few are. Most are solicitors, we have a split legal profession here.

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15. 70

    waynetposted 14 years ago

    I wanted to be The Doctor, ruining the daleks plans and flying through space and time in my Tardis!!
    
    But that didn't happen so I started to write and draw my own comic books and loved it as a child and still do, so this is where I'm headed for the forseeable!!!

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16. 81

    SweetiePieposted 14 years ago

    My problem was I knew I wanted to study history in college, but I did not think much about the end route career wise.  These days I work and do enjoy my job, but to me life is much more about what I do outside of work.

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17. 0

    Leta Sposted 14 years ago

    I've wanted to be both artist and writer since about the age of 4 (or as long back as I can remember), and pursued everything to that means--luckily, that also seems to be what I'm good at.
    
    The weird thing is, I seem to be in one realm, then the other...I've worked as both a professional writer and an artist--and sometimes (but rarely) both at the same time!

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18. 0

    sandieganlizposted 14 years ago

    Hmmm, what did I want to be when I was a child??!
    
    Well, in junior high school, I learned I had a talent for writing since I wrote a short story, turned it in 3 days late, and still got an A. Then, I moved on to poetry...but, I suppose I never really thought about what I wanted to be/do when I was an adult. Perhaps it was because my parents weren't very motivating and I didn't have the kind of opportunity that others may have had. I had a child at the age of 20...with the wrong man, so, I lived as a single mom for some time. I finally got to go to college at age 24 because I qualified for financial aid. That's when I chose to decide what I wanted to be--which was between a screenwriter, a journalist, a novelist, or, something dealing with culture. I tried journalism and did not like it, so, I went with Urban Studies since it dealt with topics I enjoy--anthropology, geography, economics, politics, and sociology. I still attend college, but, I am almost done, and, I think I want to write after I am done. So, even though I didn't know what I wanted to be, and, I saw my future as bleak, I still have a chance to be what I am most passionate about--a writer. 

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19. 60

    Capable Womanposted 14 years ago

    I wanted to be an astronaut...but instead I am a lesbian so,close.
    
    
    Truly, I never knew how important math was until it was too late. I really did kinda want to be an astronaut.

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    1. 60

       dianacharlesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       LOL
       
       
       
       I wanted to be a doctor, but the sight of blood..my own and others didnt quite agree with me. I still faint at the sight of a needle.Never wanted to be a teacher...don't know how I landed up being one and remaining one.

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20. 55

    Shalini Kagalposted 14 years ago

    I wanted to be a million things - well....close! And ended up in advertising - the best years of my working life!

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21. 0

    Feline Prophetposted 14 years ago

    I don't really remember wanting to be anything when I grew up...perhaps I just didn't want to grow up?

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22. 0

    dennisemattposted 14 years ago

    I can remeber telling my mother I wanted to be a caveman....so I wouldn't have to worry about money. As I got older I realized had to give up that dream, and I set my sights on beach bum. I figured I would walk south for the summers. That hasnt really worked out for me yet.....

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23. 85

    wychicposted 14 years ago

    I wanted to be self-employed (at the time I didn't care about exactly WHAT I did), and I wanted to work with animals. Now I've been a full-time freelance writer for about a year and a half, and I have plenty of time to continue my work with shelter animals. As far as I'm concerned, it turned out just perfect for me...now if I can just find the time to go to college somewhere in there it'd be great.

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