What to be when I grow up?

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Stuck at my desk for another day really thinking "there has to be more than this" but what????

I love animals, I like helping people with problems but am not trained in either.......thinking of looking at an online course I can do to help find something fulfilling..........


What did you want to be?

And what did you end up with?

[anna_66]

It makes me laugh that you brought this up...I was actually thinking the same thing not that long ago!

I guess I've never grown up. I wanted to be either a vet or a flight attendant but work as a waitress/server

[RobiLee]

Well, when I was a little girl all I ever wanted was to be a wife and mother. I guess I accomplished that to the best of my ability.

Now that things have changed and I'm single and unemployed I am constantly asking myself ....What do I want to do? What do I want to be when I grow up?....LOL

Good thread!

[Rachel]

Ah the eternal question that, for me, was never answered. At this point in my life the question becomes...what should I have been, and even that is hard to decide. I really envy those people who knew straight off what they wanted to be.

[Ginger's Mom]

Initially I wanted to be a psychologist. Then I realized I didn't like talking to people, so that wasn't going to work out very well, lol. Then I became very interested in Criminal Justice, and I was going to become a store front lawyer, and make a huge difference in the lives of the poor, down-trodden people. Well, I am working in criminal justice, just not as an attorney (which is fine I would never be able to think on my feet in the courtroom), and not on the defense side. Oh well...

[Pembroke_Corgi]

When I was little, I wanted to be an animal behaviorist. Then I went to college and afterwards wanted to get a PhD in cognitive psychology.

Well, that didn't work out but I did discover that I really love teaching. So here I am working on my masters in education. I think I will try to go on to get a PhD though.

I think what I like more than any kind of job is being a student. I enjoy learning. Too bad college isn't free!

[pitc9]

I wanted to be an interior designer.

[Taz_Zoee]

I wanted to be a teacher, and was a day care teacher for 12 years. Then I became interested in more office/desk work, so I am now working in the accounting department of a management company for over 4 years. But now I'm thinking I want to do something else. But like you I have no training in anything except child development. My boyfriend always tells me I need to take my knowledge of dogs and animals and do something with it. I'm working on volunteering at a local shelter. We shall see how that goes.

[Cincy'sMom]

Good question!! This is something I have been thinking about a lot recently. My degree is in Biochemistry. I have done lab work, and it was interseting, but not totally my thing.

For the last 2 years, I have been working as a technical specialist, where I worked with our clients and advise them on the testing they need to do. I really like what I am doing and I think I'm pretty good at it. But I also see that I can advance and do more...but what direction doi want to take.

I have some people at work who think I'd be good sticking to the science side of things...writing reports, making presentations, etc. There are others who have questioned if I would like to persue the sales side of things, and essentially do what I am doing, but be on the road more and working mroe face to face with our clients. In fact there is a territory open now that I have been kicking around applying for. But I don'tknow that I want to be gone 4-8 days a month.

And of course, there is the whole other side of it. Is this what I want to do at all? My company will pay for classes, and I would love to take advantage of that. But the ultimate question is, what do I want to be if I ever grow up?!

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Good thread! I am currently taking a course to become a vet assistant!

[Jessika]

I went through this for years after graduating High School and never finishing college. I took a semester of college and then dropped everything to move with my (now) hubby and started working full-time.

I was so worried about finances while I was in school - how would I pay the bills if I couldn't work full time while in school, etc, but hubby sat me down and said look, you gave up everything and packed up and moved to be with me, it's time that I return the favor to you. Apply for school, quit your job, I'll pick up extra work, we'll be fine.

So I applied at a college back in my home town into their Vet Tech program... and got accepted!! True to his word, we packed up and moved back home and we are now living with my in-laws to save money on rent and utilities, but dang it, I'm going to school to do something that I love.

I don't feel so worthless anymore, because now I actually have something planned for my future besides just working to get by.

[Barbara]

When I was a kid I wanted to be an Indian chief
After that an archeologist (I wanted to discover temples in Mexico).
Then a chemist (I wanted the Nobel prize)
Then I studied mathematics and physics (still wanted the Nobel prize
You can see that it took me forever to grow up.
After my degree I had no idea what to do and I did not want to work in a technical company so I started with an encyclopedia publisher as an editor.
And now I have two jobs with another publishing company- I am an editorial director for travel guides in Germany and a general manager of another travel guide company in London
Quite old by now but still curious what life will bring.
Whenever I was worried about my job (and there have been quite some times) I thought I can any time teach kids maths. I could cook in a sandwich bar and I could get a license to drive a taxi. It never came to that but I think it is good to know some simple things that may help you even when you have to emigrate to China

[Edwina's Secretary]

My oldest sister retired after more than 30 years in advertising with a major insurance company. She is now the executive director of a non-profit organization.

My next older sister was in education -- truancy program director and teacher of at-risk kids. She retired and now runs the senior program at a couple of Y's and teaches English as a Second Langauge.

I have read that people will have different careers that will be chapters in their lives. So it is never too late to pursue something new!

p.s. I am the much, much younger sister....

[Suki Wingy]

I don't know! I'm about to graduate HS so that's a question a lot of people have been asking me. Part of me really wants to persue my intrests in genetics and breeding, part of me just doesn't want to deal with it because I can never turn anything in on time and just be a park ranger or something. I'll probably end up doing some freelance graphics and art no matter what.
Within the last few years I have wanted to be a zoologist, archaeologist, geneticist, a professional handler, or just live on the fringe, always moving around and exploring. I find myself more often wishing we had the exploration and discovery opportunities of antiquity. Charles Darwin got to sail around the world on the Beagle for five years developing his theory, writing, discovering new people and animals and climates. I want that. No matter he lived in a closet sized space while aboard.

I'll probably end up doing the peace corps after a year of two of community college, then perhaps army (I can't believe I'm actually considering it) or becoming a groom or working student for a top proffesional dressage or showjumping rider, or one of the two midwestern colleges that have varsity equestrian teams for a degree in equine studies, ecology, zoology, or biology. I can't seem to stay in one place for too long.

For quite a while I wanted to be a zoo keeper, then I learned you needed more than just a four year degree, then the hours are long, pay is cheap, and that leaves no time for my own animals or horses.

[Karen]

I wanted to be an artist. Always has been the top of my list. It's not that it was the only thing on my list, but it was tops!

By 5th grade, maybe 6th, I had it narrowed down to 6 people. If I could be 6 people, then I could pursue everything I wanted to.