You are here

OT - Throwback Thursday

Aniki-Moderator's picture

What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was 14, I wanted to be an archaeologist. I found the discoveries to be fascinating and the thought of digging up some 'buried treasure' was exciting! I actually 'interviewed' an archaeology student (who had been on digs) for a paper. That's when I learned that a lot of your time can be spent digging/sifting through tons and tons of dirt for days/months/years without finding so much as a shard.

My junior year of high school, I decided I was going to be a psychiatrist. I spent 2 years in college, living and breathing psych (3-4 classes a semester, including summer school - glutton for punishment!!!) when I realized I would not be able to "leave my work at work" and would take home my worries about my patients. Who wants a shrink who needs a shrink??? Damm!t.

I'm 52 and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Maybe a successful novelist who owns/tends bar (for fun) and plays bar shrink to her customers. Or run a B&B...

I'm still fascinated by archaeology (we have a subscription to a couple of magazines), always end up playing shrink to my friends because "you always listen, never judge, and have such good advice", and am the designated bartender at every party. Too bad I can't make a living out of it!

How about you?

Comments

Acratopotes's picture

Classical Music Instructor - studied it as well, but on primary school level, not the big bratty kids... when I graduated.. they took music out of the schools... studied for nothing lol....

Ballroom Dancer - Did it for quite a while until Deigma came along...

Acratopotes's picture

XSO wants me to teach him now....... cause he knows I love dancing... I said I'll think about it....

I know what will happen if I put my tango dress on lol and it's not fun doing it in jeans....

moving_on_again's picture

Architect. Then I had DS at 17 and just went to work. I was an elementary school secretary for 5 years, a motel clerk for one summer, and I worked at a custom car shop for 5 years. I've been a legal assistant for 5 years. I am almost a certified paralegal now. I like it but I don't love it. I think that comes with every job, though, sometimes it's just boring. Just means more time on steptalk!

Plus, I work for prosecuting attorneys, and I do sometimes get to "assist" in trials. I LOVE that.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Architecture is fascinating! If I could ever design my own house, it would have hidden passageways and rooms. One thing I've always wanted is a cozy reading room BEHIND a wall of books. Select your book, press the special spot on the bookcase, and settle in a cushy chair for a nice, long read.

moving_on_again's picture

That sounds awesome! We are designing a house but it will be way too small to have secret passage ways. We were thinking "tiny house" but we don't want to have to climb stairs in case either of us can't in our old age.

moving_on_again's picture

We probably do need one to hide in now that BM has been served a motion for sole custody.

strugglingSM's picture

When I was 3, I wanted to be a baker. When I was in elementary school, I wanted to be a teacher. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a medical examiner...I didn't do any of those things. I've been doing the same thing for years, but now I'm not sure what I want to do.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

How about an elementary school home ec teacher who moonlights as a medical examiner? Wink

ESMOD's picture

You know.. I am not really sure WHAT I wanted to be. I loved horses.. so I think I wanted to own a horse..lol.

I'm almost 52 as well.. and I have a great job that I do enjoy but if money were no object, I might do something more creatively based. My grandfather had a gift shop on Nantucket.. I could see myself doing something like that. Or a B&B since I do like to do a bit of cooking (would hire a maid though...lol)

Aniki-Moderator's picture

I seriously thought about owning a B&B. I love to cook (and it would only be breakfast!) and loved the idea of decorating rooms to my style. I even thought about offering Picnic Baskets (ordered a day ahead, of course) and, once a month, have a special dinner offer for a limited number of people (say, 6-10). No money to do that, though!!

ESMOD's picture

How about a B&D?

I'm not all up for an early AM breakfast ordeal... but now a cocktail hour? Perhaps my B&B would be a more help yourself style for breakfast but I could put on a good spread for drinks and appetizers?

I remember a few years ago there was a contest to write an essay and win a B&B.. entered but did not win:(

Countrymom's picture

As a child I loved to draw floor plans for homes and I would also sit for hours "studying" maps, globes and other cultures, so I thought about architecture/design or something involved with travel, which at one point was to be a travel writer for a magazine/website. I realized that I'm not good in math at all, therefore architecture went out the window, ha.

In college I took business courses and was minoring in Travel and Tourism with hopes of getting into that industry, then I became pregnant with DD13 so I dropped my minor and graduated with just a BBA in Management. I've worked in HR, Training and PSM since graduation, definitely not my passion but it pays the bills.

I also still do not know what I want to be when I "grow up". I now have goals of getting into real estate, either as an agent or just investing in flipping and owning rental property, but not until my children are a little older and we are better off financially. I think that will fill my passion for homes. The travel and anthropology interest will just be done on my own with vacations!

SacrificialLamb's picture

Also an archaeologist. Then a singer, except I can't sing. Mostly I thought I was going to be in a professional symphony growing up, but when it came time to move forward as a college music major I just did not want to do it. I majored in a subject that gave me job security, retired early and now am in a semi-pro symphony. So I kind of had the best of both worlds.

You hear people say you must choose your passion for work. My passion was taking care of my family, not the actual job I did. But the job allowed me to take care of my family well and have a decent amount of work balance, so it all turned out ok.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Lambie, I can sing (and sang with a band for a time a zillion years ago), but don't think I have what it takes to make it a career.

My passion is bartending. And while I was an excellent bartender and made good money, it was not ENOUGH money!

I'd love to be a sommelier, but cannot afford it.

DaniAM73's picture

When I was in junior high I wanted to be a journalist. By the time I reached 11th grade I decided I wanted to own my own daycare. After two summers of working in camp that dream was nixed.

It's ironic that you asked this question, because as of late I have been thinking what I want to do career wise. I would love to be a Criminal Profiler.

If I were to go into business, I would consider a private investigator. I would love a food truck.

classyNJ's picture

Aniki are you sure we were not separated at birth?? LOL

When I was 7 I wanted to be a vet. But when my cat became sick and I had to take to real vet and her him cry, I didn't want to be one anymore. I cry when they cry. It would have been a train wreck.

When I was 12 I wanted to be an archaeologist. I had read an article in Readers Digest and thought this was the job for me Smile But when I spoke to a college friend of my mom's she said I needed to know a lot about history. Nah - I am that person that just wants to sit in the dirt and dig. If I find something - good - let the others figure out what it is.

Sophomore year of high school I was an aid for special ed class and wanted to be a child psychologist so in college I majored in Psychology and minored in business. I made it two semesters and saw what some parents do to kids and well that ended that.

Approaching 50 and in insurance. I want to work at a bait shop in Florida when I retire Smile

Edited to add: My aunt (father sister) was a psychologist and after 20 years became an agoraphobic. My cousins would tell me horror stories. She too couldn't leave her work at the office.

Aniki-Moderator's picture

Maybe, classyNJ! Biggrin

What kind of insurance? I spent quite a few years in the health insurance industry.

Florida? Oh, hon, you can have it! It's a nice place to visit (when it isn't bloody hot!!), but I could never live there. Unless... I owned a nice tiki bar...LOL

ProbablyAlreadyInsane's picture

A vet, until I volunteered at the clinic for a few years and they let me in a surgery, they messed up and lost the animal. I was super upset and didn't want that to happen... So that died... before that it was a horsebackrider...

Then I went through this SUPER motivated forensics anthropologist, and then a neuron surgeon, which lasted through the first semester of college before I realized it wasn't actually the mos entertaining thing... So I majored in Computer graphics... was supposed to leave for the military, minor issues involving DH and my parents happened and I didn't get o go... And now I'm a software technician... Go figure... May still end up going back to the military though. I LOVED that stuff... But that's dependent on what happens with the Skids and BM... Cuz who knows where I'll end up. *sigh* So software tech for the foreseeable future it is.

B22S22's picture

I'm late coming into this but will comment...
When I was younger, I wanted to do hair. All the while growing up, I had ONE haircut because I have thick, coarse, somewhat wavy hair. I would ask questions like, "Can't you just cut the hair underneath really short and leave the top layers long?" (meaning: today's undercuts) and people would look at me in horror and remind me I wasn't trained to understand "hair" and NO! it couldn't be done. Now today... undercuts are the THING. I had other such revelations that were pooh-pooh'd, but have been or are now really popular.

In High School a family friend got me interested in a semi-medical field which was very little known at the time (early 80's). I worked with her during the summers, then scoured resources for colleges offering the degree program (not many). Went off to college, graduated, and 30 years later I'm still using the degree. Obviously my profession has a lot of different options, and I've pretty much hit all of them. Am I happy overall? Yes, or I wouldn't have lasted 30 years. Do I *love* my job every day? Nope, because one of the most difficult jobs in the world is managing people. And I manage them remotely.

What I would LOVE to do now that I'm old is have a bar on the beach. Think Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke. I love being around people (especially now that I work from home, and I'm pretty isolated from others on a daily basis), and I could sit and look at the beach and the waves 24/7/365. Of course, I'd have to really brush up on my mixology, because the only drink I make is a scratch margarita (lime juice, cointreau, Don Julio).