If I had done what I wanted to do, I'd be a __________.

[zoebartlett]

I was just reading DF's thread and I got to a particular sentence written by NEL, and I stole it for the title of this thread. NEL!

I've always loved kids, and I knew that someday I wanted to work with them. I discovered a love for sociology types of fields when I got to college and enrolled in a class called Social Problems. I learned so much about why people do what they do, and it was so interesting. I thought of majoring or minoring in sociology but I didn't know what I'd do with that degree. Not that I knew what I'd do with the degree I ended up earning with a BA in English and history though, either. Yeah, no clue.

So, if I could do it again, I'd go to school for sociology and education. I'd combine my love for working with kids with something in the sociology field. One reason I didn't choose that originally was because I didn't want to be a social worker who would get burned out by working in the more depressing areas of the profession. To be honest, I'm still not even sure what types of jobs are out there for people who choose to go into sociology.

So, what would you do if you had to do it all over again?

 

[MagsyMay]

Psychologist/PsyD/LCSW...instead I'm a lawyer.

 

[VapidLapid]

Theoretically, I'd be a Physicist, or an Immaterial Scientist.

 

[kenny]

Unless someone held a gun against our heads we all DID exactly what we wanted to do.
If you say your parents "forced" you to go to law school, I'd reply that you could have said no.
You said yes to them because pleasing them WAS what you wanted to do more than the alternative.
So you got what you wanted most . . . pleased parents.

I firmly believe that each of us are responsible for how we turn out short of birth defects and being stuck by lightning or cancer.

Nothing annoys me more than a couple people I know who seem to live by the mantra, "I'm not happy and it's not my fault."

But as long as we're dreaming I'll play...
If I had won the lottery, I'd be a very rich man.
If I had been raised by better parents I'd have better mental health.

 

[jstarfireb]

Professional musician, maybe a Broadway actress or something like that. Instead I'm a doctor. And I really love what I do, but when it comes down to the wire, music wins out over medicine any day.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I would be a forensic scientist. I'm a bankruptcy paralegal. I'm very interested in forensics but don't have the smarts for it

 

[lovemybling]

A labor and delivery nurse.

For me I didn't really know what I wanted to be un til I was about 30. By then I had 2 kids with another on the way so going back to school really wasn't in the cards. Now I have five sooo.... unless I win the lottery and can find more hours in the day I don't think I will be able to make that happen. Though when my youngest gets into school full time (4 yrs down the road) I may look into becoming a doula. I would just really love to help women through the birthing process and the first few weeks at home with a newborn.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I would be a forensic scientist. I'm a bankruptcy paralegal. I'm very interested in forensics but don't have the smarts for it

that would be a fun job.

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

Kenny, I see your point, but also think there's plenty of people who truly did not do what they wanted to do. Not everyone has the talent or connections for every job. My cousin swears she was meant to be a professional volleyball player like Gabby Reece and/or superstar singer like Faith Hill. Alas, she is 5'5" and can't sing, so she's a lawyer instead There's also people who have to put their obligations ahead of what they want personally, like parents who choose a stable career over chasing a long shot career or a career without benefits. Of course, you can argue that they want to take care of their family more than they want to chase the dream, but it's really not the same kind of want. Plus, we don't always know what we want or how much we want something until we look back on the roads we didn't take.


Here's my answer:

If I had done what I wanted to do, I'd be a ditch digger. (age 5)

If I had done what I wanted to do, I'd be "cool". (age 12)

If I had done what I wanted to do, I'd be a Duke alumna. (age 17)

If I had done what I wanted to do, I'd be a world-class researcher on my way to winning the Nobel Prize in some field that hasn't even been invented yet. (age 1

If I had done what I wanted to do, I'd be a medical technologies salesperson. (age 21)

If I had done what I wanted to do, I'd be a mom by now. (age 29)


I'm 30 now, and I gotta say that I'm pretty happy with how things have turned out so far! It cracks me up that I thought ditchdigging was an awesome job when I was five.

 

[sphenequeen]

Guilty Pleasure -

I LOVE your response! It makes me think about how my dream job during childhood would be to become a farmer. To this day, I have a longing to live in the countryside, raising organic vegetables or something like that. Oh to dream...

I also agree with what you say about not everybody getting to do what they really wanted to do. I believe there are many factors that play into this - your family's values, your opportunities in life (or lack thereof), and life's different "curveballs." Some people never know what they were truly meant to do until later in life when they have perspective.

 

[AGBF]

I enjoyed reading the thread. I really didn't open it in order to tell everyone that I wanted to become something other than what I became in life. I opened it to read it. I found the points of view with which people approached it interesting.

Deb/AGBF

 

[Gypsy]

A chef. Definitely. Ahh well.

 

[diva rose]

Zoe ~ if you love working with children - you can still do an education degree. Now days there are a lot of options out there - courses by correspondence, master/shorter courses etc.

I don't feel it is ever too late to follow your dreams.

Gypsy - same for you! If you love cooking, who says you can't be a chef? Now days a lot of people have blogs and youtube accounts for cooking. These people are not professional chefs but just love cooking. It might not be the chef role you dreamed about, but it's still doing what you love - cooking. Here is a link: http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/ I have no idea what she does for a living but I love her recipes and her bling she sometimes displays during her videos.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Archaeologist
Undercover agent
Beer taster
Movie critic
Psychic

 

[jewelerman]

jewelry designer for a major jewelry house like Cartier,Tiffany or Bulgari!
Head of jewelry at major auction house like Christie's or Sothebys Auction house.
Heat of jewelry acquisitions for the Metropolitan museum of Art.
world traveler

 

[Amber St. Clare]

A world famous singer.

Disregard the fact that the only way I can carry a tune is if it is in a bag.

 

[jas]

Fun thread.

I have to say, at the time of college & my early career, I did exactly what I wanted to do...teach.

But I'm older now and I've changed. If I could do it again, I'd learn piano and be a music director for sketch theater.

And yes, there's still time....

 

[shihtzulover]

I'd be a clinical psychologist.

I have always been extremely passionate about the psychology field, even as far back as early high school. I remember being so excited to take psychology classes. I ended up changing my major right before my junior year of college, but I was able to take some senior-level courses before that, and they were so interesting and exciting to me.

I changed my major because I realized that in order to be a clinical psychologist, I would have to pursue a great deal of education after I obtained my undergraduate degree, and I was afraid of the cost. On top of that, the fact that the field is already so saturated really discouraged me.

In the end, I picked a field that I like, but that I don't love as much as psychology. I am happy that I was able to secure a job after college, but I still wish that I had chased my dreams. I considered going back to school, but it would take several years before I could get my PhD, and I would like to start a family within the next few years or so.

 

[zoebartlett]

Zoe ~ if you love working with children - you can still do an education degree. Now days there are a lot of options out there - courses by correspondence, master/shorter courses etc.

I don't feel it is ever too late to follow your dreams.

Gypsy - same for you! If you love cooking, who says you can't be a chef? Now days a lot of people have blogs and youtube accounts for cooking. These people are not professional chefs but just love cooking. It might not be the chef role you dreamed about, but it's still doing what you love - cooking. Here is a link: http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/ I have no idea what she does for a living but I love her recipes and her bling she sometimes displays during her videos.

I have a graduate degree in education and I'm a teacher, so I do work with children now. I love my job but there are times when I think of different ways I could help them. Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[zoebartlett]

I love reading everyone's replies. Kenny, I get what you're saying but I don't know if it's always that easy. Let's agree to disagree. People vary.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

I'm doing what I want to do. For me, and similar to most people, what you want to do changes with your age. so I've had three successful careers-- all my own businesses. I plan on having a few more successful careers too--if i want to try something new I will....Lol! Right now, My career (kind of in the arts filed) is in something everyone says you can't make any money doing--ha! And I am making lots of money doing it....

 

[ChloeTheGreat]

Pastry chef/cupcake baker, artist, animal behavioralist, interior decorator...

But I ended up going to school for finance and now I can't find a job. Yay for hopes and dreams.

 

[Haven]

I'm doing what I want to do. For me, and similar to most people, what you want to do changes with your age. so I've had three successful careers-- all my own businesses. I plan on having a few more successful careers too--if i want to try something new I will....Lol! Right now, My career (kind of in the arts filed) is in something everyone says you can't make any money doing--ha! And I am making lots of money doing it....

I love this. First, I love to hear that you're making lots of money doing what you love, especially since it's something everyone says you can't make any money doing! And, it really resonated with me when I read that you've had three successful careers over time, and that what you want to do changes with your age. (You sound like DH's family--they all own their own businesses. Not one of them works for somebody else.)

I had no idea what I wanted to *do* to earn a living in college, so I studied what I loved--literature and costume design. I floundered for a couple years, went back to school to earn a teaching certificate, taught every age possible, found a specialization I love (reading and literacy,) and finally\ realized I preferred higher ed. NOW I have a job that I love. HOWEVER, I'm not sure this is something I'll do for the rest of my working days. I want to open The Haven, and I want to publish my book. We'll see what happens!

 

[Skippy123]

I think I would have become an accountant sooner.

eta: I do well bringing people together so it would be nice to use that skill somehow? I remember some friends were teasing me that when I introduced people that I usually would introduce them w/things in common. For example, "Tom, this is Barb, you both love to travel and both been to Belize," and that helps get the ball rolling with them. hehe

 

[Pandora II]

It's taken me nearly 40 years and I'm still not there yet!

So far I've worked as an archaeologist, a researcher in Veterinary Science (bovine TB to be precise), a textile designer for the big couture houses, a fashion designer, a product manager, a jewellery designer, creative director and stone/diamond buyer for a huge jewellery group, a politician, an event manager, a fundraiser... and that is just what I have been actually paid for! My CV is bizarre, I'm not rich but I've had a lot of fun.

With any luck I qualify as a gemmologist in 5/6 weeks (come on Chinese examiners... (they are the slow-coaches)) and then I'll just have to see what happens...

I'd like to say I've found my calling... my father doesn't believe me!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Psychiatrist..apparently, haha. Almost there!

I love to indulge in my creative hobbies like sketching and writing, but I honestly think if I did them as a career I wouldn't enjoy them nearly as much because it'd likely become a source of stress rather than a safe haven for relaxation.

 

[suchende]

I would be a forensic scientist. I'm a bankruptcy paralegal. I'm very interested in forensics but don't have the smarts for it

I'd love it if you'd share more about your work! I am contemplating bankruptcy (just finished my first year of law school) but it's not something I know a lot about.

 

[ksinger]

Psychiatrist..apparently, haha. Almost there!

I love to indulge in my creative hobbies like sketching and writing, but I honestly think if I did them as a career I wouldn't enjoy them nearly as much because it'd likely become a source of stress rather than a safe haven for relaxation.

I hear ya. A legitimate concern.

“You’re talking about the American Dream. You find something you love then you twist it. You torture it; trying to find a way to make money at it. You spend a lifetime doing that. And at the end, you can’t find a trace of what you started out loving…"

~ Justin Matisse, from "Hope Floats"

 

[zoebartlett]

I love to indulge in my creative hobbies like sketching and writing, but I honestly think if I did them as a career I wouldn't enjoy them nearly as much because it'd likely become a source of stress rather than a safe haven for relaxation.

That makes a lot of sense!

 

[Fly Girl]

I'd have taken up flying while I was still young enough to make it a career. As it is, I love flying, but it is an expensive hobby.