When I grow up, I want to be...
Discussion
What did you want to be when you were growing up? Did your career plans work? How far off plan did you end up?
My plans for my future included:
Stuntman - a sickly child lacking courage and coordination was probably not the ideal candidate.
Special Effects Man - I might have got into that if I'd remembered at the appropriate time that I'd considered it.
Racing Driver - Yeah. Nah.
Car Designer - you needed permission to leave home under a certain age and my parents and school conspired to fandangle my chances of an apprenticeship. Years later, my mother said she didn't want me working in a back street garage. I saw Colin Chapman and Eric Broadley, she saw a grease monkey.
The strange thing with me not trying for special effects in film or TV was my spell as a model maker in oil and gas. Brilliant job. Got into it in the mid-70s, but by the mid 80s, 3D modelling with computers came along and killed it almost overnight. Instead of trying a different industry, I became a CAD operator in the same industry. It was okay.
Retired now.
How about you?
My plans for my future included:
Stuntman - a sickly child lacking courage and coordination was probably not the ideal candidate.
Special Effects Man - I might have got into that if I'd remembered at the appropriate time that I'd considered it.
Racing Driver - Yeah. Nah.
Car Designer - you needed permission to leave home under a certain age and my parents and school conspired to fandangle my chances of an apprenticeship. Years later, my mother said she didn't want me working in a back street garage. I saw Colin Chapman and Eric Broadley, she saw a grease monkey.
The strange thing with me not trying for special effects in film or TV was my spell as a model maker in oil and gas. Brilliant job. Got into it in the mid-70s, but by the mid 80s, 3D modelling with computers came along and killed it almost overnight. Instead of trying a different industry, I became a CAD operator in the same industry. It was okay.
Retired now.
How about you?
From around the age of 10 wanted to be an RAF fast jet pilot. Missed out on a Sixth Form Scholarship but bagged a Flying Scholarship.
However, by the time I was old enough to join, my views on life in the Forces had changed, helped by my uncle having a chat with me about my attitude - he had 22 years in the Navy - and I never went any further.
No regrets about that, but do think I could have used some direction in my teens to be better prepared for the ‘anything else to do’ bit I found myself in.
How far away now? f
king miles. Have spent the last 10 years managing different parts of major transport infrastructure projects. And wishing I’d been a racing driver 
However, by the time I was old enough to join, my views on life in the Forces had changed, helped by my uncle having a chat with me about my attitude - he had 22 years in the Navy - and I never went any further.
No regrets about that, but do think I could have used some direction in my teens to be better prepared for the ‘anything else to do’ bit I found myself in.
How far away now? f
king miles. Have spent the last 10 years managing different parts of major transport infrastructure projects. And wishing I’d been a racing driver Always wanted to be a Para but ill health denied me ever being allowed to serve
Just wandered through life trying to stay one step ahead of the Grim Reaper since and he is starating to catch me up now as i get closer to retirement.
Am i bitter about it? Nah, it is what it is and no use getting upset or bitter over something i can do nothing about.
Just wandered through life trying to stay one step ahead of the Grim Reaper since and he is starating to catch me up now as i get closer to retirement.
Am i bitter about it? Nah, it is what it is and no use getting upset or bitter over something i can do nothing about.
DickyC said:
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Car Designer - you needed permission to leave home under a certain age and my parents and school conspired to fandangle my chances of an apprenticeship. Years later, my mother said she didn't want me working in a back street garage. I saw Colin Chapman and Eric Broadley, she saw a grease monkey.
How about you?
Ha! Car Designer - you needed permission to leave home under a certain age and my parents and school conspired to fandangle my chances of an apprenticeship. Years later, my mother said she didn't want me working in a back street garage. I saw Colin Chapman and Eric Broadley, she saw a grease monkey.
How about you?
I wanted to become an architect for as long as I could remember. The year before uni, I then met a product designer who explained their job and I was hooked. Did my training as a product designer, and then funnily enough ‘fell into’ car design (styling) when I moved to my third employer and that’s what I’ve done for 25 odd years.
As a teenager I also wanted to be a musician - figured I’d be able to do that of an evening along side a day job. No one told me about all the all nighters you end up pulling as a designer, so my musical aspirations came to an end very quickly!
Really into health/ fitness and nature now, so who knows what I’ll fall into next!
Wanted to be an airline pilot. Wouldn't have been able to afford it so my only option was the BA sponsored programme (showing my age). A helpful careers advisor told me I had no chance so think of something else.
Went to university to do Chemistry with no plan. Internet was in its infancy. Got involved, got interested, taught myself programming, been doing it for 23 years, well now I manage a bunch of the little buggers.
Went to university to do Chemistry with no plan. Internet was in its infancy. Got involved, got interested, taught myself programming, been doing it for 23 years, well now I manage a bunch of the little buggers.
I wanted to do something property related, Dad was a Property Developer, thought it seemed interesting. Got the A-Levels I needed to get into uni and study Real Estate Management and Business, got the degree, got on the graduate scheme... ended up in a valuation department with the geeks when what I was really suited to was agency as it turns out I was pretty good at selling.
Left property for a sales job offered to me by a then client.
Moved about a bit, decided I could run a business selling things, now I run a business and other people sell stuff for me. Totally unrelated to anything I've ever studied or really had an interest in.
Still don't know what I want to do when I grow up and I'm 40 next year.
Left property for a sales job offered to me by a then client.
Moved about a bit, decided I could run a business selling things, now I run a business and other people sell stuff for me. Totally unrelated to anything I've ever studied or really had an interest in.
Still don't know what I want to do when I grow up and I'm 40 next year.
Train driver.
My parents told me not to waste my time. This was pre-privatisation era when you had to come from a "railway family" to stand a chance of getting through the door. One of my school mates became a signalman. His father worked on the railways and his father before him, etc.
Synthesizer musician.
I heard Jean-Michel Jarre and I wanted to be Jean-Michel Jarre too. In reality, he became famous making the kind of music he made because no one else had made music quite like that before. Like Piet Mondrian's paintings that are just blocks of colour and black lines, no one will be celebrated for being the second person to do the same thing.
Racing driver.
Yeah, me an every other young lad... except the ones who wanted to be footballers.
Ended up becoming a graphic designer. Did that for 25 years and then jacked it in. Now well on the way to reinventing myself as a cloud engineer. Also, still cobbling together self-indulgent synthesizer music that my mum pretends to like.
My parents told me not to waste my time. This was pre-privatisation era when you had to come from a "railway family" to stand a chance of getting through the door. One of my school mates became a signalman. His father worked on the railways and his father before him, etc.
Synthesizer musician.
I heard Jean-Michel Jarre and I wanted to be Jean-Michel Jarre too. In reality, he became famous making the kind of music he made because no one else had made music quite like that before. Like Piet Mondrian's paintings that are just blocks of colour and black lines, no one will be celebrated for being the second person to do the same thing.
Racing driver.
Yeah, me an every other young lad... except the ones who wanted to be footballers.
Ended up becoming a graphic designer. Did that for 25 years and then jacked it in. Now well on the way to reinventing myself as a cloud engineer. Also, still cobbling together self-indulgent synthesizer music that my mum pretends to like.
Always wanted to own my own garage, never happened. Apprenticed in mechanical engineering then mid 20s the industry was changing and company closed . Went into brewing for 13 yrs , nowadays run transport trucks in Western Canada and run a horse ranch , so yeah I’m a right cowboy. Somehow everything planned itself , no regrets if I peg it tomorrow.
I wanted to fly jets in the RAF.
I never got any serious career advice from school or from my family.
It took a couple of attempts at university to get a degree (long story). I had planned to work in development but ended up training as a chartered accountant and still in that field today.
I’ve had a pretty varied career and it has allowed me to live and work in a number of different countries and to travel to many more. Financially it hasn’t been that bad either.
If I had my time again I am not sure what else I would have done.
I never got any serious career advice from school or from my family.
It took a couple of attempts at university to get a degree (long story). I had planned to work in development but ended up training as a chartered accountant and still in that field today.
I’ve had a pretty varied career and it has allowed me to live and work in a number of different countries and to travel to many more. Financially it hasn’t been that bad either.
If I had my time again I am not sure what else I would have done.
Till about age 5 a soldier - never really thought of it again till I was doing GCSE and we did army day at Bassingbourn. Worked I might fall GCSEs looked into it but passed an so did Alevels
5 to 11. RAF pilot - More a dream than a plan never thought of it since plus I wear glasses.
11 onwards - stockbroker / trader - A levels Uni x 2 all for this career. Turned out that there was more to this than just qualifications and really I was never in right place at right time with anything like the right advice.
In the end I do work in the city 21 years so far. I work in regulatory risk space which is perhaps dull but it has paid the bills allowed me a comfortable life even if I have never shouted buy / sell into the phone or worn read braces. Still not owned a 911 wonder if I ever will but not unhappy
5 to 11. RAF pilot - More a dream than a plan never thought of it since plus I wear glasses.
11 onwards - stockbroker / trader - A levels Uni x 2 all for this career. Turned out that there was more to this than just qualifications and really I was never in right place at right time with anything like the right advice.
In the end I do work in the city 21 years so far. I work in regulatory risk space which is perhaps dull but it has paid the bills allowed me a comfortable life even if I have never shouted buy / sell into the phone or worn read braces. Still not owned a 911 wonder if I ever will but not unhappy
Local Air Traffic Controller working in the tower at an airport not one stuck in a modern building not near the action. I fancied doing approach and take off and ground control looking out over the airfield from the tower.
Ended up going to college doing business studies and becoming an internal auditor (hiss), then managing a IT CRM team and finally an IT Programme Manager.
I have the best job in the world now, being a domestic god to my wonderful wife, tinkering with stuff and playing golf.
Ended up going to college doing business studies and becoming an internal auditor (hiss), then managing a IT CRM team and finally an IT Programme Manager.
I have the best job in the world now, being a domestic god to my wonderful wife, tinkering with stuff and playing golf.
I wanted to be a Doctor for a bit in school/ lower sixth. I was nowhere near academic enough though and was probably just thinking it paid well.
Then wanted to do architecture but was put off by the pay (and probably still wouldn't have got the grades).
Ended up doing Quantity Surveying, now Chartered QS working in the middle east, and done a bit of property development in the UK with my brother which I have earnt more off to date.
Still don't know what I want to do when I grow up though. Maybe just full time property/ small developments. Maybe construction law. Maybe a groundskeeper on a big Scottish estate with a landrover and a dog.
Then wanted to do architecture but was put off by the pay (and probably still wouldn't have got the grades).
Ended up doing Quantity Surveying, now Chartered QS working in the middle east, and done a bit of property development in the UK with my brother which I have earnt more off to date.
Still don't know what I want to do when I grow up though. Maybe just full time property/ small developments. Maybe construction law. Maybe a groundskeeper on a big Scottish estate with a landrover and a dog.
I always wanted to be an explorer (basically just enjoyed being in cubs and scouts and thought if I could do this sort of stuff for a job I'd be happy as larry)
I've been in the parts side of the motor trade for my entire working life basically, don't enjoy it anymore but it pays the bills and allows me time out walking etc on the weekends
I've been in the parts side of the motor trade for my entire working life basically, don't enjoy it anymore but it pays the bills and allows me time out walking etc on the weekends
I wanted to be a racing driver. Currently in my 29th season of racing cars. (ok I am not a professional, but in my head I am) 
And for a short time I did live a similar life to a BTCC type racing driver, because I also worked for a car manufacturer, so got paid to go on factory tours, trackdays, and was also a rally instructor etc, which was my other 'dream' job (to work for a car manufacturer). It was great in the early years, but after a while it's just another job full of politics and pointless targets. The only difference I suppose is that I was actually interested in the products. I'd hate to work for a dishwasher company or some such. Where is the motivation to do that?
next job for me -- digger driver.
And for a short time I did live a similar life to a BTCC type racing driver, because I also worked for a car manufacturer, so got paid to go on factory tours, trackdays, and was also a rally instructor etc, which was my other 'dream' job (to work for a car manufacturer). It was great in the early years, but after a while it's just another job full of politics and pointless targets. The only difference I suppose is that I was actually interested in the products. I'd hate to work for a dishwasher company or some such. Where is the motivation to do that?next job for me -- digger driver.
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