What do you want to be when you grow up ?

[MarthaJr.]

OP---you are so young! No worries, you'll figure it all out. I just had a big bday (#50) and have spent a lot of time over the last year contemplating the meaning of life, so to speak. For the past 10 years I've been an educational assistant in the special ed. program at the elementary level. Before that I was a kindergarten aide for 3 years, and worked at our church day care for three years part-time while working in the DA's office as a victim/witness support specialist. I worked in the Clerk of Court's Office as a typist and was promoted to a clerk for a judge for 6 years. Prior to that I was a receptionist and switchboard operator. I've also done a short stint in retail at Target and Kohl's. Along the way I've learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and what fulfills me. There were aspects to each job that I detested and frustrated me as well as those that I found rewarding. Each time I left a job to pursue another, I did so in good standing and on a positive note. Recently, one of my former supervisors from 14 years ago contacted me to see if I'd be interested in a position in the office. I thought about it briefly and graciously declined. It was nice to know that I was still thought of so positively.

I've come to the conclusion that you don't have to "be something when you grow up". I don't think it's a bad thing to be interested in many things and not feel strongly about one field in particular. I think it's more common than the "one career for life" mindset. I believe that we are meant to just be. By that I mean, be yourself! Be the BEST version of yourself, whatever it takes!

Sure you have to have a job to pay the bills and support your lifestyle, but there are many ways to do that. Besides, who says you have to do one thing your whole life. We've all heard the saying, "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life." Well...I think that's a lot of bunk! I'm sure it's true for some, but the majority of the population doesn't have that luxury because perhaps the thing they love just doesn't pay enough for them to survive.

Don't get me wrong, I think you can still do what you love---just that perhaps you have to do it as a hobby and not a career. Several years ago I came across a quote from Denzel Washington, "We do the things we have to do, so that we can do the things we want to do." I think you can apply this way of thinking to any aspect of your life.

That being said, keep your options open and open yourself up to possibility. You may be surprised at the opportunities that present themselves that you may have overlooked.

 

[catgirl]

I'm soon to be 49 and like the others have posted, have no idea. I love animals, but could never work as a vet, too emotional & squemish. DH said I couldn't work at shelter, I would bring everyone home.

Always thought I would like to have a doggie day/extended stay business. I dog sit for many friends for free and love having the four legged vistors and so does my four legged daughter.

We are planning to re-locate in a couple of years when my husband retires, but going to a very depressed (financially) area so I don't think this would be a viable.

My other dream would to be work at Disney. I do customer service now so I have experience working with unhappy people, why not do it in an awesome enviroment! Not going to happen, my husband is not a Disney fan & he hates heat so a move to Florida is definately out of the question.


For now I just take it one day at a time and figure something will come along to get me through the next phase of my life.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

Thank you all for the replies !

I just feel like by now I should have been done with college and starting a career.

Many of you touched on various points why I feel this way, and it just reassures me I'm not alone.

Thanks for all the kind words

 

[wallawallakids]

Hi Shanna, nice name, it's mine too!

QUOTE]

But is your name really Shanna ?

Like Hanna ? rhymes with Anna ? Do people call you Shanna Banana fee fie fo fanna ?

Not Shana, Sheena, Shawna ? But really truly Shanna ?

I was named after a book. "Shanna", it was a trashy romance novel

My daughter was named after a character in a short story, " The Gift of the Magi "

The Gift of the Magi is my favorite story of all time. Della is a lovely name.

My parents named me Chandra. Which in India is pronounced CHan-dra but my parents pronounced it SHaundra. I hate it. It's really annoying when they correct people who are actually from India!!! Also, no one can spell it. They liked the meaning though, so here I am, stuck!!

I am like another PP. SAHM. I have no interest in doing anything else. So unless finances dictate that I have to go back to work, than I will continue doing what I am and what I love. I am trained as an RN but haven't worked since DD was born. (So 12 years now). Also, I didn't really want to be a nurse. I got a scholarship to sing in Boston but my parents made me turn it down for a more "suitable" job. They felt I would never make any money singing. Sometimes I regret that I listened to them and wonder how life would have turned out if I had just followed my dream. (Ironically, my education would have been free had I taken the scholarship and for Nursing school, I took on a ton of loans!!!) But I never would have met my husband if I hadn't became an RN and he is truly the best thing that has ever happened to me. And then I wouldn't have had my 4 awesome kids! So it all worked out in the end.

 

[nunzia]

I'm creeping up on 60 and still don't know what I want to do Did a lot of food service, electronics in the Air Force, got a BS in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management so did that for awhile, when kids were little I sculpted figurines and wholesaled them and did craft fairs, taught for awhile (with my degree I could), retail deptarment management (Books..then Music), had a restaurant, worked in Finance administration, do Ebay and am now an indepentdent travel agent and also dabble at a private school with their library, newsletter, etc. I had a short story published so want to write some more. But still just a bit of evrything!

 

[christineann]

I was a SAHM when my kids were little and loved it! When my youngest started kindergarten, I started teaching kindergarten - definitely the most fun job I've ever had. I became a single parent (divorced) when my kids were in elementary school and had to find a higher paying job, so I've been a paralegal for about 20 years (I obtained certification right after college).

I'm past the half century mark, so it's a little late for me to reinvent myself, but I would like to work for a non-profit that is centered around children (and I need my current salary). I volunteer for a foundation that assists lower income children and families with school preparations, and I love spending time with the children

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Retired

 

[lovegrumpy]

I wanted to be a teacher.

 

[sunkissed4]

Thank you OP for bringing up this topic. I was just thinking the other day to myself, what am I going to do with my life?

I waitressed through college, unexpectedly became a Mom at 22 and earned my bachelor's degree. I'm now a SAHM of 2 and I'm 27. I've been out of the work force for so long I have no idea how I'll get back.

I've been contemplating getting my Master's degree so I can put something on my resume when employer's ask me what I've been doing all this time!

I've always wanted a career and I know I want more eventually, but for now I'm going to be a Mom. I need to appreciate this time with my boys while they're little.

 

[leebee]

I am nearing a big birthday this year (half century) and I STILL don't know what I want to be! Sad, but true.
Started substitute teaching (K-12 but mostly do K-4) when DS was a 1st grader and DD was a 4th grader, 10 years ago and I'm still doing it.... and I do NOT like it... but I like the pay and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the flexibility, so I'm sticking with it for now.

A mom. I've always dreamed of being a stay at home mom.
I did get my AA degree but since I knew I wouldn't use a 4yr degree I did not get my BA. Hopefully we will be able to afford adoption or be able to have a biological child (we don't care which), otherwise I will just be a housewife and not a SAHM.

I just turned 31 and have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I never have. I like so many things, but nothing exact at the same time.

I'm a kinda SAHM to 3 kids, 2 in elem. 1 in middle school. I work as a sub for the school district, and I do the SAHM gig on days I dont work.

I've had fleeting thought of being a teacher, but then I have many days with classes that I think to myself no freakin way. Other days are perfect and great and I think, I could totally handle this.

Can I suggest that you get a bachelor's degree in something that interests you, through a school you can afford? Here's why...

I am 57 and still don't think I know what I want to be when I grow up. I have a BS and MS and spent 25 years in scientific research (biochem and molecular biology) and did it long enough to know that I don't like it and never should have gone down this path. Then an amazing thing happened… I got laid off. The grant that paid my salary dried up and I was unemployed with a month's notice. BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME! After 6 months of unemployment, a friend encouraged me to apply for an opening in the special ed department of the school where she's "the speech lady." I thought no way, uh-uh, not me, I am waiting for a "professional position," etc. Then I looked at our bank balance and decided to try it out temporarily. SUCH A SMART GIRL!!

I am an Educational Technician III. In Maine, you need to have a bachelor's degree to be able to teach in special ed, so I was all set. I started out in middle school, teaching math in a one-on-one setting to kids with IEPs who were pulled out of the regular classroom for math due to a variety of issues- ADD, ADHD, autism, asperger's, and other learning disabilities. Now I work in K-5 in the same capacity, with kids with the same issues. It's SO much better than being a substitute teacher! I get to make my own lesson plans, teach the material in the way I like, and I know that "my kids" are learning instead of just plowing through state mandated material. I like that I get to teach without having to file lesson plans (that's what the special ed teacher does), worry about teaching to the test, dealing with the state and federal paperwork, etc. I can concentrate on reaching my students and spending time with them. I also have BENEFITS, including paid health care (including dental and vision coverage, and a prescription plan), paid sick days and holidays, and a retirement plan. This was also incredibly beneficial at home, as I ended up with the same vacation schedule as my daughter, and I HAVE THE SUMMERS OFF!! It really is a sweet deal, and although I don't make a ton of money (pay range is about $13K-$20K for about 9 months of work, depending on number of years of employment, educational/experience background, etc), we could afford for me to do this. In fact, although I had the opportunity to apply for "professional positions," DH and I decided that being an ed tech is a MUCH better fit for our family, so here I am, still at it after six years!

I am not saying this is the ideal job for me, or you, but for having "fallen" into the job and for it to be working out so well… couldn't ask for a lot more. I am just glad that I had that BS… no specific field required, although being in the sciences helped me as I can do the math!

HOWEVER… if I could be ANYTHING I wanted to be? Probably something in hospitality/event planning, a bridal consultant, or in non-profit/not for profit health care administration. OR Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast!

 

[Reagan&Co.]

I stayed at home with the kids until a few years ago. They were getting older, needed me home less, and the thought of staying home for middle and high school kids (and a husband that never wants to do much) depressed me.

So I went back and finished a degree I had started 20 years ago, and had long given up hope of returning to school. I must have had every blessing available bestowed upon me. I did not have the money........but then the university paid for my tuition in exchange for working 8 hours per week. And there were many other blessings. Everything just WORKED OUT.

And it was the best thing I could have done for myself and my family. We had been used to one income, so my extra (I now work part-time) is "fun stuff" money. New carpet, hiring someone to finish the basement, nice vacations, etc. I can finally take the kids on a Disney cruise!

But more importantly, I have taught my kids (especially my teen daughter) how valuable an education is. She saw all the studying I did, and sees how much more money there is, and how much I help others. I want her to know she doesn't need to depend on any man, if she chooses not to have one, or finds an unreliable one, etc.. NOBODY can take an education away from you!

(If anyone wants to explore a career area and go back to school, the areas of physical, occupational, and speech therapy are terrific right now. Lots of job opportunities, competitive salaries, lots of different work environments.)

 

[leebee]

I am nearing a big birthday this year (half century) and I STILL don't know what I want to be! Sad, but true.
Started substitute teaching (K-12 but mostly do K-4) when DS was a 1st grader and DD was a 4th grader, 10 years ago and I'm still doing it.... and I do NOT like it... but I like the pay and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the flexibility, so I'm sticking with it for now.

A mom. I've always dreamed of being a stay at home mom.
I did get my AA degree but since I knew I wouldn't use a 4yr degree I did not get my BA. Hopefully we will be able to afford adoption or be able to have a biological child (we don't care which), otherwise I will just be a housewife and not a SAHM.

I just turned 31 and have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I never have. I like so many things, but nothing exact at the same time.

I'm a kinda SAHM to 3 kids, 2 in elem. 1 in middle school. I work as a sub for the school district, and I do the SAHM gig on days I dont work.

I've had fleeting thought of being a teacher, but then I have many days with classes that I think to myself no freakin way. Other days are perfect and great and I think, I could totally handle this.

Can I suggest that you get a bachelor's degree in something that interests you, through a school you can afford? Here's why...

I am 57 and still don't think I know what I want to be when I grow up. I have a BS and MS and spent 25 years in scientific research (biochem and molecular biology) and did it long enough to know that I don't like it and never should have gone down this path. Then an amazing thing happened… I got laid off. The grant that paid my salary dried up and I was unemployed with a month's notice. BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME! After 6 months of unemployment, a friend encouraged me to apply for an opening in the special ed department of the school where she's "the speech lady." I thought no way, uh-uh, not me, I am waiting for a "professional position," etc. Then I looked at our bank balance and decided to try it out temporarily. SUCH A SMART GIRL!!

I am an Educational Technician III. In Maine, you need to have a bachelor's degree to be able to teach in special ed, so I was all set. I started out in middle school, teaching math in a one-on-one setting to kids with IEPs who were pulled out of the regular classroom for math due to a variety of issues- ADD, ADHD, autism, asperger's, and other learning disabilities. Now I work in K-5 in the same capacity, with kids with the same issues. It's SO much better than being a substitute teacher! I get to make my own lesson plans, teach the material in the way I like, and I know that "my kids" are learning instead of just plowing through state mandated material. I like that I get to teach without having to file lesson plans (that's what the special ed teacher does), worry about teaching to the test, dealing with the state and federal paperwork, etc. I can concentrate on reaching my students and spending time with them. I also have BENEFITS, including paid health care (including dental and vision coverage, and a prescription plan), paid sick days and holidays, and a retirement plan. This was also incredibly beneficial at home, as I ended up with the same vacation schedule as my daughter, and I HAVE THE SUMMERS OFF!! It really is a sweet deal, and although I don't make a ton of money (pay range is about $13K-$20K for about 9 months of work, depending on number of years of employment, educational/experience background, etc), we could afford for me to do this. In fact, although I had the opportunity to apply for "professional positions," DH and I decided that being an ed tech is a MUCH better fit for our family, so here I am, still at it after six years!

I am not saying this is the ideal job for me, or you, but for having "fallen" into the job and for it to be working out so well… couldn't ask for a lot more. I am just glad that I had that BS… no specific field required, although being in the sciences helped me as I can do the math!

HOWEVER… if I could be ANYTHING I wanted to be? Probably something in hospitality/event planning, a bridal consultant, or in non-profit/not for profit health care administration. OR Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast!

 

[laughinplace199]

I didn't know what I wanted to be until an opportunity just fell into my lap.

I was a SAHM for 13 years. Last year, when my youngest started kindergarten, I got a call from the director of the preschool where all of my kids went. She was looking for a teacher's aide for the nursery aged kids (3 yr olds) and said that I was the first person who popped into her head.

I worked there three days a week and loved it. This year, I'm working four days a week, three days with the 3 yr olds and one day with the pre-k (4 & 5 yr olds) kids.

It's funny, I'd never considered teaching in the past, but I love my job and can't imagine anything else I'd rather do right now.

 

[twinnersmama]

I love reading what everyone does/wants to do ... always intrigues me to hear other peoples' stories. I am 42 and wonder on a daily basis what I want to be when I grow up. Right after grad school I was a Child counselor for a domestic violence shelter ... then worked for the FBI.. then had my kids and became a SAHM. I LOVED IT ! didn't sit still for a minute, and loved it. When DDs became school age, I wanted something to do that I could be on their schedule, so I was a paraprofessional in a life skills classroom. Loved that -- except for the pay! Then, thanks to a cheating husband, I got a divorce and relocated ... now I work in a social service field (still hate the pay) ... I always wish I still worked in a school -- you can't beat that schedule .. it kills me to be working when my kids are home, but a single mom can't survive on a para salary.

My DREAM job would be something with weather ... extreme weather ... like a storm chaser or a news caster that goes to where the eye of the hurricaine is hitting.... or a vet.

50 is going to be my turning point. When I am 50, DD will be graduating HS .. I'm thinking of going back for my PhD at that time... maybe moving to somewhere beachy.

Good luck in your decisions ...

 

[kkmcan]

I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. All I ever wanted was to be a wife and a mother since I was a kid. I have a teaching degree and I taught elementary school for 7 years. Then when ds was 1 yrs old I resigned. I wanted nothing more than to stay home with my babies. I felt like I was doing both my jobs (mom and teacher) half way and I was loosing my mind trying to do it all. It killed me that I was missing out on stuff with my kids.

During my ten years that I stayed home I thought I might like to take some classes part time and decided on a Radiology program. I needed 2 years worth of prereq's so I took those, applied to the program and waited 2 years on the list. When my turn came up I couldn't see myself going to school full time (including summers) for the next 2 years. Its been 10 years ago that I took those classes so its been a long time.

Then in 2009 I decided I had better get some kind of part time job. My kids were getting older and I thought it was time. I took a 20 hour a week job as a Special Ed aide at an elementary school. Its not the job I applied for but its the one they offered me so I took it. It was tough. The kids I worked with were extreme and I had no special ed training. I was stressed out and hating it. I made about $30 before taxes and it was a quite a commute so I probably made nothing out of that pay. I quit after 2 years.

I had been selling on ebay for years and decided that I could make my $30 a day easy plus more if I decided that ebay was my new job. So I opened an ebay store and threw myself into it and that's my JOB! I love it, I've always loved selling on ebay. I just never thought I could make a living out of it.

Its hard though that I feel like I don't have a "career". I should know though that you don't have to have a career to love what you do or make money at it. I know lots of people who have a job but not a career and they love their lives and do just fine. There are still days that I think I should start job hunting. Not cuz I'm unhappy just because people think I don't work.

I know I'm the luckiest person in the world to be able to decide if or when I will work and to be able to decide to start my own business. My husband fully supports whatever I decide and financially we can afford all these different decisions of mine. But I still just love being a wife and a mother and giving those jobs my all. So I guess I already have my dream jobs.

 

[ldo]

For those of you who are SAHM, it is a noble profession--be proud of it! I have worked for 25 years at a job that I love. Since my kids were born, I was able to work PT. It is important to me to be home for after school for my kids, be there to talk to them, help/police homework, bake cookie after school, be able to say "yes" to being the room Mom at school, and to volunteer. I feel that being a SAHM is one of the best things that you can ever do for your kids. I see a lot of latch key kids (even in an affluent area) or kids of parents who are just too busy.
So, hats off to SAHMs! Elaine

 

[christineann]

Ido

 

[erincon23]

I've had this discussion with girlfriends fairly frequently lately. I'll be 55 this year. I've done a bunch of things - public relations, secretarial (which I'm doing now), sub teacher (which I would never take up full time - many kudos to teachers). My degree is in journalism, I've always written in one capacity or another. This past summer, an opportunity fell in my lap to write for a website, and I LOVE IT. I've been able to come in contact with people who can help me get further - and more importantly, people who I really enjoy, even if they're "only" internet friends. I just signed up for a screenwriting class. I don't have any illusions that at my age I'll make it big, but I figure right now, doing these things I really enjoy as a hobby is pretty darn good. If anything more comes of it, it'll be a huge surprise and blessing, but if not, that's ok too.

Not everyone find something they're passionate about. There's nothing wrong with you if you don't, so don't stress about it.

 

[tcherjen]

I went back to school in my late twenties and was teaching by 33. I have been teaching 5 years now and I enjoy it! My husband went back to school (has a BA in Criminal Justice) to become a physical therapy assistant. He is finishing up on the schooling and will graduate in August. I would research and find what careers interest you and go for it!

 

[sm4987]

This thread has interesting timing. This has been a topic of conversation in my house for a while. I'm 39, my son is about to graduate and my daughter is 14. Even though she is still busy I realize that they have grown up and what am I going to do now. I have so enjoyed being a SAHM, but feeling ready to do something, just not sure what. I have a BS and a Master's degree.

Life changes!!! I honestly can't say that I like them to much but's where I am. Nice to know I'm not alone on this island!