How did you choose your career?

sunny104 · Post by **sunny104** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:04 am

Just curious how you ended up where you currently are?

I want to go back to school but I have 3 very different things that I'd love to do!HELP!

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:14 am

when i was 18 i found the grave markers of the bordens. it set me on a path to criminology and made me fall in love with murder.

minks · Post by **minks** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:16 am

Ooooooo my career is in my blood. My dad worked in the oil and gas field and I just followed along. Ok no really by accident. I am old so this will sound like the dinosaur ages, but when I left high school I went to work at a drafting company and they drafted maps for oil and gas exploration companies. I learned to hand print letter perfect and draw maps by hand, no computer work there. I found I liked the business my dad had loved and purely through experience I have been all over the business of Oil and Gas exploration. I am certain I could draw you a map, plot a seismic line, create a topographical map and tell you where to drill for oil, I have been through the entire process. It is my true love.

I wanted to be a forest ranger as a kid but that was a pipe dream really hehehehe

Uncle Kram · Post by **Uncle Kram** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:27 am

I had no career plan but was good at Technical Drawing at school. Met a mate on a bus who'd become a Draughtsman and I thought "Hey I could do that"

Worked for a Civil Engineering company and then Structural Engineers. As I was a teenage dreamer in a band at the time I gave up my "day job" to go on tour. When that went pear-shaped, I applied for a job designing backdrops for rock bands. When I got there, I ended up as the Draughtsman, and have been designing in showbiz ever since.

I often wonder where I'd be if the mate on the bus had been an Ice-Cream man, a job which bizarrely enough I was once offered!!!!

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:28 am

ArnoldLayne wrote: Not being any bloody good at school

I heard that Arnold!

:wah:

I like kids, being a teacher is a good job for me.

Ge0rge · Post by **Ge0rge** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:21 pm

Hi Sunny,

A bit by accident, but through a progression of events. Became a school governor at a local failing primary school, then the SEN governor. Decided not to stand again when my four years was up.

Someone suggested to us our daughter might have Aspergers when she was 11 and finally diagnosed last year. I worked closely with the secondary school to help her settle into the school. Also got interested in some of the problems the school was facing in educating it's students. 25% of her year intake had a reading age below 6 and another 25% with a reading age between 6 and 8. This involvement resulted in the SENCO and Pastoral leader encouraging me to consider becoming a teaching assistant.

Shortly after that some major changes where I was working left me in a well paid job which offered a very good wage but no personal challenge, devlopment or satisfaction. So after a few months resigned and signed up as a teaching assistant for an agency.

As I was aware of special needs issues and autism, didn't mind being kicked, bitten, hit or sworn at they tended to offer me positions with autistic and SEBD issues. Not quite what I had in mind when I made the move but love the work. Money is well below what it was but I'm a lot happier now.

booradley · Post by **booradley** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:24 pm

sunny104 wrote: Just curious how you ended up where you currently are?

I want to go back to school but I have 3 very different things that I'd love to do!HELP!

what are the three things you are interested in doing? I never wanted a career, just a reasonably o.k. job. I did want to be a trapeze artist as a kid though ; )

sunny104 · Post by **sunny104** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:36 pm

booradley wrote: what are the three things you are interested in doing? I never wanted a career, just a reasonably o.k. job. I did want to be a trapeze artist as a kid though ; )

I've never wanted a career either and you can see by my choices why I'm so confused! LOL!

Chef

Nurse (well, more like a medical assistant and then work my way up to RN if I liked it)

Paralegal

although paralegal would require the most school/training so I don't know about that!

I have issues committing to things!:D

Maybe I'll just stick to bouncing around doing different things like I've always done! LOL!

Uncle Kram · Post by **Uncle Kram** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:43 pm

sunny104 wrote: I've never wanted a career either and you can see by my choices why I'm so confused! LOL!

Chef

Nurse (well, more like a medical assistant and then work my way up to RN if I liked it)

Paralegal

although paralegal would require the most school/training so I don't know about that!

I have issues committing to things!:D

Maybe I'll just stick to bouncing around doing different things like I've always done! LOL!

Sounds like a Military Lawyer

Sheryl · Post by **Sheryl** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 2:31 pm

I want to be a paramedic, but am waiting till my children are in school. I worked in an ER before I had my kids. I loved the fast pace.

So I'm planning to become a volunteer Paramedic/firefighter when my children are in school. The city will pay for all my courses, if I do the volunteer work.

SweetDarlin · Post by **SweetDarlin** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:42 pm

My career chose me. I trained for a couple of different things. I had mini careers. I also was married and had children... one day...

I was unemployed... single (Abandoned!!) with 3 kids... and lacking in official education. I was offered a position as a part-time bookkeeper by a lifelong neighbor of my parents who knew I had me a brain... g'yuk! They trained me and off I went into the world of accounting and running offices and junk.

weeder · Post by **weeder** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:37 pm

How stupid am I? Ive been in Virginia for eleven years, and I didnt know you were refering to Virginia Tech? Im glad to know.... you werent making fun of me.

So you see? I am oblivious to my own surroundings..

weeder · Post by **weeder** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:38 pm

Sorry.. wrong reply to wrong message. OOPS...:wah:

weeder · Post by **weeder** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:44 pm

Iwanted to be a ballet dancer.. who then wanted to be an actress.. who then wanted to be an English teacher... who then wanted to be a writer... who then got side tracked by discovering men... who then gave up everything she wanted to be.. who became a floral designer to be able to make a living... which evolved into becoming a landscaper.. who learned aenough about the field to own a landscape business.. which I made a mistake giving up ( because I thought I was too old) and bought a flower shop... which was a financial disaster... so I took a job managing a retail garden center.. which I hate.... so now I have an interview tomorrow morning for a position as a landscape designer/estimator.. and I am coming very close to just marrying someone.... so that I can do their laundry, and not have to worry about paying the bills.

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:57 pm

When the internet first started in the mode we now recognise, and a bit before that, I met a bloke in one of the oldstyle chat places. He was a very clever GEEK and I thought this was the last word in mega cool. He actually made me my first webpage as a birthday pressie and it was the most irritatingly wicked webpage you ever won't get to see.. hee hee.. He told me when I learnt how to take it from him, I'd be able to get that load of sh%$ off cyberspace and not before. It took me bloody nearly six months and a lot of sweat and tears (I was starting from no knowledge at all). That webpage and that bloke are long flushed down my personal dunny of life .. but I'd found a new career. With loads better hours (and better vibes) than writing crap for pollies.

AsSweetAsThis · Post by **AsSweetAsThis** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 4:15 pm

I think I sort of stumbled upon my career quite accidentally. I'm a writer. Never anticipated I'd be working from home or dealing with all manner of assorted clients every day of the week (some nutty, some normal).

There are days I want to do something different, though. But writing is a passion I can't abandon, so even if I changed direction, I'd still hang on to the pen (okay, the keyboard) and scratch (type) away.

beautiful_soul · Post by **beautiful_soul** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 10:35 pm

always been interested in the designing and marketing field, so after knowing that you have to begood at maths to be an architect, i changed to be a graphic designer (advertising), and now im in that field

sunny104 · Post by **sunny104** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:40 am

wow! this is an old thread of mine....

AND! I still don't know what I want to do with myself...

:wah:

zinkyusa · Post by **zinkyusa** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:49 am

When i was about 9 yrs old my cousin and i were playing with a ouiji board and we each asked what we would be when we grew up. On my turn it spelled out SOLDIER...I spent 16 years in the military.

sunny104 · Post by **sunny104** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:55 am

zinkyusa wrote: When i was about 9 yrs old my cousin and i were playing with a ouiji board and we each asked what we would be when we grew up. On my turn it spelled out SOLDIER...I spent 16 years in the military.
:yh_ooooo freaky!!

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:57 am

I got an Associates in Human services, and a Bachelors in Social Work. During my schooling I discovered I enjoyed working with people with disabilities, so I have spent most of my work career working in this area.

My current job, working one on one with Kim as her personal assistant is perfect for me in this stage of my life, as I feel I can hang in here till I am ready to retire.

zinkyusa · Post by **zinkyusa** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:58 am

sunny104 wrote: :yh_ooooo freaky!!

where's the Twilight Zone music?:wah:

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:58 am

zinkyusa wrote: When i was about 9 yrs old my cousin and i were playing with a ouiji board and we each asked what we would be when we grew up. On my turn it spelled out SOLDIER...I spent 16 years in the military.

wonder how much of this kind of stuff is a self fufilling prophecy, though? The thought was planted in your head, and grew from there into reality.

zinkyusa · Post by **zinkyusa** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:02 am

Marie5656 wrote: wonder how much of this kind of stuff is a self fufilling prophecy, though? The thought was planted in your head, and grew from there into reality.

Could be. It was always pretty much a given I would join.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:16 am

After a couple of years wrestling in college, Not studying mind you. I went to work for my dad. After working for him and building the buisness up he decided to sell out and retire. Well that left me working for the company he sold out too. Two weeks after the other company took over they brought me in and told me they were cutting my pay in half. That was'nt going to work, I had one kid, one on the way and a new house in the middle of being built. So since I did'nt sign a no compete clause, I started my own buisness ( with the monetary help from my dad ) in direct competition with my dads old company. That was 1988. Nine months after starting this buisness I pretty much had all of the old accounts from my dads old buisness. They went out of buisness within the year and I am still here. Teach them to run off the guy who is running their buisness because they want to make all the money eh?:)

zinkyusa · Post by **zinkyusa** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:21 am

YZGI wrote: After a couple of years wrestling in college, Not studying mind you. I went to work for my dad. After working for him and building the buisness up he decided to sell out and retire. Well that left me working for the company he sold out too. Two weeks after the other company took over they brought me in and told me they were cutting my pay in half. That was'nt going to work, I had one kid, one on the way and a new house in the middle of being built. So since I did'nt sign a no compete clause, I started my own buisness ( with the monetary help from my dad ) in direct competition with my dads old company. That was 1988. Nine months after starting this buisness I pretty much had all of the old accounts from my dads old buisness. They went out of buisness within the year and I am still here. Teach them to run off the guy who is running their buisness because they want to make all the money eh?:)

All right yz! One for the good guys.

cherandbuster · Post by **cherandbuster** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:23 am

zinkyusa wrote: All right yz! One for the good guys.

You said it Zinkster.

Nice going, YZGI :guitarist

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:24 am

Thanks Zinky it isnt always easy but it beats workin for the man.

cherandbuster · Post by **cherandbuster** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:27 am

YZGI wrote: Thanks Zinky it isnt always easy but it beats workin for the man.

Alright! :yh_worshp

Ocnbrz · Post by **Ocnbrz** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:33 am

I had always wanted to be a forest ranger. Even got my degree in it but after I graduated the inevitable govt. hiring freeze came about so I fell back on being an equipment operator. Trucks, tractors, you name it, I drove it. Did that for many years but became bored with it. Now I work in a hardware store ... thinking about changing occupations again but to what I am not sure.