I don’t know! I keep changing my mind! I just like so many things, and they’re all so interesting and waaaahhhhh.
Let’s have a look at the timeline of things I wanted to be when I grew up.
Age 6: Egyptologist/archaeologist
Age 7: flight attendant
Age 9: scientist or spy
Age 10: Astronaut
Age 11: book editor/publisher or librarian
Age 12: historian
Age 13: spy, barrister, book editor/publisher
Age 14: psychologist
Age 15: English teacher
Age 16: psychologist, academic, historian
Age 17: a mum
Age 18: psychologist or flight attendant
Age 19: teacher and psychologist. Started a double degree of primary education and psychology
Age 20: Forensic psychologist and FBI agent (I even tried to apply, but you have to be an American citizen. Dang.)
Age 21: Forensic psychologist
Age 22: Forensic psychologist, historian, academic, book editor/publisher
Age 23: book editor/publisher
Age 24: book editor/publisher
Age 25: English and history teacher. Started a certificate in Education support and became a teacher aide and After School Care facilitator
Age 25: English and history teacher
Age 26: English and history teacher. Began a bachelor of Creative Writing (my uni didn’t offer English Literature at that time) and history
Age 27: Journalist. Switched my degree to journalism, politics and international relations.
Age 28: Journalist
Age 29: Journalist
Age 30: Online journalist. Finished my degree and my first year as journalist and newspaper editor. Had a baby. Started working at the University lecturing in Online Journalism and media law. Started a blog.
Age 31: Online writer and academic. Had another baby.
Age 32: Online writer and academic.
Age 33: Who knows? Currently I am an online writer, blogger, and academic. I still sort of want to be a spy, a scientist, get a PhD, and work for the FBI. While editing other people’s manuscripts and travelling around the world. That can happen, right?!
Anything can happen if you want it bad enough Stacey xx
I want to be really, really lazy. I want that very badly 🙂
ha ha me too – but with really great perks and huge pay
I want to be a writer. Give or take the usual diversions of wanting to be a hairdresser, sometimes a teacher, and actually what I am doing for a crust now which is being a researcher, I have always wanted to be a writer. Always.
I think that’s amazing that you’ve always known. I want to be a reader, but no-one will pay me for that.
Oh God that would be living the dream
how does one become a researcher? and what do you research
Michele I did an arts degree and then a librarianship degree and work as a research officer in a public service job. I do research on various pieces of legislation and write reports and that sort of guff. Sometimes boring sometimes not.
I like the idea of researcher. For a while there I was thinking being a researcher for authors would be awesome ….finding out all the cool info (I love getting into a new topic) but not actually having to write the book. But how does one become that?
I wanted to be an English Drama teacher. Still kinda do. I also want to be a baker. I’d also like to own a tea house that serves delicious cakes. I’d also like to be a farmer. I’d like to work with foster kids but my experiance with “the system” a few years back sort of put me off a bit. I’d also like a job where I can talk. Maybe I should be a talk show host a-la Oprah!
Clearly at age 34 I still have fanciful ideas about what I’d like to be when I grow up. None of them very realistic 😉
Bakers have to get up too early! and I don’t like cake! But you could do a talk show and I’ll be your first guest
I did Journalism and Psych and after a year hated Journalism and switched to psych and LOVED it. Still do but doesnt fit in well around 2 young kids (one who doesnt sleep well, both with loads of medical and other appts) and a husband working strange shifts…but will get back to eventually in the meantime flirting with the idea of English and History teacher for secondary? Was always going to be a librarian, teacher or zoo keeper if anyone asked when I was a kid.
hah I switched from education and psych to just psych. was the best. I miss it too.
I still want to be a broadway dancer – but I still haven’t started my dancing lessons.
You would be so good at that!
The first thing I remember I wanted to be when I was little was a fire truck. Yep, the actual truck. Clearly that dream didn’t work out so well!
For a while I wanted to be a marine biologist, then for a big chunk of my life I wanted to be a paediatrician (I even wanted to get a number plate that said Dr Liz!) then a physio and then part way through year 11 I realised maths and science were far from my favourite subjects and did a giant sideways leap into urban planning. Still not quite sure how I landed on planning, but it’s been good so far!
I never even knew urban planning was a thing until a few years ago! What does it actually consist of?
Well, it can actually lead to allll kinds of jobs, but the most straightforward path is to either the private sector as a consultant or to local or state government. Most people end up doing development approval work (so, assessing planning permits) but then some end up in the policy sphere, which is where I am!
Or in other words, its basically like playing SimCity as a job!
That sounds amazing! Except I’m really spatially unaware. Now if I could just play The Sims as a job…
Glad to know I’m not alone in having a long list of want / wanted to be. Airline hostess was crossed of my list pretty quickly when I found out they actually have height requirements 🙁
I actually went to apply, and stopped when it said I needed an RSA. Too lazy to get one.
A trend for you seems to be that big ambitions have driven you. However it seems you have always tried to stick to what interests you and gone for it rather than just falling into something. I always wanted to be a medical doctor, still do but I am crap at maths and being put on the spot. Keep following those ambitions you just might create that dream of being a traveling FBI PHD Agent editor.
haha I’ve definitely always just done whatever I loved, as I knew i’d make it work no matter what. That fallback job bullshit is just that. Although wtf I’m going to do with a journalism degree, I’ll never know. I hate newswriting.
What I want more than anything, is to be a ‘Colour-in-er-er’. Good textas essential.
I love the Internet and data (current and past jobs all related to that), but I would ditch it all in a hot minute if someone would pay me to lie on my tummy and colour-in on the tiles all day.
I was chief colourinerererer at after school care. it was most awesome.
Wow, and I thought I swapped around a lot!
It’s funny to look back and see similar consistencies, and a return to a central theme. Gosh, if only someone paid me to read, though. That would be the ultimate.
your list looks as changeable as mine. i’m glad i’m not the only one 🙂 I want to be (and i guess i am) an online writer. I also want to be a mum. and maybe an published author too.
Everything is just so bloody interesting! I think I might want to be a published author. I don’t know. Hm.
When I was little i wanted to be a nurse done that now I want to be a cat 🙂
OH to be a cat. yes please!
Haha I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up! Kudos to you!
You must have missed that bit where I said I still don’t know! I genuinely have no clue. So many interesting things out there 🙂
Ugh, it’s one of the great tragedies of this life that there simply isn’t enough time to be all of the versions of ourselves we have sitting inside us. And one of the great joys, when we are truly living out the ones we can.