How have your career ambitions changed as you got older?

[Deleted User] · 15/07/13 - 22:08

I'm still not 'there' but I've known for years that I've wanted a job doing something computer based, whether it be admin or a receptionist. I also considered journalism but I'm not sure about that.

What did you want to be in the past, what do you want to be now and what have you ended up doing anyway?

[Deleted User] · 15/07/13 - 22:47

I wanted to be a vet throughout my childhood. I don't know what put me off, perhaps it was the seemingly interminable training and the massive uni debt? By the time I was doing my A levels I didn't have a career in mind at all, and since then I've just taken opportunities as they come. I now have a pretty solid idea of what I want to do and I'm working towards it, but it'll take a few years.

I would never have imagined myself being in this industry or wanting to be a project manager and if it wasn't for pure chance (my CV not being one of the 95% thrown in the bin at a glance) I would probably be working towards a totally different goal now.

I've come to realise that detailed planning is pretty much futile in life. I have some broad goals and a vague idea of where I want to end up but the exact path I take to get there is down to chance just as much as effort and hard work.

[Deleted User] · 16/07/13 - 04:59

JumpTheShark wrote: »

I wanted to be a vet throughout my childhood. I don't know what put me off, perhaps it was the seemingly interminable training and the massive uni debt? By the time I was doing my A levels I didn't have a career in mind at all, and since then I've just taken opportunities as they come. I now have a pretty solid idea of what I want to do and I'm working towards it, but it'll take a few years.

I would never have imagined myself being in this industry or wanting to be a project manager and if it wasn't for pure chance (my CV not being one of the 95% thrown in the bin at a glance) I would probably be working towards a totally different goal now.

I've come to realise that detailed planning is pretty much futile in life. I have some broad goals and a vague idea of where I want to end up but the exact path I take to get there is down to chance just as much as effort and hard work.

Cool, thanks for responding! I imagine massive debt can be offputting.

Hope everything works out.

[Deleted User] · 16/07/13 - 05:00

I was born unambitious, and remain so.

peopleschmeople · 16/07/13 - 06:19

If I was 18 again, I would take a year out to go travelling then go on to study a vocational subject at university - law or accountancy most likely. I'd then try and get a job in the public sector and stay there for the entirety of my working life, enjoying all the benefits of annual salary increments and a final salary pension.

All this jumping around from job to job looking for "something better" has ultimately led to nothing in my case. At 46 I've just started a new job .... in a flipping call centre. Ok, so it's a civil service call centre, but the prospects for a fulfilling career are not great. Only have myself to blame, though.

Hogzilla · 16/07/13 - 07:29

I wanted to be either a teacher or a writer. I managed to achieve both. Within teaching, I utterly lacked ambition - I'd have been perfectly happy as a classroom teacher. Had no interest in promotions, or pen-pushing/admin and I'm crap with money so could never have dealt with a school's budget. Also I detest the kind of people who creep round the boss, etc. I was a terrible employee. Really bad. I was a clockwatcher, and a time waster.

Writing-wise, I have some ambitions left but they're not burning ambitions, really. It would be nice to make more money but I'm not too precious about how.

Rhumbatugger · 16/07/13 - 07:42

My ambitions have shrunk as I've got older.

I'm now at the stage when I want to do what I do, but not too much. Or do something related but much less stressful.

I wouldn't mind bloody retiring to be honest, but hey.

I want to have enough money and enjoy my life.

I'm done with the stress of it all.

I'm still looking for that job reading high brow literature to a blind millionaire for a hundred quid an hour.

Can't seem to find it though.:(

[Deleted User] · 16/07/13 - 08:18

I always wanted to be in engineering. I even helped my dad when he was repairing cars. I did my apprenticeship in engineering.

As I got older and more experienced I realised that I had something to give to others. Luckily I did that through promotion over 30 years.

annette kurten · 16/07/13 - 08:26

i`ve never been ambitious but if life hadn`t taken a few dramatic turns i would now be an experimental psychologist. if i were starting again at the beginning i would choose creativity.

Caldari · 16/07/13 - 09:17

heavy_rotation wrote: »

What did you want to be in the past, what do you want to be now and what have you ended up doing anyway?

Ever since I was a child I always wanted to work with aircraft. Stems from having quite a few relatives who flew for the RAF during WWII and more recently both Gulf Wars.

what do you want to be now

Aerospace Engineer or commercial helicopter pilot.

wrote:

and what have you ended up doing anyway?

Aerospace Engineer (R&D).

grumpyscot · 16/07/13 - 12:09

As I neared retiral age, my attitude to work got worse. I couldn't be bothered with all these "targets, personal objectives, team building, self assessment" malarky. I just wanted to get on with the job, but was getting strangled doing it as I saw no point in setting objectives if I was going to retire. Eventually I said "stuff it" and just told them to sack me if they didn't like it.

I got redundancy instead - and more money because of it!

elliecat · 16/07/13 - 14:09

When I was a child I wanted to be a vet but then I realised I would have to put animals down and I couldn't do that. I would also have to be good at science and I wasn't. I then wanted to be a Lawyer but that never happened. From the age of 16 I wanted to be a Music journalist at 17 I was actually 1 of 10 candidates that were short listed and interviewed for work experience at Kerrang but wasn't successful, I would still love to be a journalist but I don't think it will happen now.

I got into my job as I needed to get out of retail. I have been doing it for 7 years now and am so fed up with it but I am starting to look for other jobs which pay better in the same sector so the benefits are the same. I have to think about the future (especially the next 5ish years because if we want to start a family the sector I work in is probably one of the better ones for maternity leave/child care/flexibility.) The plan is then to do some form of training whilst on maternity leave, once I have decided what I want to do.

I would love to run my own Coffee shop and have done for years that would be my ultimate goal I suppose.

moobly · 16/07/13 - 14:14

peopleschmeople wrote: »

If I was 18 again, I would take a year out to go travelling then go on to study a vocational subject at university - law or accountancy most likely. I'd then try and get a job in the public sector and stay there for the entirety of my working life, enjoying all the benefits of annual salary increments and a final salary pension.

.

Not any more you wouldn't

[Deleted User] · 16/07/13 - 14:17

When I was a kid I wanted to own a pub or fish and chip shop. Then at senior school I wanted to be a doctor but the careers adviser told me I wasn't intelligent enough..those were the days before the whole 'you can be anything you want to be', anyway I ended up being a money advice Co-ordinator for citizens advice and becoming a legal executive before loosing my job to ill health.

Andrue · 16/07/13 - 14:20

Yup. At 46 my career ambition is to stay in my current job for another 9 years then try and get semi-retirement.

technology_love · 16/07/13 - 15:20

I am destined for greatness but pacing myself!

I never had any one career amibition. At 18 years old I had several jobs on the go.

1. Waitering at a busy restaurant which also did private functions. Made great money there.
2. Worked at a video shop stacking back the return VHS and Betamax tapes (3 hrs an evening, twice a week)
3. Worked for some estate agents doing ad hoc duties.

Put all of the pay from the jobs together and it was pretty dam good!

Funnily enough i'm still in a similar boat.
I work full time in IT and have a good salary. I also coach a sport part time and sell some sporting equipment. I keep an eye out for any money making opportunity.

I guess enjoy variety!

Ben_Copland · 16/07/13 - 15:24

I'm only 24 as of yet, but before I started college I wanted to be in the Police Force, then when I was choosing a course at college, I wanted to be a quantity surveyor and did a year on a course to propel me towards that. After I did that year though, I drastically changed and decided to get on to the IT ladder as it's what I basically did in my spare time, computers. Did 3 years on an IT Practitioners course and I've had a cushy IT job for almost 3 years, can't see myself changing any time soon though

[Deleted User] · 16/07/13 - 15:57

I'm only 20 and I'm disillusioned by it all really.

I never knew exactly what it was that I wanted to do after school and got a part time job when I'd turned 16, to give me a bit of extra money. I ended up prioritising work over A Levels as I was earning a good whack for my age and left Sixth Form a year in. I thought back then that my A Levels were suffering due to a combination of shit teachers and being overworked (25 hours a week work plus regular school hours due to my timetable) and really, I thought going to University would be worse in the long run due to the complete lack of jobs anyway. Pointless for me to get a degree for things there's no jobs in, especially whilst I was earning decent money.

In the past year or two, my hours have gone down drastically due to the company heading towards more staff and less hours. Stupid move on their part and means less chance of me getting any spare hours. Means I've had to spend 3/4 hours a day job searching only to be told 'lack of experience' or 'you haven't met our shortlist'. Applied for apprenticeships, trainee positions, positions similar to mine, everything I can think of to at least make a career from something. I've even applied for other part time jobs to have a second job but been unsuccessful. It's all been pointless so far though. And when you go to the bank today to withdraw your money to pay £80 (!) for a passport but only have £20 left..yeah, not good.

Sick of it all, all I want to do is get a job where I can learn and make something of myself to make a steady income but it seems that simple request is out of question.

sweh · 16/07/13 - 16:04

Nope, I've never vacillated in my career choices.

I'm currently in education to do what I want to do, so it's all good in the professional hood.

[Deleted User] · 16/07/13 - 16:17

As I've gotten older and have become a parent, I think I've become less ambitious.

[Deleted User] · 16/07/13 - 16:32

heavy_rotation wrote: »

What did you want to be in the past?

A teacher - preferably something like English or Music. I had the aptitude in school at first but then lost all interest in 5th or 6th year. I always thought that life would wait for me. Unfortunately I didn't have the highers to go to university.

heavy_rotation wrote: »

what do you want to be now?

Right now I want to run my own business. Preferably hotel/restaurant side. Although I'm aspiring to take up a management position with my current company.

heavy_rotation wrote: »

and what have you ended up doing anyway?

I'm a hotel receptionist! Well, I'm a team leader but that means very little these days in this company. Just a stepping stone position.

I fell into my job about 5 years ago and just fell in love with it. It's the first thing I've ever taken on where I've gone home and thought to myself: "I am really good at this"

shmisk · 16/07/13 - 16:47

As a child my only ambition was to be a gypsy and I wore a headscarf for two straight years as practice

In secondary I wanted to work in the media

I'm actually a nurse and love it and am good at it

technology_love · 16/07/13 - 16:49

Gilbertoo wrote: »

As I've gotten older and have become a parent, I think I've become less ambitious.

I can relate to that.

Tired, moody and all life (and money!) sucked out of you.

The whole making babies thing seemed like a great idea at the time........:o

Swanandduck2 · 16/07/13 - 17:11

I wanted to be a writer and I do write for a living. But I have never got around to writing a novel and that is still a huge ambition.

[Deleted User] · 16/07/13 - 17:23

I thought a career in ICT in the public sector (NHS in my case) would be a complete winner - taking advantage of all of the benefits etc that I have heard bleating about on the TV for years on end ....

it Isn't

The money is crap,plus there has been no rise for years and I have lost my decent colleagues to the private sector as they could earn more money, the best of whom has just binned us and started at a business doing a more menial job than he did here but for 16k more a year.

... public sector - PAH!

I am already looking myself elsewhere - dont believe the shit you see in the papers, the money is crap, the benefits are pitiful (you dont get a company car etc in the NHS) in fact all you get is a kicking now and then when you have worked hard. Then the BBC tells us we are all well done to lol - whatever!

Technical and sales role in Manc - sounds good to me and its 18k more than what I am on in the 'lucrative' NHS

Im off....

TheSilentFez · 16/07/13 - 17:31

Eh, I'm only 18 so in 20 years time I'll probably look back and regret everything, but anyway I've always loved science since about the age of 3 and I've gone through various stages of wanting to be a palaeontologist (age 5) to a historian (age 8) to a botanist (age 10) to a physicist (age 13), but with my UCAS application just on the horizon I've been fairly certain for the past two years that I want to go on and study Chemistry at university.
Beyond that, I'd love to be a research chemist but I appreciate that this isn't something which is easy to achieve. That said, it still isn't impossible.

Hey there!

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How have your career ambitions changed as you got older?

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