How many times were you asked as a child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"?
Probably loads.
My answer was always "I don't know". The trouble is, I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. I'm now 31.
Such was my uncertainty around this issue that my school paid for me to complete an expensive psychometric test to get a better idea of my strengths and weaknesses. The results (and I am quoting this directly from the report which I still posses 16 years on) said:
"Your scores show you have all-round abilities. This gives you plenty of freedom to consider a very wide range of careers. You can cope equally well with words and with numbers, and are also at home with drawings, designs, plans and so on. This all-round ability is very useful in jobs where you do many different tasks.
Your abilities are at a high level which means you should do well in the great majority of fields as long as they match your other abilities and interests. The type of career and educational course you choose will depend a great deal on your other abilities and interests as well as on any special chances you may have to go into particular jobs."
Brilliant. So having established that was a total waste of time, I found myself no better prepared to draw up a 5-year plan.
Fast forward to the present day and I'm still none the wiser. Amongst other things, I've been; a teaching assistant, a team leader, a secretary, a cleaner, a cook, a waitress, a papergirl, a recruitment advisor, and for the time-being have settled as an office administrator. I haven't particularly set the world on fire in any of these roles but with two children and a £17,000 student loan debt, I've now put my non-existent plans for an amazing career on the back burner. But I can't help but wonder from time to time, what this "artistic, able and articulate all-rounder" could have been with the right guidance, inspiration or support.
Now I'm not for a second suggesting there's anything wrong with having a run of the mill job - believe me, I'm grateful to have a job in the current climate, but I have to admit I still get jealous of the beauty journalists, political speech writers, wildlife photographers and professional sports people whose paths I have crossed growing up. How did they get there? What does a typical day involve? And what of those who just simply love their job? Marine Biologists, Radiographers, Airline Stewards... I have friends who live for these jobs, and I want to hear all about them.
Do you have a cool, interesting or unusual job?
Do you live to work?
Have you had an interesting journey to get to the career you're in now?
Would you like to feature on this site?
If this is you, or someone you know, please get in touch:
Email me: thebutcherthebakerblog@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter for updates @butcherbakerblog
Follow me on Twitter for updates @butcherbakerblog
