Topic

what's your ideal career?

What would you like to do, and if you already have that job, what is it?

I'm still in school, so don't have a job yet - but I'd love to teach, or write (novels, or journalism).

Posted 13 years ago by Cupcake Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • LOL, I am a lot older than you my dear, and my dream career is to be  retired!

    ETA:  I am an Occupational Therapist who has worked in psychiatry for 30+ years and I do love it!.  I am currently the Rehabilitaton Services Supervisor, overseeing a Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) treatment program for Forensic patients deemed Not Guilty by Reason Of Insanity (NGRI) or committed by the courts to determine competency to stand trial.  I love my work, and would probably volunteer anyway, I just hate HAVING to get up and go to work each day. :-)
    Posted 13 years ago by marycontrary Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm also in school for Neuroscience and I'd love to conduct experiments or help create AI programs for robots!  

    I also want to open up a coffee/tea shop when I retire that also would host artists and have movie showings.  I personally want to make a place that is a great hang-out spot for college kids that serves cheap drinks (at today's prices, $3 or so for a kettle of tea) and encourages a community.  
    Posted 13 years ago by Homura Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I produce electronica (particularly glitch, dubstep and industrial). I like it very, very much.
    Posted 13 years ago by Djabriil Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I love being a professional artist and it is not the first career I've had.
    BUT
    It sure would be nice to be independently wealthy while being a professional artist.
    .
    .
    .
    ETA: dog
    Posted 13 years ago by ArtOfHands RoboGirl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I would love to be a Creative Director in an advertising firm, but, alas, I'm stuck with the studies that I followed and am currently a Civil Engineer with an MSc in Transport and Business Management. Job hunting atm so if you hear anything, let me know :D
    Posted 13 years ago by onizuka83 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @marycontrary:  I've already achieved your dream career, and it's great!  I just don't recommend growing old in order to accomplish it.  I spent my last 15 working years as a Unix Sys Admin, having come to IT as a second career.  If I could go back and do it again I would do electrical engineering in university (computer science didn't exist then) and then get in on the ground floor of the computer revolution.

    Edit:  Getting in on the ground floor for love of programming and working with the machines - not in the sense of making a lot of money! I really envied my co-workers who had been there from the beginning and lived through all the different eras of computing.
    Posted 13 years ago by Hawkwell Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I want to teach too! Only one year of education needed for me to be fully licensed highschool teacher :)

    But I don't really care about career, my main goal in life is raising a happy & healthy family.
    Posted 13 years ago by Victoria Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I've done so many different things...my favourite was illustrating books. I would like to keep doing that, but no new commissions so far.

    I've never had a steady job, it's always been whatever comes by.  Sometimes, when there's no work for months, I think I might like to get settled somewhere with a proper, everyday job that would turn into a career. But then again, no. No, no, no.
    Posted 13 years ago by Cefeida Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I write software for a living, and have done all my adult life. I love it. Even after all these years, the whole process still feels magical. You start out with absolutely nothing - a totally blank slate - and just by pushing a bunch of buttons, you turn your thoughts and ideas into something tangible, and so create something new. That might be a tool that solves a problem for somebody, a game that entertains and amuses people, or it might just be something that helps make somebody's life a little bit easier. Choosing this as a career is the best decision I ever made.

    I still do a lot a web-based stuff, but these days I'm also spending an increasing amount of time in the mobile world - iOS development in particular - and there's a huge amount of exciting stuff happening. I think the software world is going to be developing in some rather interesting ways over the next few years.
    Posted 13 years ago by dopiaza Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @dopiaza: We are all grateful that you love your job so much, because we get to enjoy the products!

    I been a few different things in my time (hotel sales/catering, meeting planner), but when I wanted to go part time to be around more for my kids, I sort of fell into a job that is perfectly suited to me.  I work in the IT department at my company as an applications specialist.  I work on a variety of projects, mostly small-scale stuff for which the programmers/analysts don't have time.  What that usually means is I have to learn a software application really fast, train other people in it and then assess what bits work business-wise, what bits don't and get it up and running as a viable business tool.

    What I love about it:  Enormous variety means I am never bored.  Having to explain things to other people means I get to teach, which I enjoy.  Constantly absorbing new applications means I am always learning, which is my favorite part.  Helping create business practices appeals to the organizer in me.  When it's slow, I am allowed to spend my time teaching myself other things.  The hours are perfectly suited to being both a working person and a mom.

    What I dislike about it:  I have a wide array of tech knowledge, but it's very shallow.  Frequently I work on a project, it gets shelved, then picked up again, and I have to re-learn things, and re-explain things.  It seems very aimless, because it's so general.  Everything I know is self-taught, which means I have knowledge/practice gaps you could drive a truck through.

    What is weird about it:  The programmers and data analysts are all very nice and I know they like me as a person, but as a peer they put me somewhere above a trained monkey, while end-users who know me as a former meeting planner think I have some kind of brilliant tech mojo.  Experiencing this daily is an excellent exercise for developing one's equanimity.
    Posted 13 years ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I wouldnt call it a career, since it did not earn any money....However, I earn something much more valuable.

    I have spent my adult life raising my kids. It is exactly what I always wanted to do, and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute, even the awful ones.  I would love to do it all over again (seeing as one is going off to college tomorrow, and one is just entering high school.)  I look forward to the day that I can be a grandmother and watch the babies while my kids work :)

    I could not imagine anything I could have done that would have been more rewarding, and life enriching that raising my two amazing kids.
    Posted 13 years ago by Innie✿, Obviously Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I want to be a vet!! Haha I know it sounds cliche of little kids but I love working with animals. I was lucky enough to volunteer at a vet hospital this summer and helped deliver puppies which was an amazing experience. Now if only vet school wasn't so hard to get in to...
    Posted 13 years ago by Gabi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I am a Rocket scientist... I do models.. :P
    Posted 13 years ago by Aero Subscriber! | Permalink
  • rofl Aero. Do you run around with your models in your hands going "psssssssssshhhhhhhhhh" while running fast?
    Posted 13 years ago by Innie✿, Obviously Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Mary, you have my dream job. I plan to study Psychology, and be an Occupational Therapist. 
    Posted 13 years ago by KitkatCat Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @KitkatCat, that is great!  We need more OTs in general and in Mental Health in particular!  I wish you great success, my friend! (and in about 10 or so years, you can come take my job, LOL).
    Posted 13 years ago by marycontrary Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Nanookie, your job is very similar to mine (or at least one aspect of mine).  I'm a research and instructional tech law librarian at a law school.  I do the same sort of tech-tool-teaching to the faculty and sometimes to the students.  I also teach legal research and act as a faculty liaison (which is more the librarian side of my job).

    It's my third career (after actress and corporate communications professional).  I love it.
    Posted 13 years ago by jasbo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • i'm still in school too (just starting college, actually) but my ultimate goal is to work for the homeless. they are seriously underrepresented and ensuring they have a voice is a huge deal for me.
    and do some creative writing on the side ;)
    Posted 13 years ago by EE Cummings Subscriber! | Permalink
  • ((((EE Cummings))))   Your goal is a resource that is sorely needed!!!!
    Posted 13 years ago by Pirate Apples Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Still in school, but I have no idea. Something that I've got a passion for and pays the bills. Science, maybe? Neurology and psychology are terribly fascinating, and my dad says that researchers aren't required to actually find anything...
    Posted 13 years ago by Frederik Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm in school for psychology right now, but I actually started as a music major. I'd rather be doing that still, but I got sick and had to transfer into another university. Either way, I'm enjoying my studies a lot more than I thought possible. I graduate next May and plan on going to grad school for public health with a concentration in behavioral health sciences.

    The real goal is medical school. I've wanted to be a doctor since I was 3 years old and after having to help my disabled mother with her back problems and also seeing a very close friend of our family die from a cancerous brain tumor, I truly feel like my calling is a career in neurosurgery. It fascinates me, and I know it will be difficult but it's only a day at a time. If I were to say I have a "20-year-goal" it would be to establish a clinic that helps underprivileged youth with brain or spinal tumors get quality care and not have to pay a dime, either in post-op care or family transportation or housing during rehab. I've been tremendously blessed in my life and hope to share those blessings with others. You know, pass it forward.

    There's a little part of me that wants to go back and get a performance degree in piano. I miss studying music in a conservatory setting so hopefully I'll be able to go back and at least get a certificate. Not that I need it to play, but it was something I so thoroughly enjoyed.
    Posted 13 years ago by LitaPie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • uhhh.... work for Glitch! Duh!!!
    Posted 13 years ago by Dr007 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Show runner.
    Posted 13 years ago by Lord Bacon-o Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I just enjoy doing whatever I'm doing at the time, as long as it's a creative work that intellectually challenges me. If it doesn't appear to have a challenge, I look for one. I just wish it paid more. :)
    Posted 13 years ago by Fokian Fool Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm a community support worker (which means I do a little of everything).
    One day I could be reading to someone, helping with personal care- The next, watching a movie, or art, or cleaning, or cooking a meal, or helping with exercises, or just conversing.
    I love the routines in it- and I love that it changes a bit every time. I love that I get to work with people one on one and make their lives better in simple, small ways.
    I love that my clients love me too.

    It also gives me, in certain circumstances, a chance to catch up on reading (a mixture of fiction and non-fiction). It's a pretty interesting job.  Con: Hours are all over-the-place.

    I'd like to be a published writer; I just haven't figured out what I want to write about since I have too many interests. Going to start pushing myself anyway to do it in my free time.
    Posted 13 years ago by Zeezee Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Many many years ago, I used to work for a company called Aldus. They made this program called PageMaker. It was on version, oh, 2.0 I believe, when I started. I was hired on as the receptionist at the time, but was later pulled into Marketing by the then-Marketing director. Absolutely loved it. I got to spend all my time telling people how wonderful PageMaker was, and teach them how to use it. Awesome! Then, Aldus was bought out by this middle-sized company named Adobe. John asked me if I wanted to continue on as his Admin Assistant when the company merged, but it came with a caveat: I'd have to relocate to Seattle. I was 19 at the time, and couldn't see myself moving 1300 miles north to a town I'd never been to, where I would know absolutely no one besides those coworkers going with me, so I declined.

    I then spent many years working in customer service and retail (reuniting with so many of my now-Adobe friends when I worked for a software magazine publisher for a while).

    But, I always missed the fun part of working for a software company, and getting to tell people how much I loved my job, and how great "my" product was. 

    So, in short, my ideal career would be working for a software company, and helping others learn how wonderful my company is. 
    Posted 13 years ago by Essie Kitten Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm a Civil Engineer and enjoy it.  About half the time at the desk and half the time doing field inspections.  Looking forward to early retirement and being a nanny / home schooling grand-kids.  Still waiting for the grand-kids.  tick.. tick.. tick..
    Posted 13 years ago by Cindy Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm in a teaching degree, but I want to be an archivist. 
    Posted 13 years ago by Jeff Buckley Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I really really really would love to just be able to retire comfortably. This working for a living business is getting tiresome.
    When I was younger I wanted to be all kinds of things, but since I started my working life, all thoughts of a "Dream career" have gone. 
    Now it's just "I'll do whatever it is I need to do to pay the bills". 
    I've tried my hands at all kinds of different jobs, just in case the 'perfect' one is out there, but I've become more and more convinced that there is no such thing.   
    I've been a travel agent, admin assistant, builders assistant, maintenance person, web site designer, accountant, general office assistant, receptionist... and many other things that weren't very memorable, all of them were just purely done to pay the bills. 
    I do hear of people finding the perfect job for them and people who appear to enjoy there work and I am happy for them. Unfortunately, looking around, they're few and far between. The majority of people I know just do whatever they do because they have to in order to survive. 
    Posted 13 years ago by Ebil Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I am a teacher and I love it. I do feel that it is my calling.

    But as for another line of work? I would love to write full time (either novels or some kind of journalistic effort) or work for a game development company. I never learned code shy of HTML and a little Python and I don't think I'd enjoy it so some kind of managerial position or community involvement would be very fun.
    Posted 13 years ago by shipwreck Subscriber! | Permalink
  • All of the aspiring teachers! I'm an English-Education major, and I am genuinely excited to get my degree and start teaching. 

    I've also spent time contemplating a career as a librarian, and if you want to go for ideal dream scenarios, I would just love to be able to teach while also having ample time to write. Being published in some form would absolutely delight me. 

    (*waves a little to @cupcake and @Victoria. And oh, @shipwreck, you sound like me. I admire people who can code, but I could never do it. It would still be really neat to be involved with game development in some creative/writerly capacity.)
    Posted 13 years ago by Haiku Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Sing.
    Posted 13 years ago by g33kgurrl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I used to teach people to use computers and loved it, but now I am disabled so I stay at home and play Glitch. ;)

    If I could do any job in the world, it would probably be working with computers. If my brain still worked, I would love to learn how to code and write games like this. Right now I just play a little bit with web design and blogging.
    Posted 13 years ago by Kaessa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Ideal Career.. Retiree..
    What would I like to do.. Retire and do anything I want to all day every day.
    Job qualification.. Win the lottery :)
    Posted 13 years ago by Princess Fi Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Haiku

    I reckon that's how us verbal, nerdy types could best contribute to the game world. Let me know when you find that game company that needs a part time writer! :P
    Posted 13 years ago by shipwreck Subscriber! | Permalink