What would you do if you didn't do what you do?

[HeyWayne]

The only job I ever recall wanting at school age was to be a graphic designer. It was what my cousin was studying for, and was a very "cool" job at the time (he is now a potter and art teacher). I left school and studied art for two years before deciding I was never going to make money at it.

Dream job? Cripes knows!

Buying and selling classic cars, running a VW camper hire shop, running an idyllic coastal B&B, prawnstar...

[Glutton4...]

School Careers Adviser: "What do you want to do when you leave School?"
Me: "No idea."
Careers Adviser: "Well, best you go away and think about it then!"
End of conversation.

I actually wanted to work with Horses, but my Folks wouldn't let me to go into slavery! I've always been an 'outdoor' person, and swore I'd never work in an office. Eventually, I was press-ganged into an office job, and stayed for 22 years! No, I've no idea how I managed it.

My mid-life crisis took me into Horticulture, starting at the bottom, and working my way up quite high - all the way to redundancy. Now, I'm a jobbing gardener - skint, but happy!

[dave_norm_smith]

For me it would be childrens book illustration but its probably easier to break into the Nasa space program! I had a bit of success with it but never seemed to get the 'big break' and when the kids came along I had to get a real job. I look at this as a means to and end at the moment as it allows my wife to stay at home to look after the children, something that was very important to us.

I remember my job chat at school and my job picks were Art/design type job, Chef or landscape gardener/nursery owner. 18- 20 years on, I'm a frustrated artist (and kitchen designer), I'm trying to write a cook book with my wife and I garden at every opportunity!

Anybody want an illustrator???? lol

[OverWyreGrower]

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a teacher. Mum says I started talking about being a teacher when I was about 7 or 8. So eventually I went to Uni to do a combined Teaching and English degree. I hated it. It wasn't the kids, it was the adults - what we were taught in Uni bore no relation to how teachers actually worked in the real world.

I swapped degree's 3 years into a 4 year degree, and came out of Uni with a BA Hons in English Literature....

Since then I've worked in Financial Services, Police crime labs, council offices and car sales and have found myself in the Higher Education sector for the last 5 years. I'm a damn good administrator and general office manager....

Dream job though??

With hindsight, I would never have gone to uni - I would have done something with animals or horticulture. Unfortunately, we are now in a position where we need 2 full time salaries, so the opportunity to retrain is not there.

Mind you, I still maintain I'd be perfectly happy being a 'housewife' - I have more than enough to do on a daily basis to keep myself busy!

[Glutton4...]

For me it would be childrens book illustration ... I'm a frustrated artist ...

Aaaaah, yes! When I was leaving school there were about 1,500 people chasing each job in that world, so I opted out of even thinking about it. I doodle from time to time, but haven't picked up a pencil in anger for more years than I can remember.

Like OWG, I would also be happy being a 'Housewife' who'd ever have thought it!?

[Piggle]

Mines is a bit of a tale of woe really ...... I ended up being an accountant simply to pay off all the debts my previous fiance left me with when he did a bunk, accountancy paid best at the time and I was always quite good with numbers.

I actually wanted to be a vet but couldn't afford the course fees after what happened ..... anyway now I help run the local hedgehog rescue centre with my local husband and have done a few wildlife emergency treatment courses so I guess I'm a pretend vet!

[chris]

Edit: forgot I wanted to be a vet, specialising in birds.. so perhaps that

[OverWyreGrower]

Like OWG, I would also be happy being a 'Housewife' who'd ever have thought it!?

I remember having a go at a friend at university who declared that she was going to get her degree and then get married and be a housewife! I ranted about women's rights, the fact that some countries don't even allow women to be educated and she was throwing it all away etc....

Now I wish I'd got married and been a housewife from the beginning!!

[SarzWix]

I wanted to cook for a living, preferably patisserie, but my Dad wouldn't hear of it because of having to work Friday night/Saturdays (the Sabbath ). So I ended up with no idea of what I wanted to do and quite depressed, and ended up doing nothing. So then I was press ganged into working in Dad's office as a junior for a pittance, but found out I was quite good in the sales office so got promoted (although not much more money!). Stayed there for a couple of years, then it was sold off by head-office and lots of us made redundant. Dad got enough pay-out to open his own place, so I worked there running the sales office for a few more years til I got married and had #1 son. In between having the kids I worked in a petrol station, a DIY shop and a nursing home, had various breakdowns with my health, and ended up where I am now, part-time student, allotmenteer, voluntary school gardener, moderator and in pain a lot of the time!!
In an ideal world, I'd like enough land to be more or less self-sufficient and run classes in gardening, preserving and cooking to bring a bit of cash in, and share the love. Failing that, I'd like to run a community-based based business teaching adults and kids how to do those things in schools and/or at home. But for the first I'd need a lottery win, and for the second I'd need starting cash and a hell of a lot more confidence and organisational skills than I'll ever have Pipe dream anyone?

[HeyWayne]

Being a father now, I wish I had a job that Bean will feel inspired to do.

One of Beans fave stories on CBeebies Bedtime Stories: What Does Daddy Do? - Rachel Bright - Puffin Books

"What does your Daddy do Hayden?" "Oh, he's a marketing manager/*director"

Not the most inspiring...

*director one day maybe.

[Florence Fennel]

I think my ideal job would be Rocket Scientist. They seem to be very highly thought of

[snohare]

Ah, this is a bit of a bugbear for me. A sore point that my nose is constantly being rubbed in. (No, I never wanted to be a professional metaphor mixer.) Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed almost every job I had, paid or unpaid, and gained a lot...but the only way I know to handle the frustration is to not think of my limits, and that is no longer possible because I am between a rock and a hard place.
At school I had dyslexia (which affected my writing speed but not reading skills) and ADD if not ADHD; I left school with mediocre 'O' Grades and Highers that barely failed to get me into college.
Fell into retailing, did well at it, then ended up with (undiagnosed) chronic fatigue syndrome when my (undiagnosed) Crohn's Disease flared up. Throw in some (undiagnosed) SAD.
Between bouts of ill health, did occasional labouring jobs, all of which I loved, and was a treenurseryman/garden centre worker, which I would happily have done until retirement if my health had held out. But it didn't, and I've been on Incapacity Benefit since 1998; I suppose I'm now almost totally unemployable due to my age and health. In a competitive economy I have just about been lapped. Adam Smith never mentioned the likes of me. The worst thing is seeing skivers getting paid for doing a poor job at something I could do, and would do with heart and soul.
The voluntary sectors that I have worked in have all loved me and grown to rely on my many talents over time - being a training junkie pays off - but there is never any chance that they would employ me, lack of funding for staff, or lack of formal qualifications and/or energy on my behalf always scuppers it.
The writing on the wall says I am going to be assessed as fit to work with support - which would be correct some of the time, it's just the frequency which is the problem ! - which would eventually leave me even more broke than I am, a scarey thought. Only payouts from the Bank of Mum and Dad keep me afloat, I suppose I am a fat cat.
So...my dream job is any job I am fit to do that gives me a living.
I don't believe it is out there, who in their right mind would employ me full time with my health ! My only real chance is a win on Ernie, or some form of lucrative self-employment. Doing something that is socially useful as part of a team, as opposed to say, selling tobacco or booze, is really what makes me tick though.
Maybe some of us frustrated Grape artists should get together and do some cartoon (beg pardon, graphic novel) stories of gardeners' methods and mishaps down on the allotment...there's a terrible lack of gardening cartoons nowadays.

[kirsty b]

Applied to uni at 18 even though I had no idea what I wanted to do/be but (the immortal words) it seemed a good idea at the time. Ended up dropping out much to my Dad's disappointment and getting a job in a factory. Paid well but work was crap. Met OH, had Pickle and carried on doing crap jobs that paid decent money but I hated most of them.

Fell into healthcare almost by accident, after yet another chat with my mum about how much I hated the job (meat factory) I was in. She suggested nursing.......started looking into it, was advised to become a HCA for a while before committing 3 years of my life to a nursing course. That was almost 7 years ago and have not looked back since, and now a second year student nurse about to go into my community placements and I love what I do, always have If you'd told me at 18 I'd end up a nurse I'd have laughed at you.

[cardiffsteve]

I think my ideal job would be Rocket Scientist. They seem to be very highly thought of

Yea but its hardly brain surgery

[Piggle]

Actually on second thoughts I think I'd like to be a cat - they do rot all, get fed and have servants to attend to their every whim! What a job.