c4countdown

Pretty self-explanatory, really - when you were a kid, what career path did you see your future self following, and how has that worked out?

When I was very young I wanted to be a mathematician - obviously I didn't really know what that actually meant as a job, but I liked doing maths problems so I figured "yeah, this seems good". Then when I got a bit older (like, 8 or 9?) I realised that 'mathematician' wasn't really an actual job, so instead I decided I wanted to be an accountant, as this was the only job I was aware of that used maths.

As it turns out, I'm now a statistician, so I've almost wound up in my childhood dream, which is a bit weird (even if it's nothing like what my five year old self actually envisaged).

Anyone else?

Cartoonist. Then a crazy golf course owner. Then a fireman, before I remembered I was asthmatic and afraid of heights.

Mark Deeks wrote:Cartoonist. Then a crazy golf course owner. Then a fireman, before I remembered I was asthmatic and afraid of heights.

So you went with crazy golf course owner after all? Wicked. I feel a co-event coming on.

I went through a whole range of things including architect and fireman but for a long while the height of my ambition was to work in a video store so I could watch movies all day.

Michael Wallace wrote:

Mark Deeks wrote:Cartoonist. Then a crazy golf course owner. Then a fireman, before I remembered I was asthmatic and afraid of heights.

So you went with crazy golf course owner after all? Wicked. I feel a co-event coming on.

Fraid not. I would have done, but the plan fell down when it came to what to do between the months of September and May, when the money wasn't rolling in.

I wanted to be a cat.

Formula One racing driver was the main one. Luckily for Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso and the rest, I'm not. I would definitely be better than them.

Some maths job. Also the guy on the darts that shouts 180. Now I'm a teacher and in a year or so I'll probably copy Kirk again and become an actuary.

Chris Davies wrote:I wanted to be a cat.

Because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at, right?

Edit: A-rinky-tinky-tinky.

Internet troll.

Changed over time, including an author, a singer (except I can't sing...), one of the Spice Girls (...problem solved), a league football team manager, and a primary school teacher. I suspect the football manager thing came from my sheer joy at steering Bristol Rovers to promotion from the Third Division (as was then) on Championship Manager 00/01 when I was about 9.

Tentatively settled on journalist aged 11 because my article on the Norman Conquest for History homework was so well received, but didn't make it my ultimate life ambition until I was 15; teacher remained my back-up plan until I did work experience at a primary school and realised I really rather dislike children.

Detective. For quite a long while till I realised that there wasn't much call for French and Spanish and also you have to start as a PC which I didn't much fancy.

I never had any intention of ending up in market research and, indeed, had no idea such a job existed.

Had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. Still don't really have any idea now, but am still waiting to grow up, so that's OK. In the meantime I seem to be passing the time getting paid for doing music.

Second thoughts. I wouldn't mind being a Richard Feynman when I grow up. A few flaws in that plan though.

My childhood ambition (decided when I was about 6, and probably based on nothing whatsoever) was to be a vet. Lost interest in that as soon as the time came where I had to start working towards it, and decided instead to be a "chemistry guy". 3 years into my degree, I have no clearer ambition.

Palaeontologist when I was really young, the inevitable brief dalliance with astronaut, then at 8 I discovered computer programming and that was it. The last 18 years have just flown by...

I always wanted to be a maths teacher or a darts shouter. When maths teaching went down the pan I decided the actuarial route was for me as it involved numbers and paid well. The darts shouter is still a dream and I've now got the experience behind me for if/when that opportunity arises.

I fancied being a nurse in my teens then had ambitions of becoming a doctor until I realised I was nowhere near good enough at science. Then thought about teaching music until I decided I didn't want to end up like my total prat of a 6th form music teacher. Then did a degree in law thinking it would open doors to various careers - except it didn't due to the crap job situation at the time I graduated so ended up in retail solely because there was nothing else better at the time. Finally reverted to the original plan of nursing due to wanting to do something more rewarding and fulfilling. Another benefit to doing psychiatric nursing was having had 2 parents who had a screw loose and thinking that studying the workings of the human mind might stop me ending up like them (which it has, thank God).

Still wouldn't mind teaching the piano privately later on though, or maybe developing my creative streak and writing books or scripts for tv.Who knows, maybe one day when I retire.....

Never thought about it. Never even thought about anything let alone the future. Still don't.

I have no idea. I don't think I really thought about it a great deal, or I just can't remember (which is likely as I seem to have an appalling memory).

By time I reached college I had kind of settled on accountancy, but just because I was quite good at maths at school and didn't really know what other options there were, plus it sounded like a respectable and well-paid career. Like Charlie, I too had been programming from a young age (we had a ZX81 when I was 6, and my dad taught himself BASIC and then taught us kids, which I then took on and even dabbled in some m/c) but never, ever, ever, even for a second considered that I could make a career of it. I literally had no idea that companies such as the one I work for now would each have their own internal development teams. I guess I assumed everything was written by large software houses who had total geniuses writing all the code, way above the level I was at. I fell into it as a career completely by accident when they advertised for trainee programmers whilst I was being a call centre monkey with no direction.

I always wanted to be either an accountant ('cos I liked numbers as a kid) or a doctor/surgeon just 'cos I liked science stuff and heard about how much they get paid. Obviously none of this has happened since I dropped out of chemistry and biology A levels before also declining 4 offers to study maths at university. And so I now sit halfway through a degree in BSc Geography with a faint intention to end up in education in the future. Ideally though, I'd love to be able to make a career out of Quiz but it is very unlikely so for now that just stays as a hobby.

I'm encouraged by the number of people who had similarly boring ambitions to me. Chris is winning for best career idea, though.

I don't recall actually wanting any particular occupation, but thought I would finish up as a teacher, like my father (and some of his sisters) - though as a mild Asperger's case, my interpersonal skills are poor.
In those days there were no electronic or digital computers, so although I was interested in the mechanical analog machines that were around, such as the Bush differential analyser, a career in that field wouldn't have occurred to me

When I was eight I wanted to be a school lollipop man as I assumed I wouldn't have to do any work until I was 65. Now there's just under three weeks to go....

A TV weatherman. I still do, sort of.

Ian Volante wrote:A TV weatherman. I still do, sort of.

I hope the "sort of" bit refers to changing the definition of "TV".

Matt Morrison wrote:

Ian Volante wrote:A TV weatherman. I still do, sort of.

I hope the "sort of" bit refers to changing the definition of "TV".

Now there's an idea! Nowt like a long velvet skirt for comfort.

When I was really young I wanted to be a Power Ranger Then that changed for about 6 years to becoming a footballer but now I have literally no idea what I'd like to do.

No-one said a goat yet? A goat.