Have you ever thought about this: why does everyone always ask kids what they want to be when they grow up? I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up until about five years ago. Luckily, I still have awhile before I grow up.
As a child, I always wanted to be a princess, of course. But then I realized you couldn't just become a princess one day so I changed my dream occupation. What is the default career for a girl who can't be a princess? An interior designer, naturally. Through my early teen years, I thought for certain that would be the job for me. But when I took art in high school and got a D- on my drawing of a stick figure, I thought that career choice was out of the question. I never even considered interior design in college because I let my self-doubt consume me. Sad. I could have had my own show on HGTV. (I hear they give those shows out to any blonde who does interior design. And any handyman who has nice biceps.)
Even at college-age, I didn't know what I wanted to be. My major was "undecided." A guidance counselor should have told me "undecided" meant varied interests, which is a key trait for a writer, but I don't ever remember "author" being mentioned as a career choice. (That's probably because it's not the wisest career choice, since most authors have to keep a day job for many years into their careers.) It wasn't until after I became a stay-at-home mom that I wanted to write a book; it took me five years to complete it. But writing was an in-the-closet hobby for a long time. About five years ago, I got really serious about writing and made the transition from hobby to career (and from sane to insane).
I used the "glow" filter on this pic, because it is symbolic of how writers view the world. Writers take away the blah of daily life (the wrinkles and sun-spots). Have you ever read a book where the main character did dishes for an hour? Or spent an entire afternoon cleaning a closet? No! A good author skips the mundane and makes everything "glow." Good analogy, eh? OK, so I just used "glow" because it makes me pretty like Glamour Shots. (Yes, click on that if you need a good laugh.) However, I must disclose that I never look like that when I am writing, but you don't want to see a picture of me without my hair combed and without make-up on. (It would give you nightmares!) I also don't get dressed when I write. Wait! I didn't mean it like that. Unlike other people, I'm not entirely comfortable wearing just a paper towel. I stay in my jammies for as long as possible. That is one of the perks of the job.
It took me a really long time to know what I was going to be when I grew up. How about you? Did you know since you were kid what you would study in college? What job you would have? What hobbies would fill your time? Or have you figured things out as you go?
Also, do you have any predictions what your kids will be when they grow up? We think we will have a Coast Guard Swimmer in our family, since we have one boy who has been swimming in halfway frozen puddles since he was two. But then again: do any parents ever correctly predict what their kids will be?
What say ye? (And good thing I'm really not a pirate. Can you imagine how hard it would be to type with a hook?)
10 comments:
Wow! What a great thought provoking post. I wish I knew or could get my kids to be what I want them to be. Although, what they choose will probably be so much better than I could have chosen for them. My mother always told me to marry a rich man, one who graduated college. I did marry someone who had graduated college, I thought that meant he would be rich. BAH! I quickly found out that college was not the defining moment for "richness". I love it when people say "As long as you do something you love"...... whatever. It's called Work for a reason.
I prefer to stay in my jammies too, I know lots of women that would have gone to college if that was a major!
I've always known I wanted to work with kids and I use to always play school with my stuffed animals. I still remember trying to teach my little brother to write his name and to read and being mad he wouldn't pay attention at 3 years old. I've actually always wanted to be a stay at home mom and make that my first priority then work when my kids were in school so teaching goes perfectly hand in hand with that. Once they're all in school, I'll still get the same vacations as them. In high school I knew I wanted to teach but not who. In college my first major was Home and Family Education, which I thought would help my skills as a home maker. I decided I couldn't teach high school students, so I changed my major to Early Childhood/Special Education (instead of Elementary Ed because I do NOT like middle schoolers). At first I wanted nothing to do with the special education part of my major, it was just some requirement I had to meet but after my first semester of Special Ed classes, I loved it. And here I am! A Special Ed teacher! I'm not up to the stay at home part yet.
I used to LOVE the spotlight. I always wanted to be on TV. I didn't think I'd make it as an actress so I wanted to be a News Reporter. Not the one who went out to get the story, but the one who sits behind the desk with the tv camera recording them as they did the reporting!
I am sure that my children will all go to college and my boys will get really good jobs so they can support their really poor parents!
I always knew I wanted to work with kids. And be rich doing it. First, I decided to be a pediatrician. I then realized that pediatricians probablly shouldn't pass out at the sight of needles or blood. So there went that idea. In HS I decided to be a psychologist. A clinical psychologist working with children and teens to be exact. And that's what I stuck with all through college as well and I LOVED it. Unfortunatly you cant make any $$$ doing it until you get your PH'd. So I have about 5 more years of school left. Someday Ill get there. Although now I think I want to focus on marriage and family relationships instead.
My dream job? Reading books. Know anyone who pays people to do that??
In one regard I was right all along. When people used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would always answer, "a mom." I think I even meant "a stay at home mom", even though that wasn't common jargon when I was a kid. That was my #1 goal, and I still feel like it's my most important job.
I was wrong on my "obstetrician" ambition (chemistry turned out to be too baffling for me). I have always aspired to be a soloist since I was very young, and I'm grateful that that has worked out to a certain degree. But one other job I love to do that I never knew I'd love is...office work. I like to work at a desk, I like to organize things, type, edit, answer phones and keep records, file stuff...all that busy secretarial work feels very satisfying for me. I was a secretary at BYU for 10 months, and left the job only because I got to go home with baby #1 at that time.
My predictions for my kids: #1: a church educational system professor, #2: an artist or a chef, #3: a singer/actress, #4: well let's just put it this way. He's 4 now, and if you ask him what he's going to be when he grows up, he responds without hesitation: "A TEENAGER!" I think he's right. And he might just stay that way for longer than most of us, knowing him! : )
You just uncovered my OCD of having paper towels on hand. I finally understand my anxiety better. Thank you, Lori! Life is beginning to make sense to me now. Too bad things didn't make sense to me on that day to forget 14 1/2 years ago.
I wanted to be a taxi cab driver in NYC when I was younger. As I grew I realized that I wasn't fluent enough in foreign languages to accomplish that. But I have driven in NYC a couple of times. And loved every minute of it!!! And I was the only one NOT driving a taxi cab!
I also wanted to be a spy or a private investigator (I grew up on Magnum P.I., Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Remington Steele, and Simon and Simon). And imagine my surprise to find that in my beloved profession of being a mom, spying actually is a useful tool! And I can't believe how much I piece together bits of information to form a conclusion: there is peanut butter on the wall - oh, good! My 13 year old DID make himself a sandwich for school today! I'm still in bed and someone is practicing the piano. Oh, good! My ambitious 11 year old is attacking the day. I'm bike racing with my 7 year old and she keeps sneezing. I get worried she is developing allergies. Wait a minute. She's doing juicy sneezes on purpose so I have to back off from trying to pass her; the spittle is just too much for me. See, I've got it all figured out! And I'm doing all the things I dreamed of doing when I was younger, and then some (I voted for Pedro!).
When I was younger I wanted to be a princess. For three or four years I was a princess for Halloween and my mom couldn't understand why I didn't want to be something SCARY for Halloween. Hello! That's the one holiday you can dress however you want, how you feel! I was looking back at my "Me" book from 2nd grade and I wrote down that I wanted to be a scientist. I remember switching between things for a long time. Being a mom was always acknowledged but I wanted to be a vet, a scientist, an actress, and a writer. Being a vet was extinguished when I learned just how many years of school I'd have to go to. Scientist fell apart as I learned that I would have to actually get results rather than just do experiments for fun. Actress would be fun but not an easy thing to succeed at. Writer was going alright for me! I still have stories I've started in fifth grade on my computer. After my trip to St. Jude's I just didn't find that my creative juices flowed as often...maybe I was just too busy to get to write and edit what I wrote. With Seminary and stupid English classes my time was more limited. I actually did my project in Gifted and Talented on authors. This one website told us exactly what to expect based on how many books we wrote. it said not to compare us to J.K. Rowling because she's "richer than the queen." I'm going to college now to be an interpreter for the deaf because when I was being treated at St. Judes the doctors warned that I could completely lose my hearing. I was afraid to be left without communication so I started learning sign language. I don't want anyone else to have that fear so I want to interpret. Lori, you and Paula are so hilarious! It must run in the family!
Team C: I think it's best to decide on your kid's careers before they are teens, because once they reach that point, all you can envision them doing is living in your basement and playing video games with their online friends. :) And you are rich in blessings, right? Would you like to come over for a pj party sometime?
Nicole: It takes a special person to do what you do. I'm so glad you found your place in life! I vote you get a raise! I'm surprised that you didn't want to be a crime scene investigator for your night job.
LivingstonslifeinMT: I would have never guessed that you want to be a news anchor! Could you be serious for that long? It would be the most entertaining news hour ever! :)
Rowley's: It's so wrong that a four year degree gets you nothing! I'm glad you realized you couldn't be a doctor before you got into medical school and passed out in the cadaver lab. ( I think I would do more than pass out. I would do something that rhymes with Luke.)
JazznJenna: can I hire you to come organize my office? I hate office work, although I do love the pretty office supplies. When your son says he will be a teenager, does he mean that in a good way or a bad way? :0
PaulaShawn: way to divulge your identity! I only said "other people." No one would have known who I was referring to. I do hope you buy the blue automotive paper towels, as they are less transparent. And I still think you should go for the taxi driver thing. As far as I know from watching movies, none of those guys speak English, so some of the Yanks might appreciate someone speaking their own tongue.
Devree: We could be princesses together! I call the pink dress! So why didn't anyone tell me I wouldn't be as rich as J.K. before I started writing? Thanks for dashing all my dreams Devree! I will remember not to fake sign language when you are around, as I will probably say something obscene and offend you. And Paula is the funny one. Next time you see her, ask her if the word "bra" means anything.
During my sophmore yr of h.s. I blew my knee out for the first time & was determined to be a physical therapist. Then I got to college & realized how hard I'd have to study to get into pt school. Being lazy got me a worthless degree & a lot of crappy jobs until I could finally get some little boys to come to my house so I could stay at home with them. If I had to go back to work I'd have to be a teacher so I could have summers off to enjoy the beauties.
I'm sure Bridger is going to be a scientist or engineer. Kesler's shooting for a wildlife biologist unless his practical side wins out and Colter really needs to be a dentist- we must have one in the family-I've already started the brainwashing.
When I was about eight we had an Old Maid game that I was sure would predict my career. Each pair depicted a career (e.g., teacher, dentist, chemist, florist, etc.). I liked to mix the cards up and pull one out, telling myself that that was what I was going to be when I grew up. (I was very nearly the old maid--didn't get married til I was 30.). By fifth grade I was dressing as an Olympic gymnast on career day. That didn't pan out. When I was 15 I read a book, based on a true story, about a blind speech-language pathologist. I decided that's what I wanted to be, minus the blind part. Ten years later I graduated with my Master's degree. It was a good career for me, but I prefer being retired and staying home with Olivia.
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