What do/did your parents do?

Interesting thread. My dad worked in various jobs such as a security guard and then a fork lift driver (not in anyway exciting). He is now unemployed due to ill health. Mum is registered blind and worked making/repairing cane furniture until she started to have children then she left to look after all 6 of us!

None of us have followed in their footsteps so far. My sister is the oldest at 30 and she is a PA in the local Education and Library Board. 2 of my oldest brothers are retail managers, 1 is a software engineer and the other is a physiotherapist (currently doing a PhD as there is little work available). All my brothers and my sister have their degrees and I'm the youngest and still at uni finishing of mine which will make me a Business Studies and Music teacher when I qualify at the end of next year. None of us have any children or have even settled down so in that way we are very different from the old folks.

Whilst mum and dad never influenced our career choices in anyway they supported us and reminded us how for them, finishing school wasn't even a choice let alone going to university so it was more or less inevetable that we all attempted to make something of ourselves.
 
Dad - accountant
Mum - admin in a secondary school

Didn't really affect my career choices much but strangely me and my two brothers all studied engineering at uni.
 
Dad was a semi-skilled worker (machine-setter) in a clock factory for 28 years before redundancy. Last ten years before retirement as store handyman in a local Safeway.

Mum was shop assistant but never did paid employment after kids were born.

Not a lot of disposable income as we grew up (council tenants for 30 years until they took advantage of 'right to buy'). Two of the most contented folks you could ever meet. Mum dead 8 years now; Dad in a nursing home with advanced Parkinson's and moderate / severe dementia - Still totally contented. I put it down to his Christian faith (but that's probably another thread, like, "What makes contentment real?)

Never lacked anything we really needed. Raised us right. Both my sister and myself educated to degree level and in 'Professional' jobs (though my sister died at 25)
 
Dad - Gearbox fitter by day and bouncer by night, then a pub manager and then finally a black cabbie for years until he retired.

Mum - Nursery nurse until I was born, then housewife.

A proper "working class" family, back when working class didn't mean scrounging off the dole, drinking white lightning all day and fighting in the street all night :rolleyes:

I turned out academic, and was going to study medicine until I was too ill to do so (ooh the irony). Now I'm hoping to study for a law degree with OU. I do retain my dad's passion for diesels and stuff though. My brother became an engineer and ended up working on the taxis, so that apple didn't fall far from the tree :p
 
Dad - RAF for 12 years as a field engineer, then came out the year I was born. Had several jobs since then including long stints at Fujitsu (Spelling ?) and Glaxo Smith Kline. Until recently when we moved down south, and he's now a contracted field engineer for Motorola working on radio systems, very similar to his RAF work :)

Mam - Worked at Natwest for about 13 years, until I was born, then my brother came along almost 4 years later, since then shes had a few odd jobs including Nutritional work and primary school stuff. Now on 2nd year at local part time college, studying accounting.

Me - Only 16, work part time in a local electrical retailer :cool: Suppose there's still time yet, however I'm definately not going in the forces, I'm leaning towards business. So to be honest, neither have influenced me career wise that much at all.
 
My dad just managed to get a very good job for his line of work, he's essentially doing R&D for stannah stairlifts on a new machine, he hasn't a clue what hes doing really.
My mum works in admin for the research council.

They're way better off than they were a few years ago.
 
Dad - Charge Nurse

Mam - District Nurse/now working part time in the local PCT as an assessor

Me - Work at Bank but going into Nursing soon

Brother - Also works in a bank

So yeah they have influenced me somewhat.
 
Paul2k12 said:
Dad - Charge Nurse

Mam - District Nurse/now working part time in the local PCT as an assessor

Me - Work at Bank but going into Nursing soon

Brother - Also works in a bank

So yeah they have influenced me somewhat.
Click to expand...

Was that really worth bumping a year old thread?
 
Mother : Additional Needs Assessment Nurse.
Father: RAF Provost Officer / Manufacturers Agent.

Although my career is in Architecture, I would say they both indirectly had a heavy influence on my career; their careers shaping them as people and me being brought up in a household where their jobs affecting their behaviour on a daily basis.

It's fascinating reading the correlation (if any) in everyone's posts :)
 
Dad - retired oil company director, now working with government for the regulatory body.

Mum - Ex barrister, now an author of legal text books.

Hasn't influenced me in terms of career choice, I am now a car dealer and an IT professional. Although i would say that my parents positions have given me a great advantage in terms of confidence in business, and the associated backing.
 
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My dad owned a shotblasting factory for years and years (now retired). My mam was a nurse, also retired.

Think I'm getting on for retirement soon, the big 53 is creeping up and I've just about had enough of work for one lifetime.
 
Dad is a mechanical engineer so is quite handy with his hands...hes done all sorts of things ie built 3 houses in Canada...very good at maths and stuff like that. He left the mechanical engineering side and went into business...did pretty well out in Canada.

My mum on the other hand didnt get an education so was more or less a housewife although she had various jobs babysitting etc out in Canada...over here she worked for the council looking after old people ie going to their homes and making sure they are ok...she left that when her health started to decline.

Did it influence me??..nope not in the slightest..
 
Dads a farmer
Mums a housewife

Im at uni studying business, but work on the farm every hollidays. Unsure as I want it for a career or not though.
 
My mother is a Youth Worker.
My dad a taxi driver.

So no they havn't influenced me at all in what I want to do. I'm studying computing see...
 
Mum and Dad both factory workers until about 10 years ago. Mum is now retired and Dad runs a few restaurants. I get my entrepreneurial flair from my Dad as well as the confidence, drive etc.
 
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