At what age did you know what you wanted to do for a living?

What I want todo for a living changes frequently!

* Software developer - been there, got the t-shirt
* Pre-sales software - again done that
* Management in software - done that
* Product management - doing that... (own boss too atm as I'm contracting - nothing like testing your metal doing it yourself!)

Next stop will be more towards Enterprise Architect then CTO/COO. I would say I have a heavy interest in commercial business but also with a technical tint (although I can leave that well behind if need be!).

Not sure I'm a leader, more second in command :)

I think through all my trial and tribulations the experience has helped define what I want more and more.. so whilst you're young get out there and experience different things.. try saying yes to roles that scare you and push you forward.
 
No idea what I want to be. I am 23 and I have been working in a printers doing prepress (artworking, graphics & setting files up for printing) for 4 years.

If I am honest the only thing I'd really like to do is something in physics.

But, I haven't got the education behind me to even start!

Oh well :p
 
I still know what I want to do but I will never do it: Marine Biology. I didnt go down that route because many people convinced me there are no jobs in that field and I foolishly believed them. I think now that I would be much happier if I was at least striving towards that field of work. Now I just make do with it as a hobby: diving, conservation projects, fishkeeping etc :(
 
NickK said:
I think through all my trial and tribulations the experience has helped define what I want more and more.. so whilst you're young get out there and experience different things.. try saying yes to roles that scare you and push you forward.
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I think that's good advice and it kind of echoes what I mentioned earlier. If I had to go back to the beginning of high school again I'd do much more research into different careers and try and get practical experience of them as soon as possible.

I'm personally starting a teaching course soon where I'll be presented with situations that I'm a bit nervous about, but you only learn from trying (and sometimes failing).
 
19.. long way to go but im in 15minds.. i like one but then i like other things etc etc.. can't really decide what i want to do for sure.. sitting here studying IT even tho i will not want to do anything with it at all.. basically i want something interesting even if its hard.. "hands on job" if you know i mean..
 
Von Smallhausen said:
Joining the cops was the last thing on my mind when at school.

Some of the lads I used to hang around with went on to incur major jail time and had I not broken my arm in a scrap in the 1980s after which I stopped hanging about with them, I wonder what might have been. I wasn't in the police fan club as a kid.

I was bored with my last job and thought about joining up when i was about 23 and got accepted when 25.
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Similar story here with my childhood. All of my friends use to go out stealing cars, robbing from shops etc where as I use to make excuses to stay in and not get involved lol. Definately prooved the right idea seen as all of them bar one are now council estate hoodies with umpteen kids each with no qualifications and basically live off benefits.
 
Cyclone said:
I'm 42 and I still dont know what I want to do. I might be too old now to do anything if I did. :(
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Theres a lady on my course who is 62 and doing well in her degree as now she feels that its the time for her to get the qualification she always wanted to work and do research in the field she always wanted.

Never too old to do what you want unless its a job which has very strict age limits (ie military)
 
AshM said:
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Pretty much exactly the same thing happened with me mate, in terms of completely changing my goals anyway. Maybe we'll be teaching in the same school down under lol. Unfortunately have a year of uni to get out of the way first
 
I'm 20 and changed course at Uni. Was doing digital art and realised I didn't want to be stuck behind a computer as a career, so swapped to Environmental science :)

Chosen my future modules and I'm specializing in oceanography and weather and climate. Hopefully gets me out the house :p

Jobs though, I have no idea...
 
I had an idea what I wanted to do at 25 (systems analysis and IT project management), but didn't do anything about it until I was 30. I'm now two years into a degree in IT management and off to do a year's internship at CERN in Switzerland. I still don't really know what I really want to do, but the doors opened to me by taking time out and investing in my education have been brilliant so far.
 
Since I was 5 I always wanted to join the Royal Navy, I went all through infants, juniors and comprehesive school and never even considered anything else, at 16 I did just that and 6 years to the day from joining I left. I'm now 33 and work as a Voice Network Specialist and to be honest I still don't know what I'd like to do for a living.
 
When i was 13 i spent a day at work with my uncle, at the time he was a lighting rigger in a road crew. While i was there i couldn't take my eyes off of the mixing desk and spent the whole day badgering the sound engineer with questions. I made my mind up then, that was what i wanted to do. So at 16 i did the rounds of the studios in Wardour Street and got a job with Virgin as a "goffer/tape operator". Five years latter i was touring as a sound engineer for some of the biggest bands around at the time. At 52, i'm still doing it and have never been happier. So the dream of a 13 year old became a reality and has stayed that way ever since.
 
34 now and still don’t know what I want to do!

Drifted into IT many years ago and am now stuck, if I changed jobs now I will have to start from the bottom which means taking a large pay cut which I can't afford as I have 3 children and a better half to support. :(

Would love to join the police or do something else equally worthwhile.
 
J.T said:
34 now and still don’t know what I want to do!

Drifted into IT many years ago and am now stuck, if I changed jobs now I will have to start from the bottom which means taking a large pay cut which I can't afford as I have 3 children and a better half to support. :(
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This is my worry. I could afford to take a pay cut but not much or if it was substantial it would have to be short term while I was training or something. There aren't many jobs that i'm aware of that you can just walk in with no previous and be earning nearly 30k within 12 months. If money wern't an issue i'd love to go off to uni and learn something as it wouldn't matter if it never worked out but obviously in the real world its not that easy.
 
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