How did you know what to do for a living?

Moses said:
Do 2 or 4, then whilst at uni do 1 and 3 in your spare time.
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That is sensible advice and the conclusion I keep landing on myself.

The problem is choosing between 2 or 4.

2 could as easily land me back here within a couple of year's time because even picking a masters doesn't push me into any specific job area. In fact, I could still find myself unable to land a graduate job altogether. 4 at least gives me everything I'm looking for from a career. My only qualms of course being the inherent negatives which come with the territory, the extra debt and the fact I'll be in my 30s when I can finally begin. Too late to back out if I've backed the wrong horse.

People I work with keep telling me I'll make an amazing teacher but I have no interest in that career at the moment.
 
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I was going to reply in the other thread but figure this one is now more appropriate. I'm a little bit older than you and I'm still not totally sure what I want to do, I don't think it's a particularly unusual situation to be in. It seems there are a few people who know from a very young age what they want to do and if they're lucky they'll get there and enjoy it when they do - for a number of others (perhaps most of us) we'll bumble about until we find something we can either do well and enjoy or at least don't dislike enough to make changing a priority.

I don't think that being 30 when you start your career is necessarily the worst thing in the World, especially given the retirement age is only likely to go up, but it would be a lot of extra work/training/debt to accumulate without knowing if it's something you really wanted to do.

Have you checked that you've got sufficient academic results to become a doctor? I'm not asking whether you're capable of passing as I'm sure you are but if you don't have the entry requirements then that option probably isn't open to you and sometimes knowing what you can't do is as useful for focus as what you'd like to do.
 
I never knew what I wanted to do, and still don't really. I'm only doing what I'm doing because of the money. I only really ended up in engineering because of my guidance teacher at school telling me about an open day at a university.
 
I knew I always wanted to be a soldier, my Dad was a RM so that was the natural choice for me.

My current job I kinda fell into, when I retired an old mate offered me a job and as I had nothing else on I took it, surprisingly I seem to be pretty good at it so I have progressed quickly .

Did I see myself doing this at 20, hell no. I still don't quite believe where I am, it scares me sometimes when I sit down and actually think about the responsibility.

I wouldn't mind going to Uni and studying though. Maybe writing a book or two.
 
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Biohazard said:
Can I say the opposite of the other guys, don't work with what you enjoy as a hobby etc.

I think that ruins a lot of past times more than it does make people super happy.

My opinion of course..
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I got a job doing programming, which I did (and still do) as a hobby, and I love it.
Sure, there have been times when I've lost enthusiasm for it and hated having to go to work, but that's been down to circumstances in specific roles rather than the job itself.
Other than getting up early, which to be honest I choose to do because the commute is easier, I can't think of many things I'd rather be doing for a job.
 
Uni - chemistry
Worked in several different chemistry industries from metals -> cosmetics -> pharma etc.
Decided to go back to uni and do an MSc to know if a PhD would suit me.
Currently applying for PhDs and will see how it goes! My main focus is developing the technology required for a green energy based future, from high capacity zinc-air batteries to novel photochemistry molecule design.

I think it depends more on a day to day basis what it is you are looking to have in your life. A job which pays well but is boring, work to live or something you truly enjoy doing whereby you can have a bit of both. Most science jobs pay less than I could earn if I were to go into banking or elsewhere, but I really do enjoy and get a buzz out of what I do day to day and so excel at it when working.

It is a very personal balance of what you value you most and what you want in your life.
 
I sympathise with you greatly. The job market is exceedingly difficult at present, especially for those of us that have graduated fairly recently and lack the treasured "necessary experience".

I've just had a look on the Prospects website to check out popular options for someone with a Geography degree. One of the first that popped into my head was GIS, surveying. I've seen jobs for these positions advertised, is that something you'd be interested in? Geographers are wanted in environmental consultancy, planning and surveying, don't any of these fields appeal to you? It makes sense to built upon what you've learnt, rather than have a change of heart completely and train to be a doctor (which is very tough work to boot). You could decide on one of these areas, find a relevant masters degree and aim to line up some relevant work experience either during the course of shortly afterwards with a specific job/career path in mind that you will persue afterwards.

You need to focus and specialise more in my view. You have a degree which is a solid start, but in today's competitive marketplace employers want more. The upside is that you can gain everything that you require.

Form a plan, some goals and take ACTION! ;)
 
I didn't know what to do for a living. I was 19, and looking for full time employment, with no clue where to go, or what to do. My gf at the time (now wife) found an ad in the local rag for an apprentice instrument technician at an engineering firm in my town. I ended up with the job, and now love engineering (although hate my current job, which is the same one I started out with). Currently doing a HND, but ideally I want to do a degree before too long, and get myself a decent job somewhere else.
 
Not everyone is cut out for my job (regardless of how many apply for each post) but a career of saving lives certainly appealed from an early age.

It was something I'd always wanted to do although I waited and worked nine years in other jobs before I got in. Don't get me wrong, my Joinery apprencticeship was something I persued first and foremost as I was too young for the Fire Service when I left school. A good grounding in knowing construction techniques (and how they fail under stress) certainly helped when I got the chance to apply. I've no want in persuing promotion as this takes me away from the very reason I joined. Kicking in doors and rescuing kids from burning buildings, hell yeah. (I won't go into the most recent house fire which involved a pole dancer :D)
 
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I fell into it to be honest, and I'd like to think that I'm a testament to perseverance (with a little luck thrown in).

* Went to uni and studied Computer Science (mostly because I just didn't know what to do, and I was a bit of a geek)

* Came out of uni and got a low paid but good experience job doing general sys admin work

* After 6 months I joined a small but growing company - 4 years later I progressed from standard support engineer, to the customer support manager

* I've literally just landed a new job, as Support & Field Engineering Manager at a software company just outside of Cambridge - beating off 150 other people :D

I actually nearly left my job (the 4 year one) to re-train in civil engineering, but changed my mind last minute - and boy am I glad. I'm onto the management ladder now, which is great for me :)
 
I'm 27 - only last year did I finally decide what I want to do. So now, come August, I'm leaving my home/friends/family, and chasing that dream
 
I'm not doing the job or career I thought I would - I just fell into it really, considering I have a background in IT and Engineering (Telecoms) it's a bit different to what I was doing! I don't see myself necessarily doing this for the rest of my life - to be honest I'm not that career minded. As long as I do well, work hard, and take pride in my work I'm happy with that, no matter what job I do.

I never had an idea or dream about a career or a type of job. In an ideal world I'd not have to work! :D Honestly, I'd be just as happy selling ice creams on a beach somewhere hot, as long as it gave me the opportunity to follow my hobbies and dreams - I'm not that bothered.
 
Bloodshot said:
Played games since forever, knew I wanted to make them; couldn't program or draw, so I could only really go into design! Lucky really, as it's the best bit in my opinion!
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This.

Though ATM I am learning how to programme and I've always had a gift with art but just never seem to use it. But I agree that the designing part of the game is where you can let your brain go wild. Already have some great ideas stored in a safe place for the future. :)
 
I wanted to be like my Dad and be a Michelin Apprentice which I did but left when I got my Apprenticeship.
I did another 2 years in Engineering and ended up in 1980 has an assembly monkey in a factory.
I moved my way up slowly over 27 years where I ended up being a Quality Audit Technician and cooked food for years until the Italians came and then I cooked water (no difference in the results though).
I then ended up in the education block of a Juvenile Offenders prison then ended up at the NHS working with NHS Young Apprentices for 2 years.
I now work in Clinical Governance, Audit & Risk for the Medico Legal & Inquest teams.
I chose none of the jobs except the Apprenticeship but I always make the best of what I've got.
 
Well I enjoy maths, science and computers so I'm planning on doing computer science at uni. It's a pretty broad degree that opens a lot of doors and doesn't keep you tied down to any specific job/career path. Once I've finished uni I'll either enter the job Market or have a go at a masters if I enjoy the degree enough. After that I have no clue what to do, but at least I'll have the basic tools I need.
 
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