Jobs you thought were cool when you were young

[snoogles]

When I was 6 I told my parents I wanted to be a research scientist. They told me that was silly and I could be a nurse or something instead.

(fast-forward 20 years)

Who's the research scientist now, eh?

I finally realised that laboratory work is the most tedious, uninspiring, repetetive work I could imagine.

This is completely true, though. I've no idea how I stuck years of 6-hour organic chemistry lab sessions. Nightmare. However, when you're organising experiments yourself, it becomes much more interesting because you don't know what's going to happen - unlike in undergraduate labs (we all know what we're supposed to end up with, so there's no element of discovery) or in industry (the same old repetitive quality control tests all day long).

 

[han]

I wanted to be a zoologist and study chimpanzees in Africa....and drive around in a little jeep and wear khaki

 

[Cloo]

I really wanted to be an archeologist when I was 6. Of course, I now know that there's only about half a dozen archeology jobs in the whole country and they pay thrupence. This is why some archeology courses (like the one my mum did in the late 60s/early 70s) tend to be full of English aristocracy who can afford to do it!

 

[Callie]

when i was young (like really actually young not just pretend young) i wanted to be a poilcelady....with a horse! not so much interested in the police bit, just the horse.

ahh how times have changed......

i still want a job where i can just ride a horse around

 

[trashpony]

A marine biologist. I still love swimming around, looking at fish and stuff. I wonder how old kids need to be before you can take them diving?

 

[Callie]

i think youre all making this up, when i was young i couldnt even spell zoologist/marine biologist let alone know what it was

what age are you classing as young? are you all really old? *runs*

 

[trashpony]

i think youre all making this up, when i was young i couldnt even spell zoologist/marine biologist let alone know what it was

what age are you classing as young? are you all really old? *runs*

I meant when I was in my early teens. I can't remember ever wanting to be anything when I was really young. Except for not married

And I am really old

 

[Callie]

after about the age of maybe 10 my brain gave up on such ideas and resigned its self to a life of wage slavery, although i didnt have a job til my late teens

there was no real aspirations after that even to this day, ive just found myself where i am, although id still like to work with animals...do bacteria count?

 

[suzee blue cheese]

The only thing I can remember having a strong leaning towards as a youngster was being a botanist. They didn't do botany as a subject at my school though. And while I was good at biology, I didn't want to take it further than O Level cause I didn't fancy chopping up dead animals. Thwarted.. !!

Edited to say: It would have been a well cool occupation though.

 

[Stigmata]

When I was small I wanted to be a painter & decorator. Then one day my parents took me to one side and told me I was middle class.

 

[pogofish]

i think youre all making this up, when i was young i couldnt even spell zoologist/marine biologist let alone know what it was

You would be wrong then.

We have an education centre at my work & some of the primary-age kids who turn-up can demonstrate a surprising level of knowledge about natural history & its related subjects.

Many of my colleagues also cite incidents/experiences at an early age as motivating factors for their chosen subject. 7-9 years old is a pretty common age to start this interest.

 

[HeroineSheep]

I think I wanted to be Prime Minister.

 

[electrogirl]

when i was 7 i wanted to be a photographer.

bit random for a 7 year old , plus i am cack at taking photos.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

When I was about 17, the coolest jobs that I could hope to get were:

working in a record shop
working in a music store
working behind the bar

Looking back, they're all pretty shit jobs, really. I could have made more working in an office but still really fancied in a cool shop.

In the end I got stuck on a crap wage working as a labourer for the M4 construction job for WIMPEY.

What job did you aspire to when you were a kid? (and I mean jobs that were actually technically possibly available to you as opposed to, "space astronaut," "pop star" etc

When I was 17, I thought the coolest job would be winning the lottery and going on permanent vacation.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

rent boy?

I bet you've got an arsehole like a crisp packet.

What's that like on the tongue?

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I worked as a paintball marshal for years. It was cool - its how I ended up playing for a team and coming second in the world amateur championships in 1994. I used to be one of the best - but only cos I was so small I couldn't be shot. I'll tell you a story about it one day

Couldn't be shot?


We used to shoot gophers. I doubt you'd be a problem to hit.

 

[DrRingDing]

No cute childhood aspirations this end all I wanted to do was kill.

Soldier, so I can shoot russians
Yanky cop, so I can shoot various rude boys
Hired assasin, shoot random people.

Then I hit 14, dropped acid and had a eureka moment one evening...

...I wanted to be an environmental activist/photographer based on the high seas saving whales and attacking bad guys.

Current job aspiration? To fight as a guerilla before I'm too old and crinkly.

 

[DotCommunist]

I always thought it would be cool to be an atronaut. And I still think that's cool


The one I thought that was cool as a teenager was SOCO. Now I reckon it would just be depressing

 

[Strumpet]

I wanted to be a singer/actor/dancer.

Still think those jobs are cool.

 

[TopCat]

I wanted to be an engineer, a toolmaker to be precise. I got made redundant after six months and now stare at spreadsheets all day.

 

[ICB]

After 6 months on the dole following graduation I nearly did a welding course so I could build cycle frames, it was my first choice for Training For Work but too far away so I ended up doing an NVQ III in Programming and going into IT.

I also fancied being a sculptor/mason.

 

[Roadkill]

I wanted to be a train driver. When we were kids, dad always used to encourage us to wave to the driver as our train came into the station. They always waved back, so I had the idea that train drivers were all nice, happy people. Even now I think train driving's quite a cool job, especially if you're one of the lucky few who are trained to drive steam engines and get to drive the Flying Scotsman! maybe I should go and volunteer on a preserved railway or something.

Others:
Ocean liner captain.
Motoring journalist - Jeremy Clarkson's job, in effect.
Archivist.

 

[treefrog]

When I was in primary school I thought being a scientist would be 'cool' and fun because you got to do all these amazing experiments with bubbling test tubes and colourful chemicals and stuff. Fast forward to the age of 20/21 and I finally realised that laboratory work is the most tedious, uninspiring, repetetive work I could imagine.

To be fair, most of the experiments I do are like this!

i always thought that being a jockey would be cool, until I realised that it involves eating nothing and being tiny, then when I was older I thought working at Laserquest was the coolest job ever Until I started studying it at Uni I was convinced that being a marine biologist was the Best Job Ever...

 

[chriswill]

I always wanted to be a postman.

 

[rhys gethin]

I wanted to be an architect, or a hairdresser, but nobody in the Rhondda knew how you got to be an architect, and nobody thought I'd make much of a hairdresser anyway. Then I thought I'd like to be an MP, and, fair play, when we lived in Shropshire years later, some blokes did come round to ask if they could put me forward for a by-election we had, but my Dad kept it from me (I was working away). Probably prevented me from dying of alcoholism or blairite shame, tho. Thank you, Dad.

 

[hatz]

At various points I wanted to be a teacher, or to run an orphanage, or to own a hospital for hornets - my parents were always killing the hornets and it made me sad I was such a wimpy kid. I have pretty much no ambition at the moment but I am pretty sure that I will not be teaching.

My brother on the other hand, wanted to be a mountain climber, a policeman and a robber, all at once. He's now going into IT.

 

[han]

I think I wanted to be Prime Minister.

I think you'd make an excellent prime minister!

 

[girasol]

I wanted to be a zoologist and study chimpanzees in Africa....and drive around in a little jeep and wear khaki

That's a good one, I want to do that now!

 

[dash]

I thought being a milkman would be good as you'd get 'bored housewives' turning up on the doorstep in their negligees, just like in those 'Confessions' films.

 

[moose]

I was taught at infant school that little girls could only grow up to be teachers, nurses or mummies. From about 8, I wanted to be a graphic designer, but it's starting to wear off now