Little did that girl with her Shirley Temple curls know she'd end up living in America, neither did she really know what she wanted to do with her life, at least not since age 15. I somewhat floated between ideas and then around university and floated back out again. Sometimes it makes you wonder how life would have turned out if I had of stuck with either of my first dream jobs.
Joining the Royal Air Force
Growing up with a father who loves planes it was probably a natural thing that I wanted to joining the RAF. We use to attend the Elvington Air Show, visit all the plane museums around the UK that I looked up to those mechanical birds with such awe and I wanted to be part of it, I wanted to fly one. It wasn't really until starting senior school that the idea of joining the RAF started to fade, I can't pin point what it was exactly, but I'm not the best at taking orders, or discipline and having to get glasses probably just stuck the nail in the coffin. RAF life probably wouldn't have been the best for me but I still wish I could fly a plane.
Archaeologist
For this I blame Time Team - a show that was always on every Sunday evening while eating tea (basically if your unfamiliar it was a show based on a 3 day archaeological dig somewhere in the UK). I think it was a short lived idea, that and hating soil under my nails was probably too off putting.
Archaeologist
For this I blame Time Team - a show that was always on every Sunday evening while eating tea (basically if your unfamiliar it was a show based on a 3 day archaeological dig somewhere in the UK). I think it was a short lived idea, that and hating soil under my nails was probably too off putting.
Journalist
Teacher, friends, family - everyone use to say I would be a great journalist (since having a blog that isn't loaded with followers I'm somewhat doubting their positivity towards this idea in hindsight), I even did my work experience in year 10 at the local newspaper. I followed the editor, the photographer, the journalists and the sales team around. My articles were printed, my name was out there. And then the idea was dead and gone. Maybe because it was a weekly paper or just because our area was kinda rural and not that much happens, there wasn't all that much rushing about that I had imagined. Then again once I do something once and I can tick it off my list, the idea kinda fades.
The i'll be an illustrator, graphic designer, teacher, anything phase
Year 11 through to completing my A-Level was a big I don't know phase. I went with ideas teachers throw at me - illustrator, graphic designer, geography or sociology teacher, I started to become a bit lost - at the time when I really could have done with some advice, there was non going around (we did have career advice in school but that seemed to stop around year 11 - it was never an opinion when I could have done with some in year 12 and 13).
Academia
Jump forward four years and mid way through completing my MA fellow students and lecturers were suggesting doing a PhD and giving my life to academia. It was something I could see myself doing but the money side worried me - hell I was a working class kid, the first in my family to complete a BA yet alone and MA, and I always doubted if I was smart enough to even do that extra MA year. Either way I missed the opportunity to stick in a PhD proposal for that year and the idea kinda floated away.
* * *
Since leaving university I've done the retail, the pharmacy work and now I work for myself reselling vintage things. From a dream of a 10 year old of flying fighter jets, selling vintage is a big jump but having a passion and a love for vintage it certainly fits me better. I work long disjointed hours, certain months I'm run off my feet and can never catch up and having to rely on myself is both great but a challenge and biggest thing, I love it.
So what did you want to be when you were growing up? Did you get to live out your childhood dream job?
