Your career, is it what you always wanted to be?

[Tinygog]

I wanted to be in the army, or an actor. I applied for a job at a telecomms company, and left there last year after 31 years.

[smithlane]

Really interesting reading about Dibbers careers, I love knowing a little more about people.

I count myself incredibly lucky that I knew exactly what I wanted to do at the age of 13 and I’m still doing it 25 years later.
I was always messing around with make up and various beauty products from an early age and set my sights on working on being a beauty therapist on the cruise ships, I loved the idea of travelling as well as working. As I lived close to Heathrow I also had a thought of working at the airport or for Virgin Atlantic, their crew always looked so stylish!
To much dismay of my parents I did a 2 year Beauty Therapy course at college straight from school. I think at the time they had grand ideas of me going down the ‘traditional’ route of A Levels and University like my sister did. I think they thought my private education was a waste!

I worked in a hair and beauty salon for 8 years from the age of 17 and in the last few years of working there I was running the beauty side. I was very lucky to be self employed (always have been) and had very flexible hours which was needed when my two children were very young, it enabled me to always take them to nursery and school. The only downside was working over 6 sometimes 7 days a week and quite a few evenings. In 2008 due to rising and somewhat extortionate rents the salon closed, my children were 5 and 3 at the time and I didn’t want to work for anyone else, I quite liked being my own boss! As I had an amazing clientele that I had built up I decided to go it alone and go mobile. I’m not gonna lie, it was tough to begin with, didn’t help as my husband and I separated that same month but it was one of the best decisions I have ever made!

I truly love my job, I have fantastic clients most of whom I’ve known for nearly 20 years. They have seen me grown from a young shy 18 year old and have seen my own children grow up too. My daughter is nearly the same age as I was when I started there! It’s funny as she has zero interest in beauty even though I have a car boot full of products, she does let me wax her eyebrows now though 😂

This year has obviously been tough for so many industries but it has hit the beauty sector hard. I’ve not had this much time off work since I was at school, I didn’t even has this much maternity leave, the joys of being self employed.
I am hopeful that next year it will get busier and some of my clients who are naturally but understandably cautious will return as I really do miss them. I am starting to do some new courses to add a few more strings to my bow, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve learned anything new but I’m really enjoying it.

There’s quite a few people who look down their noses at this industry (including my parents once upon a time) but you honestly couldn’t pay me enough to do anything different

[arielrocks]

100% not. I am a Auditor and manager. I hated maths at school and never even considered a job in the financial industry. However I took a job at 20 as a credit controller to pay the bills and that was that.

But I LOVE my job.

[Button17]

I always wanted to be a nurse. Parents have a photo of me in a nurses uniform aged about 3. I was always bandaging relatives.

Now I stuck, feels like the NHS can do no right, and had 2 hours of flu clinics this morning with constant abuse from patients. The good will towards the NHS is long gone.

So now I've changed my mind but can't think what else to do as I'm not one for taking risks.

Would love to run self catering accommodation or a book shop/games cafe in a dream life.

[maidmarian]

If I could chose a new career now, it'd be to run my own boarding cattery in the Canaries

[skalexander]

I’m wanted to be a teacher from a very young age. I went off the idea about 1 year into my degree. I applied for teacher training anyway but ultimately withdrew as I didn’t feel it was for me.

I did have an idea when I was about 14 of being a lawyer because I’d heard they earned buckets of cash but I abandoned the idea when I heard top grades were needed. I’ve always been academic but Bs with the occasional A rather than top grades clever.

By coincidence, I ultimately became a lawyer. Turns out the thing about earning buckets of money is a myth (or rather it’s for people who do the boring stuff!)

[windsor_hills]

I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up 😂

I always wanted to have a career in travel and was a holiday rep for a short while. I still want to travel around the world, and hopefully will get to do this still at some point.

Now doing something completely different.

[NewtoOrlando]

I always wanted to be a nurse, or in healthcare in some capacity. I have had numerous jobs, call centres, HCA in a care home, cleaning, dinner lady, teaching assistant, barmaid. I was very much whatever paid the bills and paid for my holidays when I was younger.

I now work for the NHS in paediatrics, never wanted to work with kids really, but 99% of the time I love my job, and can't imagine doing anything else. I have been offered the chance to do my degree but, I just don't want the stress. As a couple we decided that DH would have the career, he's in the met police, so his job is very stressful and time consuming, it didn't make sense for both of us to have jobs like that. I didn't work when the kids were little, and went back when my youngest went to full time school. I started off on 2 days in my current role, where i've been for 6 years, now do 4 for my sins but am a senior member of staff now.

The work/life balance we have is just right, i've no desire to change it! The NHS is very hard to work for at times, but I am very proud to be part of it.

[Mr&Mrs4kids]

As a teenager I left school with no real idea of what I wanted to do, I wound up in a factory and also restaurant work, I was happy enough as never felt too much responsibility (who does at 16/17? )
I had always had a love of exotic countries and used to love picking up holiday brochures to flick through and dream about all the places I wanted to go to once I could afford it (I had never been abroad with my family as my mum was a single parent and we lived on the breadline)
I got my first dose of ‘abroad’ when I was 17, me and my then boyfriend booked a week all inclusive to Majorca with a few friends.
I was smitten the moment I stepped out of the plane door and felt that warmth and seeing the palm trees lining the walkway.
I adored that holiday, everything wowed me and it was then that I decided I wanted to be a travel agent, I wanted to sell people what I had been sold and hear them tell me all about their ‘wows’.
From there on life threw a fair few curveballs and my own life plans were put on hold whilst I raised my own family throughout my 20’s early 30’s.
I was 30+ when I finally decided enough was enough and I took the plunge to apply for a job at Thomas Cook, totally inexperienced but my own travel stories and enthusiasm bagged me my dream job!
I loved Cooks, it taught me so much, the pay was shocking but I was always told by everybody I met in the travel industry that you didn’t do this job for the money! I had fantastic familiarisation trips and had an absolute blast smashing targets and progressing to assistant manager.
Our store closed just before TC went down and I wound up back in my old retail job for a while, before leaving to stay at home to care for my teenage daughter who was/is suffering with depression & anxiety.
Late last year, toward the end of my 39th year I decided to take control of my future and wanted to be happy at 40 so I took the plunge to become a home worker independent travel agent, meaning I could still be around for my daughter and do the job I loved so much.
I turned 40 January this year, went up to Birmingham for an intensive induction with the company I had chosen to work with in February and was all set up to go by the end of Feb. I had a few weeks of learning the ropes and then along came March and with it Covid-19.
Impeccable timing Covid! Not quite the first year that one would like, but if I can do it during these times then I can’t wait for things to go back to normal.
I spend my days mainly sourcing luxury holidays for clients and I still love the excitement I feel when I find the one I know they’ll love!

[Disneyfans]

I wanted to work in coastal marine management. I still would love to do something like it. I had a place at university but my then boyfriend now very ex husband convinced me to stay and I didn't have much support from my family.
I worked numerous jobs until I fell into my current career.
I only applied for it as it was part time and worked with the kids and my partners hours. I applied as a trainee medicine counter assistant. I have now worked up to an Accuracy Pharmacy Checking Technician and I'm working towards a medicine management qualification.
I now love my job. I really feel I help people and make a difference. I'm proud of what I've achieved although its taken a lot of hard work. I'm hopeful that the medicine management will mean I can help people get the best from their medication and help to save the NHS some money and protect it for the future.