How did you choose which career path you wanted to take?

My career just evolved as I was in the right places at the right times.

All I know is I did NOT want to be a Realtor…how I wound up doing what I am doing is a whole other story.

When I was a kid, I always said I wanted to be a veterinarian. I got married one month before I turned 21, and got pregnant with our first daughter on my wedding day. That sort of derailed intense schooling for a while. Now, I’m so happy being a stay-home mom that I’m too lazy to try to go back to college.

After being totally lost in college, my father told me “Get a job, or I will get you one with my friend Tom Hallcock!” I knew Mr. Hallcock had a mortuary. I didn’t want that job.
I went to check on an application I put in several months before at the phone company. They told me there were no new jobs, but asked that I update my job skills. I had recently gotten my FCC license to be a radio broadcaster, to work at a radio station in Fremont (my Dad said that wasn’t a real job). Seems the company needed someone with that license, and I got a job as a ship to shore operator, which is another story.
Anyway, that lead to something else, which got me where I am, working on digital equipment for AT&T.

Which time? I’ve been a teacher, a banker and now a baker. The desire to teach started with Mrs. Jax, my kindergarten teacher. The banker thing just kind of happened. The baker part was deliberate, as I decided to do what I really love doing. I believe that ultimately, I am a teacher. I went into branch banking and ended up a trainer. I would love to find a way to combine baking and teaching and am working on it!

I always enjoyed telling stories and I loved putting on little playlets and directing the “actors” as a kid. My stories in my head are very visual, so it’s a challenge to write them down. So now I’m a fledgling screen/TV writer. Seriously, I’m still in the nest. But I believe I can fly.

I didn’t have a career path, as such. I just took whatever jobs became available, and worked a variety of different ones. When I was first starting out, an employment agency gave me a math test, and got my first job as an accounting assistant. I worked in that field off and on for much of my working time.

@tedibear Good luck! :)

25 years ago I was married to an irresponsible guy and had such bad credit that I couldn’t qualify to rent an apartment. Back then they didn’t do credit checks on employees so I got a job managing apartments just to have a home.
I excelled in the business, took a detour into commercial sales (to the apartment and construction industry) and eventually was back into real estate and professional property management. Retired now, for the most part, still have a lot of investment property. My credit is all better now. :-)

I’ve always wanted to be either an artist or a veterinarian ever since I can remember.
I am an artist now who is inspired by nature.:)

By the way, @queenie , I will tell you what I told a friend of mine in college. (In case this is about you trying to make decisions) Pick something and keep moving. What I mean is find a major or career path that interests you and move towards it. If an opportunity or area of interest crosses your path, don’t be afraid to investigate it.

The other thing I would say is to have a back-up. Something that you can do just in case what you want to do isn’t immediately available.

I had two distinctly different desires and career paths as I went through HS. I was accepted to college for both field in different schools in different colleges and cities.

I had great desire for both paths and did well in each. One was more emerging and the other stable.

I am very happy still with my choice and am still in the field.
I still have the other field as a side hobby and have taken classes here and there over the years to help keep current and that flame is always alive.

@tedibear Thanks tedi :) I’ll be sure to remember that.

Expect to change your career several times over the course of your life. What you plan on doing and/or hate what you’re currently doing will most likely change either by your own power or due to unforeseen circumstances. Hopefully you will find a job you love.

I spent quite a lot of time in the career center at my university reading up on where various degrees could take me, talked about it a lot with friends and family, and took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test and the Campbell Interest and Skill Survey. The MBTI especially helped me better understand who I was and what kind of things I prefer doing and helped guide me in the right direction. I don’t have a career yet, but at least I’m on a path to something that interests me and that I’m good at doing.

I just threw some salt over my shoulder while looking in a mirror at midnight. The results are as valid as any test that purports to tell you who you are.

Nosce teipsum.

I knew I wanted to be a teacher, so I went and did it.

I had always wondered about being a futures trader, but had no idea how to get in the business. While working as a scab cashier during a grocery cashier’s strike, I saw a want ad for entry level clerk jobs at the regional stock exchange. Been there ever since.

I knew I wanted to be some kind of artist since third grade.

Studied drafting, graphic arts – later went to college for communication design & illustration.

Then I followed the best advice I ever got; “Never say no to a gig. Whether you have ever done it before or not, say yes to the gig and figure it out.”

Which I did, a number of times. Over the years I taught myself to design event graphics, photography basics, web design and improved my writing. Moderately talented jack of all trades – has kept me employed for twenty-three years now.

I didn’t want a career, and still don’t. Teaching wilderness and survival skills comes pretty close to that.

I’ve always been an engineer/scientist – even when I was a little kid.

When I got my first real job I enjoyed it so much I would have paid them to let me do it. Recently, I got a contract to do some work that gave me a similar thrill.

I was in college to be an English teacher (got the certificate and degree) when an epidemic landed in my community and started taking out my friends—career change . . .

I never, ever, ever wanted to be a teacher and thought people who became teachers had to be thoroughly insane and masochistic. I still think the teaching profession is in great, great need of a serious sweeping reform—one that doesn’t involve cookie cutter, one size fits all tests and a trussed up long sequence of meaningless hoops for new teachers to jump, along with god-awful expectations from society that teachers become magicians (poof! here’s an educated child) regardless of the child’s background, behavior, learning aptitude, home life, or whether they had a good breakfast or not. And be subject to the whims of politicians, the media and parents… Tsk, tsk…poor fools… who would take that job?
But here I am… teaching English… to kids with language delays, no less. Seems like the Lady Upstairs had different plans for me than I had for myself!
I figure I have to be a teacher if I’m that passionate about how true education should be… XD

I hope the people who are looking for what they want get it :)
And I’m happy to know so many are happy with what they do :D
Thanks for your answers everyone. ♥

Listen to your innerself

What are you talents.

Seek to be the best at what you know you are good at.

The more you work the more you will get a feel for what you want to do with your life.

Just keep analysing your life , your future and your present and eventually you will know.

Truthfully, play off of your strengths. Unexpected things will happen to you, and just follow your gut and instincts to where you want to go next. Take chances, and if it goes wrong, start over, or go back. Life it too short to plan for a career, or life path. If anything, plan for the unexpected – that will get you the farthest!

Happy fluthering :)