How old were you when you knew exactly what profession you wanted to pursue?

You’ll be the first to know when I figure it out. I’m 55 now. With any luck, I’ll get it down before I turn into a gibbering idiot.

Now, now. If you think I’m already one, just keep it to yourself!

Heck I am all grown up and I still don’t have an answer to that question. When I get tired of doing something, I go look for something new to do, if I can make money at it I consider it a bonus.

I’m 50 and I’m still trying to figure it out.

I was twelve when I decided I want to be a writer. I was fifteen when I decided I want to be a counselor.
I’m still working on it.

One life, just go for it! Whatever it is. We live in a time where if you fail, well we’re all at the bottom anyways.

18. I went to college, studied and then worked in that field for 8years. Got my masters and decided to change fields. Never regretted it. I really believe that the first choice was useful, eventually in the second. In fact, I don’t think I ever had a course that was just useless. Almost everything I learned has come in handy at one time or another. Even Algebra.
Tips? Nothing you ever do is totally wasted. You will learn from all your accumulated experiences (said while stroking my long white beard and with a faraway look in my eye.)

14, and I’m doing it still. Tips: pay attention to where your mind goes when you’re daydreaming (what’s naturally circling in your mind), and pay NO attention to people who try to steer you one way or another based on things that are irrelevant like your family background, your gender, your race, where you live currently, or other background/circumstantial stuff.

@Sunny2 , I always imagined you as female. Are you the bearded lady?

@Judi I can change my form and gender at will.

I knew that I wanted to be a teacher by my mid-teens. I knew that I specifically wanted to teach philosophy by my early twenties. It’s worked out pretty well so far!

I knew I wanted to be a writer at 12 and wanted to study linguistics and how the mind worked at 15.

I took a 25 year roundabout route with 4 BAs—English, Art, Theater and Education, then started a MA in Communication Studies but was required to get a Special Ed MA for my job. Every single one of these degrees included some form of language or cognitive study (including Art). If I get my way, I’ll be in a doctorate program in… ta da… linguistics this fall.

As for writing, I wrote constantly until 2002, stopped for 9 years and just picked it back up. I never had any question of what I wanted to study or do—it’s just inherent and part of who I am.

4.

I got curious about futures and physicals trading when I was a teenager, but had no idea how to get into the business. But right after college I answered a want ad for options trading floor staff. I’ve been in the business 32 years now, and still love it.

24 and still looking. I got a degree in Communications precisely because it’s versatile.

I have an entrepreneurish spirit, I never wanted to commit to 30 years of anything. I still don’t and I am 52. Diversity and creative options are my cup o’ tea. Don’t fence me in, I gotta be free. ;-)

17. I decided I wanted to teach music. Marching Band. I did it for a few years and glad I made a difference.

In my twenties. I found my first editing job by chance, and I loved it.

@jazmina88 I think band teachers are unsung heroes. Particularly the junior high variety. High School is good too, but the students usually have a bit of experience and training and are easier on the ear. Thank you for your service.

My entire life can be summed up by the quote: “Mentsch tracht, Gott lacht.” Translation: Man plans, God laughs.

I’ve trained for and worked in more than one field of expertise. In fact, I’d say I’ve had at least four or more careers.
If you met me 20 years ago you’d say I was a Radio DJ.
If you met me 18 years ago, you’d say I was an ESL teacher.
15 years ago, Translator.
If you met me somewhere between the last 3 to 13 years I was Software Localization Engineer and Software Developer.

The best punchline to all this? None of this was what I planned. I studied Foreign Policy and was training to work in the Foreign Service in an embassy somewhere.

And even more wild is that my job now involves literally all and none of the above. (Because you takes bits and pieces of what you learn into each new career move.)

I don’t think my experience is all that different from most.. In fact I’d wager it’s far more rare when someone decides what they want to be, train for it, get that job and then stick with it as a career for a lifetime.

My advice.. follow your passions. Find what you’re good at, what your strengths are and hopefully they are also what you are interested in. Figure out how to make a living based on THOSE things.

For example, I saw a guy who is a Forest Ranger for the Florida Everglades Swamps. His job is to capture invasive species of Burma Python. He is passionate about Pythons ..so lucky him, he gets to spend his day looking for them and capturing them in the Everglades.

@geeky_mama

Right! Life is what happens when you make other plans! lol
My newest desire the last few years is to write and perform my own standup comedy routine. Who knows..maybe I’ll be the grandma Moses of comedy in my ancient age.
God knows, the older I get the funnier it all is! :-)

@Coloma , I know a doctor who actually went to comedy school in his 60’s. He was a very soft spoken man that I met while serving on a medical mission in Guatemala.
The last night, before we left, he came out and did the funniest comedy I have ever seen! He walked to the podium with toilet paper hanging out of his pants and it got funnier and funnier from there. He had a whole “alter ego” named Dr. J. It was hilarious!

@Judi I love it! Just goes to show how we just keep on morphing! That is so great, and motivational!

I knew I wanted to do something creative in middle school (13–14), so I went to technical high school and studied architectural drafting. I worked in architecture only a year and switched to graphic design for college (17).

23 years later, I still work as a graphic designer.

I’m retired and I still haven’t figured it out. I think I did some of what I wanted but for too long I worked in brain cell killing clerical jobs. What I always wanted for as long as I can remember is to be a grandmother. I have been enormously sucessful in doing that.