What Career / Job would I have done? , As I’ve got older and hit my 40’s as like most people I look back on our lives about what we have done, and what we would have liked to have done, and one of those areas is Work, So what would I have like to have done if I could redo it all.

Looking Back

We really do begin to look back as we get older, I’m not at that age where I can see myself doing that over the second half of my life. Work is one area that has been up and down through the years, filled with success, some regrets, some great times, and some tough ones too. Starting early on went literally straight out of school to work at Mcdonalds, fast forward a small number of years within in a couple of retail shops and I was a store manager early at 22.

Then fast forward until a couple of years ago and had been in retail for a while as a Store manager, and decided for a variety of reasons to essentially retire from being a manager, and work my sociable and part-time hours as I moved to be the main parent in our household.

The Lure of Money

Like most at a young age we kind of fall into jobs, as I said I was young, I saw money and put my focus into that, then as I progressed and I was kind of good and what I did I went all in, both in the role and the company at the time I represented. Even though a few of my skills complimented the role it was ultimately something I fell into, it’s not like decided when I was young, I want to be a store manager…no, it wasn’t.

But with that being done, what would have I preferred to have gone into? what would I love to have said back to my 16-year-old self that this is the type of thing you like or have an interest in? I get some people reading this may think well your not that old, you could retrain, or refocus on an area, you could change your career, you could tackle something new, and they’re not wrong and these decisions that I face even now, but what would I look at.

Careers?

I’m a big fan of the methodical, thought-out, step-by-step process of all sorts of things, I even used much of that in my management career, so when I look at engineering, architecture, etc a lot of those is the design and methodical approach with accuracy and will think out ideas. You can be creative sure, especially in design but it’s the working out of that design to a practical function or combining it etc. The angles, Maths, the flow of organising or the visual look, all these are covered and all things I like.

Teaching was another one I was very tempted when I was younger, I even did my Work experience at a school, based on subjects I like such as Maths, it was probably something I was interested in, again through my management career I was always known as more of the teacher, I did far more into training others that most managers, thus the familiarities to teaching was present.

Maybe Sport

Ofcorse being a young boy who likes sport a variety of sporting icons were in my mind, and wanting to be a top football player, or Tennis, rugby, Golf etc were all things I would have love to explore, I am a natural sportsman, I’m good a most sports, but not excellent at any, however thinking back I never really got the opportunity with school, or family aiding that development.

As I said though the lure of money changed my life, and as I have children who now approaching that age of choice and looking at the next step I’m trying to pass on that wisdom that I perhaps didn’t have, we are supporting the kid’s decision but at the same time we pushing them into basics that then they can explore what they have interest in. The next step for them would come from those early interests from education, whilst exploring job opportunities in the future.

For the Future?

As for me? the juries out, as we all have that internal battle with ourselves on all things, one of my big ones is this work, I know I’m slumming it doing something I’m way too overqualified in doing, and something I have absolutely no interest in. But on the flip, confidence, motivation, and using the job to balance my life with the kids as being the main parent, and just simply being around them more is the reason I do it.

But it’s like I’m waiting for something to land on my feet or I’m going to cruise for the rest of my life, I know this, I can sit back and observe what I’m doing and that provides another conflict in my mind. there’s no doubt several jobs i probably would have been better at and maybe enjoyed more but what? that’s the question.