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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 7/10/2009 11:40:52 PM | | I fell into IT as it was one of the few things I was good at in school. I still work in IT tho if I could ‘do it all over again’ I wouldn’t have listened to husband #1 who discouraged me from seeking promotion. I wouldn’t have listened to husband #2 who encouraged me to be a stay at home wife/mother when I was made redundant; I should have got right back out there and sought another job. All in all though, I have few regrets so count myself lucky on that front. My life is what it is and I’m mostly happy with the way things have turned out. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 7/11/2009 8:55:26 AM | | I'm very happy with my career choice. I learned drafting in high school and learned to design things. That helped me immensely in tough times because I could use my skills to slip from one industry to another as some industries were experiencing difficulties. Currently, with the economy tanked, lots of people are looking at their nest egg and that idea they've had kicking around in their minds... so I expect to be designing a lot of new products in the future and producing patent illustrations. Somebody always wants to build something... so I feel my career choice was pretty smart. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 7/11/2009 8:58:28 AM | Fighter pilot or Lawyer.
But the truth is that I didn't figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was 40. Then I went back to university to study Economics. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 7/11/2009 9:02:45 AM | I am pretty happy with my choice of teaching and counseling. But if I could go back to middle school and change my ways, my study habits and my work ethic (in other words if I had the work ethic then I do now) I could have done a lot with my life. for one thing not waiting till 30 to start college. however had i not been an irresponsible person then i would not have met my equally irresponsible ex wife nor have my great kids. at the end of the day its not the job that matters or the toys you die with its the impact you make on people and the world that is important.  | |
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| If only...
Posted: 7/11/2009 11:22:13 AM |
If you could do it all over again...what would you be when you grow up? Older. | |
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| If only...
Posted: 7/11/2009 11:37:32 AM | What do I want to be when I grow up? I'll let you know when I get there!
Truth be told, I was only 3 weeks out of high school when I joined the Navy. If I had waited six months or a year and got some seasoning and life experience under my belt I might have really gone places, literally and figuratively, made a career of it, and been a year or less from retiring a 30 year man by now.
The most important thing I could have done was be a better father, and fought for custody of my son when his mom and I split up and he was 9 months old. I positively know I could have done a much better job of raising him than she did, but instead I settled for being a weekend dad. Today my son is an angry, unhappy young man, for many reasons, but one of which I'm convinced is because he didn't have a chance to grow up with the daily guidance and influence he would have had with me. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 3:05:52 PM | ...what would you be when you grow up? I'm still growing up....
Some of us have retired, some of us are near retirement age, some of us have a few years to work before retirement and some of us will never be able to retire. I have no plans to retire. I love my job, though it is not always easy by any means, it is deeply satisfying on more than one level. I hope to continue past the age of 65.
Whatever career you chose to work at through your years of employment, were you happy with the choice that you made perhaps many years ago? Did you have more than one career path? If you could do it all again, would you choose another career path? Perhaps unlike some other threads in this forum, there is no right or wrong answer but let's discuss our thoughts and dreams on this topic. I didn't actually choose this job, just came to it rather indirectly. However, I've found it quite satisfying and wish I had started 20 years earlier than I did--it would have given me 20 more years doing what I am so enjoying doing now.
I'm not one of those people who say, when reflecting back on life, that I wouldn't change a thing. I would change some things--I've made some horrendous mistakes. But it's done now and has made me the person I am. I have achieved many of my dreams if not all. One thing I don't feel as yet is that it is all over, that I have peaked. There are still dreams I would like to realize, including finding the love of my life. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 3:19:32 PM | I love my work. I find it very fulfilling on all levels except financially..lol..but I earn enough. Although I look at some friends who earn 10 times as much as me and I get a bit jealous. Still, I couldn't do what they do and they wouldn't be able to do what I do.
As far as career ambitions go, I've met most of mine. I've still got a few and I'm still working on achieving them. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 3:54:13 PM | I'm actually pretty glad my work life went as it did, though it's tempting as hell to think about a path that would have given me a pension, and in which being 50 doesn't make you too old to be hired, because the Universities keep producing more English majors without regard as to demand for them, lol! But, were that not true, I'd never have ended my working life doing hospice, and that was the most blessed job I ever had. . . . If I'd stayed in theatre, I might have met the great love of my life forty years sooner. . . . but then he was still drinking, and maybe we wouldn't have made it then. If I'd stayed home in Utah, I might well have met the man I'm with now -- thirty years ago. . . . But then I wouldn't have the pair of fascinating kids I have, and the lovely grands. . . .
But in the end, I really like how my life's turned out to this point, and it wouldn't have happened if I'd made other choices, so. . . .
No second guessing. It'll keep till next time, whatever it was.
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 4:12:01 PM | When I was young, all I ever really wanted to be was a wife and mom. I know, not terribly politically correct but it really was what I wanted.
So far I've pretty well covered it.
I am a biological mom,
I am an adoptive mom,
I've been a foster mom,
I was a stay-at-home mom,
I'm a grandmom,
and as of tomorrow, I will be a mother-in-law.
I think the only "mom" I missed was a step-mom and, who knows, I still might get there one day!
I wish I could also claim to be the 'perfect mom' but with experience comes the acceptance of reality. Thanks, though, for the reminder that I really do love what I have done and am doing! I really wouldn't change any of it! | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 4:16:14 PM | | I would not do a thing differently or make any different choices. Started a business almost 10 years ago, went through some normal difficulties but today I'm on easy street. In fact my life is probably too easy now but I can handle it. Fortunately I had the opportunity to try some other things like law and accounting which is where my education falls so have a frame of reference. Glad I'm here but would not want to start it over again and at 59 I know everything and still have a lot of good years left. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 6:03:59 PM | | Like everyone else i supose.. I have pondered that question. I have come to one conclusion.. If i could go back and chnage things.. I wonder if i would still meet the people i have grown to know, Admire and love. I'm afraid not. If i had chosen something different . It stands to reason . The people in my life would have been different. I must say, i enjoy the fact that i have life long friends that sustain me .Would i have the same relationship with my family? Some things i'd like to change are personal relationships. Not make the same mistakes. Be a better friend, be more open aabout expressing my feelings. Things i have learned to be better with. I kind of like the man i have grown to be .. Even the things that broke my heart have shaped me. Made me better. The people that have shaped my life. Yes we pick up baggage . LOL but i like to hold on to those things i cherish from those that have touched my life. So i think i'd pretty much do the same things over again. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 6:06:17 PM | | Like everyone else i supose.. I have pondered that question. I have come to one conclusion.. If i could go back and chnage things.. I wonder if i would still meet the people i have grown to know, Admire and love. I'm afraid not. If i had chosen something different . It stands to reason . The people in my life would have been different. I must say, i enjoy the fact that i have life long friends that sustain me .Would i have the same relationship with my family? Some things i'd like to change are personal relationships. Not make the same mistakes. Be a better friend, be more open aabout expressing my feelings. Things i have learned to be better with. I kind of like the man i have grown to be .. Even the things that broke my heart have shaped me. Made me better. The people that have shaped my life. Yes we pick up baggage . LOL but i like to hold on to those things i cherish from those that have touched my life. So i think i'd pretty much do the same things over again. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 6:40:00 PM | | hi.... I would be a family Dr who still took the Natural Hygiene/Life Science course... I would not have divorced and I would have lived in a healthier place to raise my daughter... blessings for happiness | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 8:00:36 PM | I have been lucky in that although my path has not always been easy, I have been able to become a person I'm pretty well pleased with and am having a great time in the field I currently work in.
At 50, I am pursuing an advanced degree and am very happy with my choice.
I don't think I would have met the wonderful people I have if I hadn't started down my career choice at an early age. And the changes that I have made in my career choices have really morphed into each other, not been complete and abrupt changes.
And as far as my family supporting my aspirations, well they didn't. But, it only made me more determined to do what I knew was in my heart. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 8:06:45 PM | Every step in life has lead me to where I am now...I wouldnt change a thing otherwise I wouldnt be who I am now.
Some say hind sight is 20/20 but I feel that having the wisdom to know who you are in priceless. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 10:23:17 PM | | I don't plan on retiring..ever. The questions in my life aren't what would I have done, but rather, what next? The problem I have is that I have too many choices. I don't know about you but I'm not done yet. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 11:21:04 PM | I didn't really make any conscious career choices. My parents' goals for me included nothing more than being a wife and mother; therefore, when I expanded my horizons and stepped out, my career path was more like Alice falling down the rabbit hole!
I appreciate all the steps along the way becase they molded me into who I am today but, if I were able to do it again, I think I would attempt to take control of my destiny and step into a career in the medical field sooner. When I eventually arrived in a medical supporting role, following my circuitus steps, I felt truly fulfilled. Previous jobs were just things I did to make the money to live my life away from work! When I tumbled into a medical area, I felt like I'd finally found my home; my work life became almost as important to me as my home life was. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/28/2009 11:30:32 PM | Interesting question.
....No one here has mentioned...to be brought up by a different set of parents.
Are we not a result of our environment and heritage?
...are we each born with sprecial gifts?
Under the same circumstances i would have educated myself in design, fine art, music, dance and medicine...which is what I have been pursuing after I turned 40.
No doubt I would be in a different life today.
...It is never too late though.
best wishes to all
UM | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 7:47:31 AM | I'm doing it now. Just finished LPN school, graduated with honors. Now I'm looking for a job and finishing up some pre-requisites to get into the RN program.
IMHO its never too late to do something new. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 8:50:14 AM | If, by "grow up", you mean "grow old", God, I don't EVER want to "grow up"--it's boring!
I thought I wanted to be a story writer. Then a comic book artist. Then, thanks to movies, whatever I saw the actor(s) doing. Then, realizing I could "be" several actors by directing them, a director. Spielberg was the visionary director, in the '70s when I was a kid growing up, whose visual and story sensibilities most closely resembled my own, with his legendary Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I'm still consistently enthralled to see what he cooks up every time he gets behind a camera. Then, before even making a dime at that, exhausted at the age of 18 from making my own amateur films, I was burnt-out and settled into a relatively mediocre life in television production, an "information" medium rather than a "storytelling" medium, certainly a lesser art, but a necessary one, and one that, when it comes to making a buck, steadier work.
I've been doing video for the past 21 years, and the shooting aspect is certainly fun and artistic; there's a buzz, an excitement on the set or location, where I'm in the zone and creating something, doing my little part as part of a team, a unit, a crew. I love the camaraderie and teamwork.
I got into wedding videography back in the late '80s mainly as a supplement, and then they became a full-time thing (as full-time as free-lancing can be). While I find weddings boring, sappy, disorganized, stressful and somehow unintelligent (not even sure if I want to be married), they do satisfy a romantic side of me, and, although rushed, there are a lot of beautiful things and people at a wedding to capture. And the money from weddings is so relatively quick and easy compared to most 9-5 jobs (in my field anyway), until I find something else that pays as well or better to take the place, I'll keep doing them (I know, I'm a whore for the money).
Editing, in comparison to shooting, is more like creating in a vacuum, unless the client is there, which I find stressful, because, no matter how fast I work, it's never as fast as the mind can think. When I've got gorgeous footage/material to work with, editing is blissful, soothing, cool, serene, and I love it. I love the end result, seeing the thing flow so beautifully.
Visual-FX for movies would have been a fascinating career, as well as cinematography or sound design for movies. But we're talking about what we're ACTUALLY doing...
Technology has always appealed to my German engineering mind...the APPLICATION of that technology is what interests me. I'm using technology now to create art (or at least entertainment), and wouldn't have it any other way--I love it. I'm working free-lance and the work is drying up, however, so I need more of it, or I need to supplement it with something steady, which I'm looking for.
I'm leaning toward writing at this point. I enjoy writing in forums such as this! I've applied to several firms. I earned a 4-yr. degree is in Communications and graduated back in '95...I'd like to (finally) use this degree. I'd like to be an ad copwriter, or maybe do equipment reviews for a consumer electronics magazine. I love home cinema (blu-ray, surround sound, big-screen HDTV displays) and videomaking gear (camcorders, audio, editing software). I actually already have written "tips and techniques" articles for Computer Videomaker magazine-! I wrote 5 articles for them, and decided not to continue, because it was free-lance, and the free-lance rate was too low to live on; plus it took them 4 months to pay...but I'd like to be a salaried staff writer for such a publication! I really enjoyed it! It was a great experience!
I also love movies, and would be a great reviewer/critic, like Roger Ebert or Leonard Maltin.
Medical science is appealing, as is psychology, but I'm not going back to college and incurring $100k in student loans at my age (44).
I love music and would love to play an instrument...play drums and a bit of piano.
Basically, I'm trying to figure out "what next?". | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 9:13:39 AM | I did the "responsible" thing...back in the '60's, when so many my age were "out finding themselves". I went to college, worked construction with my father on weekends, and summers, graduated, immediately went into the education field, teaching elementary school bad for 30 years, (until retirement), in the same school! Once I started that career, I stuck to it, never wavered from that path, from day one to retirement. It was the "responsible" thing to do.
Looking back, I might have taken one of two different roads. I often wonder where I would be if I had pursued a career as a performing musician, rather than teaching music.
Also, I had always dreamed of being a U.S. Marine, even through my college days, when others were protesting the war, spitting on our returning heroes. I actually auditioned for the USMC as a musician, but a temporary health situation put that out of reach for a time. But, I soon outgrew the problem, and to this day, still wich I had gone back to the recruiter "one more time"! | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 9:19:45 AM | | If I could do it all over again I would go into the military, doing some thing in the medical field. Make the military my first career, retire. Then make the medical my second career. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 9:22:27 AM | I have never posted in the forums before, so please, be gentle ... lol
I am posting to encourage all, men and women, that if you have a dream that you want to follow, it's never too late. When I was 18, actually my whole life before then, all I wanted to be was a Registered Nurse. In 1984, I enrolled in university to do the four year program (BScN) in my province, which took me away from my home. I became severely home sick and had to leave the program after only 4 months. I always said, no matter what, I will someday go back to university to get my dream degree and be the best RN that I can be.
Well, 25 years have passed. I got married, got divorced, and life rolled on. Every year, something or another always seemed to get in the way of ever going back to university. Then in January of 2008, I was laid off at my work and said to myself ... this is it, this is the time, this is MY time to fulfill that life-long dream ... I enrolled and I was accepted. I was thrilled beyond belief.
I am now 43 years old, and next month (September 2009), I will be starting the second year of my four year degree program and I couldn't be happier. I still work 20 hours a week part time and attend the university full time. I would be lying if I said it wasn't difficult, that I wish that I didn't have to work to pay the bills, but time flies by so fast, I can't believe that my second year is starting already. Before I know it, it will be May 2012 and I will be graduating and starting my new life as a Registered Nurse!!!
So ... to all those that have a dream, follow it, take the plunge, make the sacrifices that you need to do ... we are only on this planet for a short time and it is up to us to make sure that we have no regrets, no "what if's" when we get old and time is short ... I know that I would not change one single thing of my life and where it has brought me.
Hugsss to all those that want and need them! | |
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