| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 9:31:21 AM | Dreaming is one thing...
Putting in the hard work to make the dream happen is another.
But, if you love what you do, it's not work, it's passion and excitement. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 9:35:47 AM | | ^^^So true. You can't just dream, you have to make the dreams happen. It not only takes work to make them happen, it also means taking chances and going beyond your comfort zone. That, I think, is what most people are less willing or unwilling to do... | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 9:39:06 AM | I'm not dreamer... but I wish do not work...and have enough money for my passions...
 and compassion...
But seriously...my passions( when I was younger) were to bring health and smile on poor people faces...in the third world...or anywhere. | |
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Rynnnn
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Joined: 8/22/2009
Msg: 54 | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 11:25:31 AM |
A teacher..so I could have summers off..and I could've retired right about now. Damn!
Haha! The grass always seems greener, doesn't it!
In thirty years of teaching, I spent not only summers, but evenings, for the first six years, taking extra courses (at my own expense) to earn my permanent certification, and the rest teaching summer school or working construction, to make ends meet...teachers weren't paid very good then; my buddy who repaired lawn mowers made more than I did. Plus, want a few days off for a vacation when school is in session? Forget it! No such thing!
And retirement? I was darn near "forced" to take a thirty-year early retirment, so they could hire a new first-year teacher at a lower salary. Otherwise, I would have been "transferred" from my job as a band director, to singing Kindergarten and first-grade songs with the kiddies!
If you desire to be a teacher, I'd think about it for its rewarding experience, not the vacation or anything like that! | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 11:35:00 AM |
If you desire to be a teacher, I'd think about it for its rewarding experience, not the vacation or anything like that! While I don't make a lot of money, my experience of teaching is very different. Fourteen weeks a year off to travel the world as well as the rewarding experiences I have working with my kids. Though I didn't retire from teaching in the States, many retired teachers from American and Canada are teaching overseas. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 11:44:58 AM | I wish I learned how to paint, I wasn't good at it at school which is why I picked up a camera and realized what I wanted others to 'see'. Painting has so many advantages over the taking of an actual 'photograph' in spite of Adobe Photoshop hijinks. Having the ability to use just a brush/paint or a pencil/paper and create something from nothing is so magical to watch.
I guess I still could learn though................. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 2:07:51 PM | In many ways, I was always a late bloomer. Frankly, I like the effect that that has had on me, although lingering naivety can be troublesome.
Thus, as a young man, I really only considered two careers. However, once it became apparent that the NHL was as blind to my abilities as were the myriad coaches throughout my life who failed to see the natural talent that would blossom right in front of their eyes (As my coach once told me after final cuts "You know how there's no 'I' in team, Moose?" I remember nodding and saying something like uh-huh. "Well, on this team, it turns out there's no 'you' either." Always hated that coach.), the number was halved to a single one.
And then it turned out that becoming the best writer of fiction that this country has ever produced wasn't going to pan out because of politics; every one of those coaches has relatives and friends high up in the publishing industry.
It's for the fans that I feel regret. Especially fiction-loving NHL fans. They were the most deprived.
All this to say that as a young man sort of being tossed by the waves of life, I was given an opportunity for employment that I have stuck with for some thirty years.
And I have loved it.
Not every minute, sometimes not even any minute of a given week. (I can work on completely different projects with completely different people from day to day, week to week.) I am lucky in that when I go to work I not only get to be myself in pretty much every aspect of who I am, but also have opportunity to express my ideas, work toward creative solutions, work with a great number of wonderful people, make a significant contribution to the final product and generally am appreciated for the work I do and the person I am.
My clientele is/has changed drastically in the past short while and I am taking a new direction in my career. Same field, same type of work, but applied to different situations. I have been more and more involved with them and now it looks like they will comprise the huge majority of my time. I am certain that when all is said and done, I will be able to reflect and say the same things I am saying right now.
By the way - with this new work situation, it means a more predictable timetable and I should be able to join a hockey team, knowing that I can actually make it to all the games. Also, I finally did write that book. I stand by my accusations of hockey/publishing cross-pollination. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 2:39:09 PM | Dreamed, I have, often, about what it would have been like to follow a different path(s). But then reality smacks me up side the head and I realize had that happened I would not be the person I have become: I would have learned different lessons, loved different women, and most importantly, had a different son. Not saying that what might have been would have been worse, but I've lived the life I have and so far it has been exciting enough to hold my interest and yet serene enough that I haven't gone crazy.
As for career choices, I've often thought that I shouldhave stayed in construction. With a business degree. But, coming from a family with a nurse for a mother and a Doctorate in Biology father, my path was initially writ in stone - so I chose biochem. Then, my fascination with " The Six Million Dollar Man" took hold and I earned a graduate degree in BioMedical Engineering. Some of the fun stuff - polymers, electronic sensors, and artificial organs. WooHoo!
Then marriage called, followed by a move and the little podunk towns we liked think a BioMed Eng is the guy that repairs medical electronics, uh, no; so I went into law - specifically Patent and Law. And wouldn't you know it, not much call for Patent Attys where we ended up. But its all good, about that time son hatched so I became a full time dad, with misc. stuff on the side.
Now, son is almost on his own and its time to go back and upgrade the skill set. I'm thinking certification in Mediation combined with an MBA; anybody got input?
TK
{yeah, I know, a lot of education; but someone's got to support our state u's, eh?} | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 3:00:39 PM | I don't know, that I would do anything different at all. Maybe have bought a few less boats,cars,motorcycles,toys and such.
Yeah ...... I should have stashed away some money - lord knows I made TONS of money in my life.
I "was" very successful. No ...... not Bill Gates successful but many many many times over what ANYONE anywhere in my family tree ever had been ever.
To the tune of in the upper 2% of money earners in the 70s - 80s - part of the 90s. In the entire world.
Yes ......... it is all gone now lol.
In terms of have/have nots in the world .... I am still internally proud that ...... yes I did "make it". I made it all on my own - no one giving me anything. Not all that proud of not stashing it away but ...... memories of the "fun" money brought.
I also know that I did help many others along in their careers .... helped many companies find that good sales person.
I was a recruiter (exe search) in industrial sales for 35 years. Mostly self employed.
With the out sourcing of American manufacturing ......... I just kind of stopped a few months back.
These days ......... I have some nice toys - decent home - enough income to live on. My mind still goes and digs and learns and finds ways to amuse myself.
All is good. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/29/2009 3:24:28 PM | When I was growing up I never wavered (sp) from my desire to teach little children. Nursing didn't appeal to me due to the fact that I didn't even like to see my own blood, and the other bodily fluids one would encounter on the job were yucky to me then too.
After many years working in day care, I realized that I was wanting a change, and ended up in retail for more than a decade. Now I find myself caring for the elderly, and loving it, even though I sometimes have to deal with those same bodily fluids and messes that shut the door on a nursing career for me when I was young.
Would I change anything that has happened to me in my life. Not even if I had the chance to do so, as I am a firm believer in things happening for a reason. I am who I am today because of the circumstances I found myself in earlier on.
My one and only regret is that I never had children, but I am sure that I had a positive influence on a few hundred children in my lifetime. Even now, 25 years after leaving the profession, my former students greet me warmly on the street. That says a lot! | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 6:31:03 AM | | There are a lot of things I would change, but the biggest one would have been to be more tolerant. I believe all the stages of my life have made me the person I am today but always wonder if I had been more open to others and not so quick to judge if my life would have been different. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 9:46:00 AM | OP: 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? ... If you could do it all again, would you choose another career path?
Ron9 (msg 62): I also know that I did help many others along ...
That's what I most enjoy about my current jobs. (I have two.) In one way or another, I help people improve their lives ... in one case openly, and in the other subtly. I love it!
Unlike Ron, I haven't made tons of money. By most people's standards, my income is unimpressive. But the satisfaction and joy I feel in doing my work is priceless.
If I could begin again, I would have taken this path earlier in life. I would have begun at 25 instead of 50.
If my current positions were not an option, I would have wanted a completely different route in life. Like others in this thread, marriage and children prevented me from having the preferred career of my youth. I am fortunate, though, to have seen that path lived by one of my neighbors. He is very successful, and I admire what he has done with "my" life. I'm sure I couldn't have done as well, even if the opportunity had presented. Perhaps life has a way of working out for the best, after all. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 10:01:03 AM | I went to the most highly accredited technical school in the US after I finished high school, and spent years working in windowless factory buildings.
At age forty, I dumped it all, and went to a trade school, to learn horseshoeing.
It's been fifteen years, and I wish I'd thought of it a lot sooner. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 10:06:28 AM | "The dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they dream with their eyes open, the better to make it happen."
-- from The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by TE Lawrence | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 10:45:40 AM | I always wanted to write the "great American novel" ... so I took classes to improve my writing skills ... I majored in English in college ... minored in Psychology ... honed my skills by writing a great deal ... had quite a few things published ...
but ... unfortunately ...
ahhh gots nothin to SAY!  ... ... | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 10:48:22 AM | my career was everyone' s dream from the outside perspective. it took a lot of work and guts. i eventually get to do what i wish i could have done, so i adopted my teens at age 50. they are my blessings bestowed. that dream took me 45 years to fulfill, having "decided" at age five to do so. sometimes a path gets diverted.
now? wish i had found the love of my life. so, i do my half in finding him. if i could do it over again, theoretically, i'd be with him through the growth years AND we would have stayed together! i don't like the singles scene. but, as with my career, i do the work to get the results. while doing it, i try to dance my butt off and at least have as best a time as i can while getting myself out there.
well, there is always a "higher order" to things. but, i can feel comfortable knowing that throughout, i did the very best i could. part of that time, i did even more than that. i don't sit and whine, nor do i regret. i ponder though. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 1:33:38 PM | | I did not find my "true love" employment wise until the tender age of 47 until then I had numerous jobs in a multitude of fields and can honestly say I enjoyed them all. From bartending to legal secretary, picking fruit, housemaid, boutique manager, daycare assistant, gardner, professional painter and decorator, personal assistant to CEO and they are the only ones that at this time come to mind. I do not believe I could have contined to work in the same company at the same position for more than probably 5-10 years but there are certainly many, many people who could and I imagine find it as fulfilling as my work experience has been. I do believe we as people have the fundamental right and ability to attain almost any position we strive for though there are many mittigating circumstances to this belief, finances being just one. Let's face it more than a quarter of our lives is work related so I could not imagine struggleing in a position I did not enjoy, I feel extremely lucky to have had the working experiences I've had, I would not change one second of my like, the good, the bad and the ugly, where we have been and what we have done in our lives has made us who we are at this moment, I have no real regrets. Have a wonderful day | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 3:51:00 PM | | My life has been quite an adventure with diversified careers. When I became a single mom, I, too did as others have said, what I had to do to make ends meet. I gave up nursing in my early single life and was a waitress/bartender, counsellor in a shelter for abused women, youth group leader, prison guard, data entry clerk, dispatcher/answering service operator and now that my kids are grown and long gone, I have returned to my first love, nursing. Wouldn't change all that experience for anything. Made me a better person and able to view things differently from the chance to be many things in many areas. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 4:02:09 PM | | I remember some time ago reading a church "marque" that said "Belief is having the roadmap, Faith is taking the journey". Kinda applies with you, I think and congrats on having the courage/faith to pursue your dream. I think it is almost never too late to make up for past regrets (except my dream of being in the NFL... I think the 6foot, 190 pound, over 50 thing is a bit of a barrier!) Too often we throw in the towel on things we had hoped to accomplish and I include myself in that list. Then again, I hiked the Grand Canyon when I turned fifty, though it took a lot of stair-stepping to get prepped for it. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 4:23:06 PM | | I was 39 when I retired from an Air Force career. I went back to college, got several degrees and followed a life long dream and became an Archaeologist. Became ill several years ago and had to take a medical retirement, but I don't regret a moment of following that dream. | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 4:55:05 PM | what would you be when you grow up?
...Well at one time I thought I might become a famous ballerina but after tripping over my own feet a thousand times I realized I lacked the necessary grace and coordination....so that aspiration kinda fell by the wayside.
Then I thought about becoming a model after reading hundreds of "Millie the Model comics books....that is until my older brother burst that bubble...he felt obligated to deliver the fatal news that only females over 5 ft 10 are ever considered in the fashion industry ....I was crushed.
People started telling me I would make a good nurse, so I considered going into the medical field. Not so much after dissecting my first frog....yuck...
Still trying to find my niche' in life
No, actually I'm right where I want to be. This career path was not one I would have chosen...it sorta found me. I work with the under privilaged people of the world.
...maeflowers | |
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| If you could do it all over again...
Posted: 8/30/2009 5:25:46 PM | To Looking for Friends Only - welcome to the forums and good luck with your schooling!
I too went to school to learn a new trade at age 44 - computers. Fell in love with our first home pc and wanted to learn more instantly. It hasn't been majorly profitable for me, but I love what I do. However, if we're talking "do over", then I would be a teacher. I always loved teaching my little brothers and sisters when we were all kids, and dreamed of being a teacher. When it was time to go to college, the teaching hiring was in a slump and my dear Dad convinced me not to do it. Stupid! It's so cyclical and it passed a few years later (but by then I was an accountant, which never really floated my boat). Now my daughter's a teacher; otherwise I probably would never think about this.
As it is, I rarely think about it since I like my chosen field now. But since you asked this good question, that would be how I'd do it over! | |
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