When I Grow Up…

I remember once in grade school our class took one of those career tests. You know, the ones that tell you what you should do with your life. They can figure it out based on a ridiculous number of seemingly pointless questions. According to my answers, I was supposed to grow up and be either a Private Investigator, a Journalist, or a Social Worker. I guess I can see how they could all be related.

So I went to University determined to be a Psychologist. I’m a good listener, I like to help people, and for some reason, people always seem to come to me for advice. As fascinating as it was, I couldn’t see myself as a Psychologist years down the road. With this new realization, I moved into “Mass Communications” (whatever that means). Eventually, I found myself in the music industry working as a publicist. When I look back at it, my career test wasn’t completed wrong. As a publicist, you need to write on a deadline (like a Journalist), and nurture fragile artists’ soul (kind of like a Social Worker). After a couple years, I came to the realization that even though I love to write and I love music; the music industry as a whole just wasn’t for me.

Time for Change?

So I guess you can say I’m sort of back to square one. Back to rethinking my career choices and wondering what it is I’m really meant to do with my life. I would be really curious to see what my career test would tell me now. Would the results come up the same? One thing is certain, I learned and experienced a lot during my stint as a publicist that I can carry with me in any future career — but more importantly I came to realize just how much I really enjoy writing.

Did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up right from the beginning? Or have you sort of bounced around a bit to finally settle in a career choice that you are happy with? Or are you still on that journey? I’d love to hear your story! 🙂

  1. farfalle1

    November 20, 2008 at 11:50 pm

    We had an older friend years ago who was a very successful grain dealer in the midwest… but though he made bundles of money, it was not a job he loved. So he took a career test and discovered that he wasn’t a grain dealer, he was… an uphosterer! He apprenticed himself to an established practitioner, learned the ropes, went into business for himself and had a successful and personally rewarding second career. I don’t know why we always found that amusing, but we did.

  2. Anait

    November 19, 2008 at 11:48 am

    I took a career test in grade school….were I to have taken its advice to heart, I would be driving a taxi right now. Or a bus. Apparently, I had great potential in the public transportation sector.

    Thankfully, over the years I’ve decided what I really want to be when I grow up (diplomat/human rights advocate), and I’m headed to graduate school to make it happen 🙂

    Ya, you have to take those career tests with a grain of salt 🙂 It’s great that you’ve found your calling…best of luck on your career path!! 🙂

  3. Enrico

    November 19, 2008 at 1:43 am

    I took a career test once. The only career choice that it gave me as a result was “philanthropist.” Why was that even an option on the test anyway?

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