digitS'
Garden Master
How about Yours?
Your Career Plans as a Kid?
- Thread starter digitS'
- Start date
How about Yours?
AMKuska
Garden Master
I always knew I wanted to work with animals, but my career plans kept getting dashed. First I wanted to be a zoologist, and then a kindly babysitter gave me his zoology textbook. It was the dryest most boring text I'd ever been faced with. All the things that made them interesting was sucked out of that textbook.
Since I knew I couldn't face years of college that dull, I decided to become a horse vet. I even shadowed a horse vet but after she did a pregnancy exam on a mare, I decided that was a definite no thank you.
Then I wanted to be a farrier, but my arms were so weak I couldn't even get one snip off of a hoof with the equipment! A professional equestrian? Don't have the balance for it. D:
I ended up a dog groomer, and it worked out pretty good.
Since I knew I couldn't face years of college that dull, I decided to become a horse vet. I even shadowed a horse vet but after she did a pregnancy exam on a mare, I decided that was a definite no thank you.
Then I wanted to be a farrier, but my arms were so weak I couldn't even get one snip off of a hoof with the equipment! A professional equestrian? Don't have the balance for it. D:
I ended up a dog groomer, and it worked out pretty good.
This thread makes me realize i’ve made it to 72 without any career plans! I’m pretty sure the good Lord did some of the steering along the way even when i wasn’t looking; and it all turned out just fine. Now days my biggest dream is that i die in my sleep and not suffering thru anything too horrible.
I like to tell people, “only my bones are old; inside im still a punk”.
I like to tell people, “only my bones are old; inside im still a punk”.
flowerbug
Garden Master
there was always the family commercial flooring and tile business but i'm glad i got out of that. i didn't really have any specific goals or idea as i liked all sorts of different sciences. i think entomology was considered by me as i really enjoyed learning about ants and other bugs.
in high school one teacher recommended computer science because of how i went about solving problems. that was a career for 15 years and then i retired from that to do other things (i spent way too many hours sitting at a terminal) and eventually ended up as a librarian for a part-time job and then i quit that when the library management changed. so now i'm gardening as my part-time job (paid in beans and peanuts ) and then during the off-season i can pick back up on computer projects.
i still do like pretty much all of the sciences and for doing sustainable low input organic gardening it all works together in various interesting ways.
in high school one teacher recommended computer science because of how i went about solving problems. that was a career for 15 years and then i retired from that to do other things (i spent way too many hours sitting at a terminal) and eventually ended up as a librarian for a part-time job and then i quit that when the library management changed. so now i'm gardening as my part-time job (paid in beans and peanuts
) and then during the off-season i can pick back up on computer projects.i still do like pretty much all of the sciences and for doing sustainable low input organic gardening it all works together in various interesting ways.
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digitS'
Garden Master
I was kinda like @AMKuska . And also, I believed Dad.
He said that we had moved after a one year stay in town to this farm so as to have dairy cows. And, that DB & I had to learn to do chores so that we would inherit the farm and those cows from him. He set up a compressor and milking system but it didn't work well for some of the cows he bought. At first, we didn't have it and milked by hand. Later, DB was given a Jersey as a "gift" but he didn't want to milk cows and I was still stuck with her.
After several years, Dad bought a Hereford bull and it became obvious even to me as a teenager by then that Dad had no intention of expanding the dairy herd into a full-time dairy. We sold our milk wholesale at first but Mom was always into "natural foods" and had friends who wanted to buy our milk. That turned into a "delivery route" for her. (Not with a horse and wagon but with the 1948 Chevy and the 1950 Dodge sedans
.) It's kinda funny that when when we moved off the farm when I was 14 that she sorta changed that into a part-time pie delivery job for a bakery. Dad continued working at his job "in town" through all those years.
I'll tell you what -- taking care of a garden was a bit of a step down from taking care of cows. We had 40 head of cows & calves after Dad went with the "dairy herd gone wild," as our veterinarian friend called it. The dairy cows produced plenty of milk for those calves but Dad & I were milking the mothers morning & night and feeding the calves. Then, there were the pastures and hay fields and irrigation and harvesting the hay. Chores. I thought that was what a "job" amounted to. But then, there was school! It was something like a vacation.
He said that we had moved after a one year stay in town to this farm so as to have dairy cows. And, that DB & I had to learn to do chores so that we would inherit the farm and those cows from him. He set up a compressor and milking system but it didn't work well for some of the cows he bought. At first, we didn't have it and milked by hand. Later, DB was given a Jersey as a "gift" but he didn't want to milk cows and I was still stuck with her.
After several years, Dad bought a Hereford bull and it became obvious even to me as a teenager by then that Dad had no intention of expanding the dairy herd into a full-time dairy. We sold our milk wholesale at first but Mom was always into "natural foods" and had friends who wanted to buy our milk. That turned into a "delivery route" for her. (Not with a horse and wagon but with the 1948 Chevy and the 1950 Dodge sedans
.) It's kinda funny that when when we moved off the farm when I was 14 that she sorta changed that into a part-time pie delivery job for a bakery. Dad continued working at his job "in town" through all those years.I'll tell you what -- taking care of a garden was a bit of a step down from taking care of cows. We had 40 head of cows & calves after Dad went with the "dairy herd gone wild," as our veterinarian friend called it. The dairy cows produced plenty of milk for those calves but Dad & I were milking the mothers morning & night and feeding the calves. Then, there were the pastures and hay fields and irrigation and harvesting the hay. Chores. I thought that was what a "job" amounted to. But then, there was school! It was something like a vacation
.
Phaedra
Garden Addicted
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I didn't really have a career plan when I was much younger. My parents told me that you either go to college or get out of this house. This is a pretty common family scenario in Asia. I don't have choices and have to follow their order, yeah, an order.
So, while studying at the university, I started to work as a tutor. I realized that financial independence is a must. My major is foreign language and literature (bcoz my math is terribly bad, another long story), and I didn't know what exactly I could do at that time.
My first full-time job is a lab assistant at my university, and I started it two days right after the graduation ceremony, taking care of administrative work and environmental protection-related training projects. It's a lovely and relaxing job, but I decided to leave as I had zero chance to use my language skills for almost four years. I know those skills will disappear eventually; just a matter of time.
So, I decided to move and got a job as a sales assistant in a family-owned business that offered second-source spare parts to the semiconductor industry. I stayed there for only three months and got another better opportunity in a computer-assisted engineering software company.
It's a small company with less than 20 people. Therefore, everyone has to be involved in multiple tasks. I started as a secretary and ended up as an overseas sales in the 15th year before moving to Germany. I still worked as a project-based consultant before this year.
Now, I am preparing my own small shop and am happy about this new chapter. Maybe this is the first time I can claim my life is my career.
So, while studying at the university, I started to work as a tutor. I realized that financial independence is a must. My major is foreign language and literature (bcoz my math is terribly bad, another long story), and I didn't know what exactly I could do at that time.
My first full-time job is a lab assistant at my university, and I started it two days right after the graduation ceremony, taking care of administrative work and environmental protection-related training projects. It's a lovely and relaxing job, but I decided to leave as I had zero chance to use my language skills for almost four years. I know those skills will disappear eventually; just a matter of time.
So, I decided to move and got a job as a sales assistant in a family-owned business that offered second-source spare parts to the semiconductor industry. I stayed there for only three months and got another better opportunity in a computer-assisted engineering software company.
It's a small company with less than 20 people. Therefore, everyone has to be involved in multiple tasks. I started as a secretary and ended up as an overseas sales in the 15th year before moving to Germany. I still worked as a project-based consultant before this year.
Now, I am preparing my own small shop and am happy about this new chapter. Maybe this is the first time I can claim my life is my career.
Phaedra
Garden Addicted
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2021
- Messages
- 3,095
- Reaction score
- 15,772
- Points
- 245
- Location
- Schleiden, Germany USDA 8a
there was always the family commercial flooring and tile business but i'm glad i got out of that. i didn't really have any specific goals or idea as i liked all sorts of different sciences. i think entomology was considered by me as i really enjoyed learning about ants and other bugs.
in high school one teacher recommended computer science because of how i went about solving problems. that was a career for 15 years and then i retired from that to do other things (i spent way too many hours sitting at a terminal) and eventually ended up as a librarian for a part-time job and then i quit that when the library management changed. so now i'm gardening as my part-time job (paid in beans and peanuts
i still do like pretty much all of the sciences and for doing sustainable low input organic gardening it all works together in various interesting ways.
paid in beans and peanuts! I love this
flowerbug
Garden Master
paid in beans and peanuts! I love this
this morning it was lasagna so i'm moving up in the world...
w_r_ranch
Garden Addicted
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- Nov 19, 2014
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- 247
- Location
- South Central Texas (zone 8b)
I wanted to fly jets. My grandpa used to take me to the big airport & we'd watch them take off & land for hours. Fast forward, I went to college & then entered the Air Force, where I was privileged to be trusted with a jet. I retired 22 yrs later, 16 of which I spent in a cockpit.
Some may notice from my posts that I spent a lot of time with my grandpa... My father literally hated me for for what I did.
Some may notice from my posts that I spent a lot of time with my grandpa... My father literally hated me for for what I did.
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Zeedman
Garden Master
So I wonder, are you in Oshkosh now for EAA? I went there yesterday. Don't think I've ever seen so many people happily living their dream in one place.
My youthful ambition was to be a forest ranger. I spent a lot of weekends at my grandparents' mostly-wild 280 acres, and loved it there - it was my private Narnia. That instilled in me a love of nature & the natural sciences... but when I grew old enough to seriously pursue forest management, I found out that it required one of several degrees. Having no means to go to college (and having youthful wanderlust) I joined the Navy as a path to college. But then met my DW, fell in love, and that dream was replaced with a family. Did 20 years in Naval aviation as a technician, manager, and instructor... which as stressful as it was at times, was deeply fulfilling. Worked industrial jobs after that, until I retired.
Being Dad & Grandpa is my job now, and one I love. Looking back, there are several other paths my life might have taken; but no regrets. I ended up exactly where the Almighty meant me to be, and if given a chance to go back, wouldn't change a thing.
