General Chat

What did you want to do when you left school and did you end up in the career you wanted or did things take a completely different direction?

I left School early as I was champing at the bit to be a hairdresser. My father, who was a Doctor always hoped I would take up Nursing. I realised too late that he was right and Nursing is what I should have done. Daft really, as after giving up hairdressing at 26, I have spent most of my working life in a Hospital, and still never took up nursing, as never really had the time for the study. Boy do I regret it now. Lynda

Morning i wanted to be a nurse in the airforce, but got pregnant in my last term. i did various jobs, party plan, my own business in childrens clothes, bar maid before studying to be a publican, ran pubs for 10yrs and was a head office interviewer and trainer as well. ex hubby took a tenancy but he was a gambler and alcohlic, i left him with 30.00 in my pocket. went to college and studied to be a hairdresser thoroughly enjoyed it, but the money was poor and i couldn't survive with 5 kids. so i went on to be a residential social worker, working with learning difficulties including abuse, disabled, geriatric covering strokes cancer etc and also did night shifts for familys when a relative was passing away so they weren't alone and would wake them when it was very close so they could rest, as it sometimes took days. and then i worked with the deaf and learnt some sign language, until a client injured my back and then a disease set in. so in a way i did become a nurse, on the care side with the geriatrics, changing dressings and hygiene etc i loved all my jobs i was with people, now at home i have just started transcribing for freecen, its a hobby but i'm useful again. sandra

Morning everyone, I wanted to be a midwife,in fact,I still do but when I started nursing college,it was my first time away from home and I partied too much because I hated living so far away from my family and failed my exams.I left then and worked as a nursing auxiliary for four years before becoming a pharmacy technician part-time.I also worked part-time as a physio assistant in the stroke unit of my local hospital.Despite hating being away from home,I moved several hundred miles to be with my husband and at the moment,I'm a full time mum but who knows,one day,I might get my career sorted and do my midwifery.I am very happy though with my life.

Left school at fourteen. (No choice) shoved into factories, later shop work, my desire I wanted to act/write because I loved the theatre and literature. However you did'nt have stupid ideas like that in my family. Any drama was only going to be supplied by my Dad on a saturday night after eight pints at the local. I married at eighteen, now been married for 44 yrs, starring role, mother of two great sons.

All I ever wanted to do was get married and have kids. I had to find some sort of employment first though, so I followed my Mum into GPO Telephones (now BT) as a telephonist. Started off at a manual exchange where we had to connect all calls, progressed through various exchanges where just long distance was connected via operator, International, Continental and ended up in Directory Enquiries. Thoroughly enjoyed it for 6 years until I left to have my first child. I then had various evening jobs earning a pittance and after I had my 3rd child I decided to become a registered childminder. I childminded for almost 25 years also running a support group, until I 'retired' in 2001. I missed the children so much, despite looking after my 4 Grandchildren at various times, that I now run creches for a charity on an 'as & when' basis. So I suppose I did get there! Now a 'substitute Mum' for lots of children! LOL Sue