For the most part, I’m pretty happy with my current profession (classroom support). I get to use my brain in interesting ways while saving most of my creative energy for my music. Plus, I get to go to the gym on my lunch break. But, sometimes, I like to daydream about other professions. Professions that I’m not qualified for. Professions that I will never be qualified for. Professions that I should have started pursuing about 10-15 years ago.
When I was little, I was sure that I’d grow up to be an astronaut-ballerina-firefighter. Because, who wouldn’t want to pirouette while dousing flames on the moon?
These are the jobs that I sometimes daydream about:
- Sportscaster. And I’m not talking sideline reporter. Anyone can wear a cute hat and tell the guys in the studio that such-and-such team is “really excited” about the big game. I want to be one of the people in the studio talking strategy and discussing the games at length. I think I’d be good at it. And, if necessary, I do own some rather cute hats.
- Journalist. Too bad newspapers are dying. Maybe I should become an online journalist. One with no ethics, which basically just means making stuff up on my blog. Speaking of which, did you know that sources confirm that John Boehner was born a crocodile? It’s why he cries so much. (NB: sources are me).
- Veterinarian. Of course, I’d probably have to spend all my time taking stool samples, putting animals down and lecturing people about letting their pets become morbidly obese. On the plus side, puppies!
- Flight Attendant. Free travel? Check. Cute uniform? Check. Plentiful peanuts? Check. Too bad I’m scared of flying. And drunk businessmen.
- CEO of a major corporation. I think I could get used to bossing people around. Plus, even if I screwed up, they’d give me a ginormous golden parachute. Which I could use to pursue my dream of becoming the world’s first astronaut-ballerina-firefighter.
How about you? What’s your dream job? If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
Awesome! I would totally be a party planner.
Recording engineer/producer or my current job (college-level japanese teacher) at twice the salary.
My dream job — Director of Media for a dolphin facility.
Oh wait — that IS my job! 🙂
I also hope to write and sell another book.
Kidding aside, I can’t think of a single other “day job” that could be better for me than the one that I have. I love the organization, the people, the dolphins. It’s a great life and I’m grateful every day.
So, let me go back and share my earliest career aspirations. First dream job — my friends and I wanted to be one of the girls that rode the High-Diving Horse at Steel Pier. Basically, you climbed up a tall tower. The horse clambered up the ramp. You jumped on it bareback and then the horse jumped off down a ramp about 20 feet into a big tank of water. Ta Da!
Later on when I was in Middle School, I wanted to be a roller derby girl. We had a great roller rink in town. My friends and I went pretty regularly. At one time in my life, I was pretty good on skates, going backwards, foreward, twirling, spinning, etc. However, I had no idea to put on twirly skirts and compete. Instead, my TomBoy side wanted to be a tough girl like the ones on the Eastern Warriors team that I watched compete on television on the weekend.
Recently, a friend at work watched the Drew Barrymore movie Whip It about roller derby. Several of us decided we needed cool roller derby nicknames. They dubbed me Mary Mayhem.
I thought about becoming a veterinarian, but I’m so bad at math and science that I doubt I would have have made it into vet school.
It’s a damned good thing that I realized when I was quite young that I love to write and I’m pretty good at it. My first actual job was in my dad’s medical practice. After that, I got summer jobs in radio stations where I first got paid to write. I’ve earned money writing at pretty much every job since.
Ooooh, I’d love to be a recording engineer/producer as well. That’s a good one!
Mary, I think you have the coolest job out of anyone I know.
And I would also like to be a roller derby girl.
You’d be so good at it!
Musician, writer, artist who actually supports herself selling paintings, fashion designer, archeologist, cinematographer, pastry chef, neurosurgeon, oh I could go on. I’ll stick with art conservation scientist with the hopes that in a few decades I’ll actually get there. 😉
Hmmm… that sounds a lot like me. I’d like to be a musician/photographer who doesn’t need a day job. :p
Professional Etsy seller wouldn’t be bad either.
I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was younger. I had no idea what they did but I was really into marine life.
I’ve heard that marine biology jobs can be really, really cool. Which probably explains why they’re so hard to find. :p