If you could have any job (and instantly have the training and qualifications to do it), which job would you want?

For a long time I’ve  joked that I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. The truth is, it’s not a joke. I still don’t know. I’ve heard others say that they feel the same way. It’s not that I’m not happy with the job I have or that the job I have is my dream job, it’s just that there’s not one thing that I feel passionate enough about to say, “That’s it!”

So I suppose I could just end the post here, and say that I don’t really have an answer, but that would be pretty boring, huh? Instead, I’m just going to let my fingers do the typing and see what comes out.

I’ve written about it before, that when I was in 5th grade, I dreamed of being a lawyer. As an adult, I am thankful that I didn’t continue to pursue that field, because I definitely do not have the personality or interests now to be a lawyer. Not that there is anything wrong with lawyers (I’m not going to tell a bunch of lawyer jokes), it’s just that I know that job is not for me. I have a lawyer friend, and she has an excellent personality for her job. She is passionate about her interests and can argue with confidence.

My freshman year of college, I declared Engineering as my major. Seriously? Feel free to laugh. I only made it one semester before realizing that I would never make it. Math and Chemistry kicked my butt that first semester, despite hours and hours of studying. I was on academic probation after my first semester, so it was obvious that I needed to find something else. The reason I had chosen Engineering was that in high school, they showed us a list of college graduate incomes, and Engineering was high on the list. My generation grew up hearing that we could do anything and be anything we wanted, and it only took one semester of college for me to find out that I was not meant to be an Engineer.

My second semester of college, I was Undeclared for a major and took a variety of classes to see what might interest me. Two of the classes that I took that semester were Psychology and Sociology. While both were incredibly interesting to me, I found Sociology to be more for me, so I declared Sociology as my Major starting my Sophomore year. I eventually added Criminal Justice as my Minor and took several classes that combined the two majors. Upon graduation, I had intentions of getting my Masters, but life situations changed, and my desire to continue my education eventually went away.

My plan after getting my Masters was going to be studying and researching how society influences the behaviors of people, specifically criminals and prisoners. While I still have an interest in that field, I think I am now too jaded to believe that I could ever make a difference in that area. While I suppose it could be considered my dream job, I’m afraid that my skepticism now would get in the way of me feeling that my contribution would be beneficial.

I suppose I could also say that I would be a writer, but I’ve also come to the realization that when my hobbies become my job, then I lose interest. I’m happy with being a writer just for the fun of it, and I’m even more happy that there are other writers who have that desire to write for a living, because it gives me inspiration when I read their work.

Maybe one day I will figure out what it is that I want to do when I grow up. I’m not exactly clear on when it will be that I grow up, but I’m sure it will happen some day. For now, life is good.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Are you working your dream job now?