What did you want to be when you grew up?

I was very happy in my convent school and adored the nuns, so obviously, that was what I was going to be when I grew up. Then one day, one of the sisters got caught in a gust of wind in the cloister and her veil was blown off. The sight of her almost bald head put and end to that ambition.

I wanted to be an Internationally acclaimed show jumper. I didn't even get to have my own a horse!

I had no idea.
I liked stories about dancing and acting but never considered an ordinary person like me could do those things.

Like maddyone I too wanted to be a nurse, but was ‘actively discouraged’ by my Mother. I went into Local Government, social work, then voluntary work when the DDS were born.
I think I’d have made a decent Nurse and DH often said I was clever enough should’ve been a Doctor, but I had no interest in University in the 60s.
If I had my time again, I’d go against my Mother, but as an only child, I felt I had to conform to her wishes.

Grandma70s

I wanted to be a nanny and live in Canada. When I said this at a careers meeting I was laughed at and told the was no such thing a a nanny, it was a nursery nurse so I should be a teacher. I went to Canada as a nanny, but came back to the UK and trained as a teacher in my 40s.

Zonne

Air hostess. I wrote to all the British airlines when I was 14 and asked what subjects I should study at O level, and was gutted when they wrote back, mentioning, as well as academic, language, and first aid qualifications, the (impossible for me) requirement to be 5ft 7ins minimum.

There were some books at school about careers. The only one I remember is Air Hostess Anne!!

sodapop

The other job I wanted was that of librarian. Now well into my seventies I have a voluntary job as a librarian. It's never too late .

I think it’s too late for me to be a ballerina!

The other job I wanted was that of librarian. Now well into my seventies I have a voluntary job as a librarian. It's never too late .

I wanted to be a probation officer. Trained as a Nursery Nurse, ended up as an IT project manager, finally house building pm.

I wanted to be a ballerina or an air hostess but my mum told me I had to get a proper job so I became a nurse then a midwife.

Air hostess. I wrote to all the British airlines when I was 14 and asked what subjects I should study at O level, and was gutted when they wrote back, mentioning, as well as academic, language, and first aid qualifications, the (impossible for me) requirement to be 5ft 7ins minimum.

When I was 6 we were asked to write in our jotters what we wanted to be when we grew up. I can still picture the expressions on the faces of my parents. It came as a complete surprise to read I’d like to be a nun or a bus conductress ?

I settled for nursing.

I wanted to be a chemist and own a lovely shop. I had been reading a lot of crime novels and in one the chemist was convicted of murder because he had allowed the criminal to buy and use illegal poisons. The story emphasised that the chemist deserved his fate and I took this literally and dropped my ambition!

I wanted to be a lion tamer...it didn't quite work out though

I wanted to be an archeologist. All the diggling about with a trowel would have been heaven. Instead I was a nurse and lots of other things while being a good time girl in the 60s and 70s.

Cfaz49

I wanted to be a forensic scientist. I was told that was impossible as they only recruited men! How times change thank goodness. That was in 1966.

I wanted to be a Geologist until told like you it was a job for men.late 60's as well.
I eventually ended up teaching vowing definitely not infants! I was Junior/ Infants trained and wherever I went there was a shortage of Infants teachers. I learned to love the job.

A nun, my family was not religious at all.

AussieGran59

Maybe The Gransnet Detective Agency?

Definitely! And perhaps the would-be authors could write about our exploits?

I used to borrow my dad’s magnifying glass to look for clues. Sadly I need it now to read the small print on packaging.

I went to a convent boarding school but decided early on that being a nun was not for me, up too early in the morning for starters!
I wanted to be an air hostess, in the early 60's it was a glamorous job. I applied for 2 jobs, one in a library, and the other as a newspaper reporter. I would have been trained in both jobs.
I chose the library because they paid 50p a week more! I ended up being a nurse for 40 years but I still hear the head librarian's voice ringing in my ears because I was supposed to start college days before I left.

A Nurse. I managed 38yrs before I finally burned out, I would do it all again. Hard work but rewarding if you can tolerate the continual reorganization and cost cutting.
Now with a good pension and good health I can enjoy retirement

I wanted to be a lady who keeps rowing boats for hire.

I wanted to be s nurse, but realised that I didn't like the smell of blood. Ended up in accounts for the rest if my working life.

When we entered 4th year at High School we were each granted an interview with the Careers Guidance service, to advise us on our subject choices. He asked what we would like our future career to be and I (top of the year in Geography) said I would like to be a Cartographer, or ship's Navigator. He ruled these out because they were both unsuitable for girls. I then suggested an architect, but again was told that I would need a higher in Technical Drawing - only offered to boys at my school. Then he said you are obviously a very clever girl ( my report card indicated I would achieve 5 or 6 highers). so I should become a teacher, (not a Maths teacher, in spite of my 2 x 100% for maths) but a primary school teacher as I 'would undoubtedly get married and have children and should therefore chose a career where I would have the school holidays off.

In spite of doing well academically, I really did not like school due to all the petty rules, so promptly left school at 15 and got an apprenticeship in a Bank, only to find, although I loved the job, that as a female I was a second class worker, with no prospects of promotion and excluded from the Pension scheme, bonuses, staff low rate mortgage, etc. This still rankles to this day.

I wanted to be a nurse but any talk of blood and I fainted. I had a medical book but could only read the first chapter which was about the skin. I used to watch Our Life In Their Hands by lying with my head down over the edge in an effort not to faint.
My daughter became a nurse and worked in ITU etc and loved it. However, I continued with my problem. Some neighbours insisted on talking about their veins so they carried me home.