What Do You Want to Be?
I recently was amused as a neighbor told me her friend’s young son went to the fire station and told the fireman he wanted to be a fireman when he grew up. Then he turned around and told his dad he was kidding! He only told the fireman that so not to hurt his feelings. What he really wanted to be is a race car driver.
A fireman… a ballerina…
a nurse…a doctor…
the President…
Most of us were asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I know I was asked the question many times. I answered with many “dream jobs” over the years. I remember wanting to be a teacher because of my kindergarten teacher as so awesome. Then I wanted to be an Orthodontist when I got braces. Then I thought being an architect would be cool after going to Downtown Atlanta and riding the elevator of the Peachtree Plaza skyscraper. A profession as an interior decorator crossed my mind because my neighbor’s house was so beautiful. And I knew for sure I did not want to be a nurse or doctor at a very young because of an extended hospital stay and having lots of tests and long needles stuck in my body! My ideas definitely changed but they were just ideas and interests at that point in life.
Dreams and interests are important but career aptitude assessments can give you an indication of jobs that match your personality. They uncover which careers you have an aptitude for.
Not until I was in my late 40’s did I take career and aptitude assessments. I was surprised to learn I had the aptitudes to work with my hands. Maybe that’s why I loved playing tennis, gardening and playing in the dirt. And maybe that’s why a career as an architect may have worked out! My music aptitudes and word learning scores were low — that’s why I struggled with piano lessons and Spanish! I also learned traits about myself that help me understand how I resolved conflict. Now I know why I always want to be right and I aim to always get things perfect and complete. We are all uniquely made by our creator and understanding ourselves is important at any stage in life.
So it’s never too late to ask and answer the question, “what do you want to do when you grow up” (even if you are already grown up!) If you are looking for guidance in figuring out “What’s Next,” we can help!