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“When I grow up, I want to be. . . ”
I've finished this sentence in so many ways over the years. . .
I remember there being a time when I wanted to be a singer or musician (I played French Horn & Clarinet in middle & high school). That dream was dashed when I realized the impracticality of it all. What were the odds that something like that would work out? And, if it did, what were the odds that I would really make it big? Odds were, I would barely make enough to survive!
There was a period of time when I wanted to be a teacher of some sort. . . I have always enjoyed helping others learn. . . But, I decided that I didn't have the patience to bank on making a living out of that. . . There are too many dumbasses in this world & I can maintain a sense of composure for only so long if I don't really feel it. 😉
A career in political science appealed to me for a bit. . . But politics are way too dirty for me. . . I can be brutally honest — to my detriment a lot of the time! Why would I go into a field that is so inherently dishonest when I know it goes against my very nature?! That thought was also short-lived. For similar reasons, I also ruled out wanting to be an attorney after just a short time.
More recently, I thought I wanted to be an accountant. Several years ago, I even went as far as enrolling in a popular for-profit online school with the intent to get my degree in accounting & eventually sit for the CPA exam. That plan didn't work out for a few reasons. But, really, accounting wasn't all that difficult and it got tremendously boring at an extremely rapid pace! Go figure. . . 😉
Fast-forward to the present. I've mostly worked in an administrative capacity or in retail management. I enjoyed many aspects of each of those lines of work, but I've outgrown them. I left the workforce nearly nine months ago & have been a housewife since. This isn't for me either, but I am grateful that I've had the luxury of having this option — especially since it means that I can finally go to college & have the emotional & financial support that is necessary to be successful. I started my first semester at the local community college last week.
The goal is to earn my associate's in business through the community college, then transfer to a university to earn my bachelor's of business in finance. I found accounting came fairly naturally to me, but it wasn't quite right for me. I am confident that finance will be more appropriate. Although I am trying to keep an open mind in regard to my final occupation or employer, I can see myself as a financial planner.
I started off my adult life pretty rough in regard to my finances & I really think one of the reasons things turned out that way is because I didn't take the time to learn about personal finances (& didn't really have anyone show me much other than how to balance a check book). I figure that there must be plenty of others that weren't properly educated on such matters too, regardless of their age. So, piecing together my enjoyment in helping others learn with my business-minded desires & seemingly natural knack for numbers, financial planning seems like a good fit. 😉
I don't envision myself as one of those high-powered financial planners that push the products that will pay the most commission or anything like that. As such, I don't see myself necessarily getting rich off this profession. BUT, to establish myself in that career, I do have a bit of a sales background (from my time in retail) to fall back on in order to make a name for myself. Worst-case scenario, I will work for a bank or investing firm for way longer than I ever intended. BUT, the opportunity to help others learn something useful while providing a nearly-recession-proof service sounds pretty sweet to me! In an ideal world, an income wouldn't even need to be at the forefront of my mind & I could start a non-profit of some sort that is dedicated to helping people avoid or get out of debt, manage & invest their money, & be properly insured. . . I imagine I will wind up somewhere in between what is ideal & what is worst-case. . . I can live with that. 😉
What do YOU want to be when you grow up? 😉 Leave me a comment below, email me at mochamama@calculatedchaos.net, or connect with me on Facebook.
This post was written in participation of the Blog-tember Challenge hosted by the Brave Love blog.
Love your post, so honest as always. I think so many people have so many problems with money – which have all come to the forefront now the economy is contracting and less credit is available – because there’s no basic education about how to manage money or be frugal. Why isn’t that stuff taught at school, for example? Have you thought about setting up an online business offering coaching in these areas? I’m sure a lot of people would be interested.
I have!! I have seen so many others like that, though. . . They always seem scammy, spammy, or like they’re show-boating, though. . . I am sure it’ll be something I put some more thought i to down the road, though. 😉
Hia, yes, exactly – they all seem so ‘something that’s not genuine or worth forking out money for’!!!
LOL. EXACTLY!!! Now, if I get to that point & am genuinely interested in doing something like that, I would have to be super creative about making sure I did it differently! 😉
Ha! Therein lies the juicy-ness xxx
LOL. “juicy-ness”