When I Grow Up, I Want To Be...

I had an interesting conversation with my sister-in-law this weekend.

We were chatting about her job (she is an architect) and has been discontent with her job for a while. So we often chat about what she can do to cure her discontentment.

This leads to what we want to be when we grow up... conversations.

She loves research and would love to do something in this field... she actually said a librarian.

This made me gasp, as it was something I did to work my way through university. But things have changed since days of books and researching, pulling books off shelves, leaving them there for someone like me to come and put them back in their rightful place.

But my sister-in-law would love this as now-a-day things are different. There is all sorts of research needs out there.

This led me to what I want to be when I grow up... since I have blogged this before... it would be along the lines of writing and photograph.

What is interesting to me is as we looked back... I did this constantly. My university days are documented with 1000s of pictures I took with my little camera. I was always taking pictures yet never thought anything about it.

I also wrote all the time. I wrote about my day... I wrote in my journal for years... I wrote about my latest crush, where I saw him, if I passed him on the sidewalk, did we make eye contact... oye, it went on and on.

The point being I have always written.

I have always had these passions but never thought twice about it.

I suppose I never really gave it much thought as 20 years ago teachers, nurses, doctors, pastor, accountants, business were all the degrees that parents encouraged.

Especially coming from immigrant parents, they kind of stuck and encouraged the basics.

I started off with business... but my first accounting class almost put me in a coma from the boredom of it....

Ever since I was little I always thought I wanted to be a teacher. So, this is where I went naturally when business proved to be a bomb. I loved the classes and suddenly my GPA rose as my interest did.

But I think my teaching degree was a means to an end. I had to graduate with something. I had to have a career... but looking back... I was really more interested in my MRS degree. I wanted nothing more than to be mom. The career was a back-up.

Now? Who wouldn't love a job traveling around the world capturing life? A job with Life or National Geographic? Well it isn't the kind of job that can be meshed in nicely with being mommy.

Regrets? No. I just wish I saw my true passions so that I could have capitalized on them more while I have the chance.

This brings me to my boys. How do I guide them to find their true passions? When you are starting university, you are still so YOUNG to make that lifetime choice of your career!

I want my boys to be able to see outside the box if that is where their passion is.

Sammy would love to design... whether it is golf courses or cars... at this moment design is a love as is computers.

Tyler... I am not sure... still. He doesn't have a true love yet... I'll have to ask Sanj about what he sees here. He has passions... golf is his first love... but I think that changes with the season ... to hockey.

Jordan is the artist. I love watching him teach himself to draw. He loves drawing cars, super heros, action figures and people. Sponge Bob is one that he has mastered.

Max... he loves clothes... loves himself... I love watching him check himself out. Maybe he will be interested in modeling... lol

Zachary is a hard worker. He still maintains that he want to be a police man. He is mechanically savvy. He sees how things work and can fix something or explain a function that is lost to us.

Josh... he's 4. He is just mama's boy... for now.

I want to expose my children to various things so they get the opportunity to fiddle in areas that may be their thing... but they would never have know until they had a chance to dabble in it.

I also realize that what you want to be "when you grow up" is something that changes as you change. Not everyone has the chance to change careers but everyone can have a chance to find themselves in the life outside of work.