What did you want to be?

Kircubbin my uncle was a pharmacist and ran his own chemist shop. An old fashioned one with dark wood cabinets and my aunt ran the perfumery, cosmetic and fancy goods side of the business. A child’s paradise when I holidayed there a couple of times a year.

Grandmabatty great you achieved many of your childhood aims. If I had my life to live over I would be a psychologist. Although I did train to be a counsellor and teach counselling at college. Very rewarding.

Ayse, an embarrassing admission, I once achieved 4% in Latin. My head was to full of nonsense. Still remember amo, amas, amat I think!

An archaeologist. I loathed Latin at school so I wasn’t able to go to university. Life took a different turn and only recently did I complete an OU History degree.

An artist. My father was extremely good and I started drawing when I was quite young. I have done water colour paintings in later years. I also had a strong yearning to write and did a comprehensive course with the London Writing School which was very interesting and led to me having things published.
However, as a job, I ended up in the NHS!

A show jumper because I was mad about horses and read the Jill books over and over and Pat Smythe pony stories. She was a famous show jumper who represented Britain at the Olympics post war. Otherwise I wanted to be a vet.

A dress designer.

I wanted to be a teacher when I was quite small. I used to boss other children around dreadfully and my dolls. I set up my bedroom as a classroom. Then I wanted to be a writer. I loved words and reading and still do. Then an air hostess but I was too short and curvy for that one. I also wanted to be an actress. However I knew I didn't have what it took so most of my life I acted in amateur dramatics. That scratched that particular itch. I became a librarian and enjoyed that for a number of years then finally went into teaching. So the only unsuccessful career path was air hostess.

In wanted to be an Air Hostess, but that was never going to happen. I wasn't tall or glamorous enough.
I went to college to learn shorthand and typing but was useless at shorthand.
Eventually trained as a psychiatric nurse, specialising in the psychiatry of old age. A career that lasted until I retired.

Bodach

A fighter pilot.

Which reminds me of the old (but very true) joke:
Child: “When I grow up, I want to be a fighter pilot.”
Mother: “Make up your mind: you can’t do both.”

I wanted to be a chemist and have a shop like my friends dad had. All the lovely old bottles .However when I started secondary school my friends persuaded me to do cookery and as we had no guidance I never got a chance to study science.

Between 7 and 12 I wanted to be a vet. Parents told me I'd have to work at my maths (loathed the subject) so I gave up the idea. Then in midteens I, like Monica, wanted to the the first woman Prime Minister. Later, in my early twenties I wanted to be Mrs Levin...ie marry Bernard Levin on whom I had a huge crush!!

I wanted to be an actress and singer!

So many different choices here and how our parents expectations influence them.
I agree with Hetty58 I have still to grow up.

I wanted to be a jockey, loved horses but was scared of them!

I’m another who didn’t make it as a ballerina. I was reasonably good at it, but not in the ballerina class. I wouldn’t have got a place at the Royal Ballet School. I was the right shape, but rather too tall.

It’s so strange to watch my granddaughter going through exactly the same thing. She’s only 8, but can frequently be found dancing her version of Swan Lake.

I always wanted to be a nurse and to join the QAs, I did become a nurse but met DH so didn't apply to the QAs.

I wanted to be a nanny but it wasn't good enough for my mother so I worked in a bank and learnt shorthand and typing.

Then I got married and had 5 children.

As a Child, l wanted to be a Vet, but my Parents made it very clear from an early age that they would not be funding me to go off to university and that l would have to get a paid Job after leaving school to support myself. So being a Vet quickly changed into being a Midwife after watching my Cat give birth to Kittens when l was Ten!
To be a Midwife required General Nurse training first, so upon leaving school that was my Aim. Along the way my plans changed slightly, and l ended up as an Occupational Health Nurse working part time for Sainsbury’s!
I was Married and had a young Daughter of my own by then, and it was a further 8 years until l returned to the NHS to follow the path of Mental Health Nursing, left at the end of it as was expected back then, and started applying for jobs in the Community, which l loved, but worked more in the Private sector as most of the Mental health Hospitals had started to Close down in favour of Care in the Community, so that’s where l stayed.

Donny Osmonds wife (or David Cassidy)

That was before I fell for David Bowie.

Failing that I would be a pop singer.

Marydoll and Galaxy - your sleuthing duo has made me smile.
M0nica - I wanted to be a politician too. Foreign Secretary in particular, for some daft reason, lord knows why, my geography has always been appalling!
I also wanted to be a fashion illustrator.

In Forensic Pathology.

I still haven't decided what I'll be when I grow up!

A Pathologist.

A fighter pilot.

A vet. Still wish I had been but I did completely the wrong subjects and there was absolutely no assistance or information from my school. We were all expected to be nurses, teachers or homemakers so I ended up as a teacher and then changed to social welfare. All too hard to change by then.

Great diversity of answers. Can honestly say MOnica I never thought about becoming Prime Minister.
Thinking about my three grandsons I wonder what their aspirations are and if I will be around to see them in employment. So different to when I grew up. Then we had more choices and a guarantee of a job even if it wasn’t our first choice.