As young, moldable children, we were often asked by our parents, teachers, and family, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" In the adult world, the most common question you will get in any starting conversation is "What do you do?" We spend almost the entirety of our youth going to school and preparing for jobs and careers that will carry us through our lifetimes, and we definitely felt the pressure of that challenge growing up. We wanted to take some time in this Corporate Classics post to talk about what we wanted to do as kids, and how that has translated to what we are actually doing now in our lives!
Jess: When I was younger, I honestly didn't really understand the concept of a career, but simply grew up with an instilled mentality from my parents that I will need to work hard in life to support myself and have a bright future. It's kind of crazy to me how quickly time passes, and I'm currently sitting in my bed in my new New York City apartment reflecting on some of the decisions I have made thus far in my life that have led me down the path I am on right now in my career. I grew up in a household that definitely encouraged me to consider more "traditional" jobs, given that my parents work in medicine and engineering, and understood the value of a stable career. For a good part of middle and high school, I actually really wanted to be a dermatologist or a physician assistant in dermatology. I struggled a bit with my skin during these years, and definitely thought that I would find a lot of happiness and passion in being able to help others by being a doctor and working in medicine. I would come home from school and do my homework in front of the TV while watching medical shows and documentaries, and found that world to be absolutely fascinating. I volunteered at the hospital in the Emergency Room for a while, and it was honestly pretty exciting because of the constant action. I gave it a lot of thought, but ultimately decided that the time commitment and lifestyle was not something I really wanted. I also dabbled in computer science in the beginning of college, but also found that it was not quite for me.
I've always been the more creative type, and found my passion for scrapbooking, interior design, and event planning throughout the years. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why this blog exists in the first place - I've always had the desire to create. I chose to major in accounting and supply chain management in college because I knew I could get the best of both worlds by starting my career within consulting. Stable? Yes. But endless possibilities? - Absolutely. Something I've learned over the years and through hundreds of conversations with others is that you never know where you will end up based on where you began. A career is a long marathon with many hurdles in between. Chances are you won't clear all of them, but you will learn to take them at your own pace and will make it eventually despite the obstacles. I have absolutely no idea where my career will take me, but it's kind of exciting to think about the possibilities of how I can be an influencer during my lifetime.
Mel: Growing up, I always had a laundry list of things I wanted to be when I was older. During my adolescent years, I was determined to make it as a pediatrician since 1) I absolutely loved children and 2) I get to live out my dreams of being the next Arizona Robbins. Unfortunately for me, science and math were definitely not my strongest subjects, so the closest thing I ever got to being Arizona Robbins was watching her on my television every Thursday night. My next "dream job" that I consistently strived for was being a news reporter. My sister and I used to watch the 6 o'clock news with my dad every night, and I loved the idea of getting all dressed up and being on television for the whole world to see and to know my name. My dreams of being a newscaster were dashed when I took my first public speaking class in high school and realized how much I absolutely hated public speaking and presentations. The idea of speaking to even an audience of as little as 20 people puts me into a near panic attack that I knew that I could never hold a job that would constantly give me the feeling of uneasiness and anxiety. So, the hopes of being a news reporter were soon replaced with goals of taking the LSAT's and being a corporate lawyer. During my 4 years in high school, I was committed to the idea of being a big shot lawyer. It wasn't until I took my first political science class during my freshman year of college did I realized that I didn't really love the material I was reading and I couldn't imagine myself going through 3 more years of schooling after getting my bachelor's degree.
By the time I was a sophomore in college, I wanted to hurry up, graduate, and just start working already, so when it was time to pick a major, I chose something that was practical and stable - accounting. Is accounting my dream job that gives me a rush of excitement? Nope. That being said, even now, I still do not know what my "dream" job is aside from getting paid to travel the world. Unfortunately, being the next biggest travel blogger is incredibly unrealistic, so I chose a major that would ultimately land me a job that paid me enough to be able to afford doing the things I love (i.e. traveling). Having a degree in accounting is said to translate to a relatively "recession proof" profession, and its stability and security is what really drew me into choosing it as my major. Furthermore, it provided me a technical skill that not everyone can offer in the job market, since you need an accounting degree in order to prepare and understand financial statements. Since I was and still am unsure with what exactly I want to do for the rest of my life, I chose a major that gave me the flexibility to go into other business related fields should I want to. The rest is yet to come, and I'm really excited to see where my career heads in the years to come!
What did you want to be when you were younger? Leave us a comment below, we would love to hear about it :)
Love Always, Jess & Mel
P.S. "Don't grow up. It's a trap"
Outfit Details
Jess: Dress - Forever 21, Blazer - Zara, Bag - Gucci, Shoes - Material Girl
Mel: Sweater - Madewell (similar), Pants - Banana Republic, Necklace - Forever 21, Bag - YSL