What Career Would You Pick?

[CaptDave]

Career military - with a break to civilian life from 1999 -2001. I wouldn't change very much - nuclear power operator as an Navy enlisted person and combat arms as an Army officer. If laser surgery had been available in the80's I would have been a helicopter pilot in the Army, but that wasn't in the cards so I went another route. I received an outstanding education in engineering and science at nuclear power school and felt obligated to serve again after 9/11. I consider having a career like I have had a privilege and have been honored to work with and meet thousands of outstanding people.

If I had to choose another path I suppose probably Mechanical / Civil Engineer, Nuclear Medicine / Radiation Therapy, or Urban / Regional Planner would be very high.

[Edmond_Outsider]

The premise of this thread is sort of sad. Why would one have to "go back" to achieve a goal or practice a different profession? What limits anybody from pursuing a professional or occupational goal other than a lack of courage, persistance, or personal will?

For one who is constantly labled as a "leftist 47 percenter who isn't interest in the american dream," I don't really identify with this sort of self limitation or wistful nostalgia. What to do something? Then do it. Obviously, age does limit one wanting to be a professional athlete or an astronaught. But most things have no such limitations.

Want to be an astrophysist? Then do it. So what is the road is long and you're already old? If you make it all the way, hurrah! If not, you're traveling down the road you choose and you get as far as you get.

I don't mean any critisism of anybody nor am I setting out myself as an example of anything. I generally feel like an underacheiver despite having been able to put these basic ideals to action succesfully over the past 30 years. I'm an autodidact and I learned this idea along with everything else I've done professionally by trial, error, and research.

Perhaps that's why I don't see "my America" as being lost or complain that I "want my freedoms back."

If you want to see the world as flat, then it is flat. If you want it to be round, then it's round.

Pick your course and take off.

[bluedogok]

The premise of this thread is sort of sad. Why would one have to "go back" to achieve a goal or practice a different profession? What limits anybody from pursuing a professional or occupational goal other than a lack of courage, persistance, or personal will?

Because some professions are limited by various factors like age and/or size. I am too old (48), too big (6'-2"/260 right now, even when I was working in a warehouse lifting all day and in the best shape of my life I was 235) to be a professional race car driver at the highest levels. Most races start of in their teens or pre-teens and most now are in the smaller portion of the population. My goal is to be as good of a club racer as I can be and hopefully participate in some pro level sports car events, that is pretty much the top of the ladder for someone like me now. I accept that with no qualms, my decision was made long ago but it is always nice to dream some.

[Edmond_Outsider]

I edited out of my original post those few things age and physicality actually limit. I'm wasn't considering the things few people can do regardless of age such as compete in any sport at the professional level, be an Astronaut, or become president of the US. Physicality limits as well--only a few people are small enough to be a Jockey or big enough to be a sumo wrestler.

But, within the realm of the reasonably attainable professions, age doesn't limit as much as apptitude and fear or desire limits folks more than anything.

I've always tried to live a life in a way so I'd never "look back" and regret the road not taken. At age 50, I still look forward to endless possibilities of the future and the exciting turns ahead. If anything, I see more possibilities ahead than I did when I was 18.

[bluedogok]

But, within the realm of the reasonably attainable professions, age doesn't limit as much as apptitude and fear or desire limits folks more than anything.

I agree with that, we had an engineer at Benham who went back to school when he was 50 for engineering but his original profession was not engineering.

[Just the facts]

Because some professions are limited by various factors like age and/or size. I am too old (48), too big (6'-2"/260 right now, even when I was working in a warehouse lifting all day and in the best shape of my life I was 235) to be a professional race car driver at the highest levels. Most races start of in their teens or pre-teens and most now are in the smaller portion of the population. My goal is to be as good of a club racer as I can be and hopefully participate in some pro level sports car events, that is pretty much the top of the ladder for someone like me now. I accept that with no qualms, my decision was made long ago but it is always nice to dream some.

I guess that depends on if you really want to do it or not. Paul Newman won his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona at age 70.

[bluedogok]

I guess that depends on if you really want to do it or not. Paul Newman won his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona at age 70.

There is always the possibility in sports cars, especially if you had the money that he did. The problem is most competitive race teams are looking for small guys in the early 20's, not bigger guys in their 50's, Newman had the advantage of owning his own team. There has always been a whole lot more to high level professional racing than just sheer talent.

Sports cars has always been my favorite racing discipline. Size is not as big an of issue in sports cars like it is in open wheel and was not as critical back then, Newman was not exactly a big guy either. Newman did hold the GTO class track record at Hallett in the mid-80's.

[Just the facts]

I'll admit I always wanted to be a race car driver as well. I had a chance back in the early 90s but my then new wife put the kibosh on that quick, fast, and in a hurry. It has been all downhill from there.

[bluedogok]

I'm planning on getting into club racing again (SCCA, BMWCA, maybe NASA) after we get the house deal done. Hopefully for the 2014 season, spend next year building a BMW Spec E36 car.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

I'm planning on getting into club racing again (SCCA, BMWCA, maybe NASA) after we get the house deal done. Hopefully for the 2014 season, spend next year building a BMW Spec E36 car.

You ever run out at the Sheriff's track?

[PennyQuilts]

I edited out of my original post those few things age and physicality actually limit. I'm wasn't considering the things few people can do regardless of age such as compete in any sport at the professional level, be an Astronaut, or become president of the US. Physicality limits as well--only a few people are small enough to be a Jockey or big enough to be a sumo wrestler.

But, within the realm of the reasonably attainable professions, age doesn't limit as much as apptitude and fear or desire limits folks more than anything.

I've always tried to live a life in a way so I'd never "look back" and regret the road not taken. At age 50, I still look forward to endless possibilities of the future and the exciting turns ahead. If anything, I see more possibilities ahead than I did when I was 18.

Oh now, come on, EO, why so serious? I don't think you understand the game. The rules of the game is whether you'd have chosen a different path back when you started. Implied in the question is whether you'd have changed career paths after factoring in our lifetime of experiences, taking into account a changed world and much greater knowledge of that world - and ourselves - than we had as youngsters. It is NOT about changing your career path. Surely you don't think there is any shame or sadness in living a life so that we learn more about ourselves and the world as time goes on? This certainly isn't about looking back with regret - it is more about - what have a learned and how have I grown?

I've had several careers and have started a third (fourth if you count raising babies). I actually considered wildlife biology and probably would have gone that route as a young woman. And that was the question asked. The question I didn't ask was about changing careers, right now. Like you, I believe we have endless possibilities but having lived my life and knowing more about myself than I did at age 18, I also know that starting over as a wildlife biologist isn't what I want to do NOW. Doesn't mean I can't study, take classes, work on being certified as a naturalist, etc. It doesn't mean I can't incorporate those interests in my life, right now. Life is about balance and right now, keeping those interests as a hobby or side interests makes better sense than thinking I have to start a whole new career path. I could if I wanted, certainly, but I don't want to do that. And actually, from my perspective, not only do I not see having second thoughts as "sad," I see them as healthy and normal for anyone who has spent their lives growing, thinking and evolving. Few of us know what we want to do or who we are/will be at age 18. Or 20. Or for that matter, we may have gone in a different direction than from where we were even at age 30. That's the fun of life.