Tag: childhood

A leak in my career path

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What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in?

Daily Writing Prompt

You might have a dream job when you’re a kid, but it changes as you age. Some people know what they want to be and stick to it from the start. In some way, I envy those people. It’s a good envy. My mind is more complex than that. I have a leak in my career path because I keep changing my mind. When I was 6, I wanted to be a baker because I liked to help Mum in the kitchen. Later, I realised baking is fun, but cleaning and waking up early isn’t. I bake occasionally but wouldn’t want to do it for a living. I also can’t do a job where you must always wash your hands. Wearing rubber gloves isn’t good either. You could say I have an education path, not a career one, because I don’t have enough job experience.

When I finished compulsory school, I had to apply for further education. My educational advisor suggested healthcare studies, but I didn’t want to apply. My mother said I should start somewhere, so I did. The education was for a year, but it seemed longer than that. I was 17, my first time living away from home. I only went home at the weekend. My mother was right; I should start somewhere because I could have been an outcast youth if I hadn’t. After primary school, it is good to have a further plan. I was lucky to have people who helped me decide what to do next. As a teenager, you don’t know yourself the way you do when you become an adult. I’ve been to two schools that I didn’t finish.

One was business school, and the other was photography. I didn’t like economic education for two reasons, Math and awful schoolmates. Photography education wasn’t fun either. It was at the beginning of the 2000s, and digital cameras weren’t that common. The teacher was all about film and refused to teach us about digital photography. I didn’t understand film development with all the different liquids. It was too complicated for me. The only thing I liked about the school was my roommate and the chance to use Photoshop in the computer room. The trip to the school wasn’t fun either. First, take the bus and then walk about 3 kilometres. I was only there for 3 or 4 months and then quit. My mother said I gave up too quickly, and in a way, I still do. I didn’t know what I wanted to be, and that’s the easy part.

I have considered different career paths. As a teen, I wanted to be a singer for a moment because I liked to sing along to songs I liked. Then, I thought I would want to work for a radio station or in a fan club. I even applied for a dance education, which luckily was cancelled. I don’t know what I was thinking with that. I didn’t even like school discos. I applied for the dance one after I finished my healthcare education. I was very restless when I was a teenager. I wanted to live in England because my favourite band, Take That, lived there and you could study English there for 3-4 months. I also wanted to see some other places than Finland. My mother didn’t want me to live there, maybe because we didn’t have the money to send me there. She didn’t even want to pay for a concert ticket when the band was here. The older I got, the less I wanted to live abroad. I’ve always been a homebody; I didn’t stay out late at night as a teenager. I had no friends anymore with whom to spend time anyway. I liked spending time with my parents and spending quality time with them. I didn’t have a reason to go out. They supported me in any occupation I chose.

I never really had a career path. It’s challenging to have anything when you concentrate on what you want to do for a living. Even if my mother was dying, she always worried about if I would find a job. She had been unemployed, so it was understandable she didn’t want the same thing for me. But it’s been inevitable these days because there are only jobs in places where I don’t have an education. I have never wanted to do only one thing. I like being versatile. Once, I thought about becoming a screenplay writer because I enjoy writing and have studied writing. But it’s hard work and an unstable job. I can’t even finish the fan fiction I write. A career in movies and TV would be an exciting career path. But it’s a complex business to get into. It would be different if I was younger, and I would have time to start something different. I have studied creative things, so I want to combine them.

I found what I wanted to do, but since I don’t have the experience, I don’t get a chance to work anywhere. They all want job experience but don’t even provide internships for people like me. They’re all for young people who study. My resume has too many leaks. Studying doesn’t mean a squat if you don’t get the chance to work in the field you studied. All I get offered are jobs that aren’t moving my career further. If I was younger, those jobs would be OK. I’m seriously thinking about becoming an entrepreneur. I have already taken courses in social media to promote myself. I just don’t know if any of it will get me clients, but it doesn’t happen overnight. Maybe I will finally get that career I’ve been looking for and end to the leak.

A wheel is better than no wheel at all

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On July 15, 2024, I’ve had the driver’s license for three years. At first, I had my dad with me, but now I have to drive alone. If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t be the driver I am today. He gave me the courage to drive. Before, I drove alone a short way. The first time I drove alone was when I drove him to the hospital in January this year. I didn’t know then, but it was the last time he was with me in the car. Because of him, I wasn’t scared of driving alone. He taught me how to drive his car. It’s a manual, so you drive it a little differently. Before continuing, you can read an old post about getting the licence below.

Passed the test
Originally posted on July 16, 2021

It’s true that when you get a wheel under you, you feel freedom. In 2017, I didn’t think I needed a driver’s license, but my opinions changed. I didn’t like to drive when I first got my temporary license, so I didn’t finish driving school then. But how things change. I have driven longer distances, and the more confident I get, the more I enjoy it. I will still use the train or buses if I go even longer distances. My hands and legs get tired if I drive too far. All those long drives to the North of Finland that my dad had to do, I admire how he could manage all that driving. I couldn’t do it. It took almost 14 hours to drive there, rests included. We only went there once a year to ski, but that was enough. I probably won’t go there again, even if you can go by train. We did that a few times because Dad didn’t feel like driving that far the older he got. Dad also drove in Europe when I was 6 years old and then in Germany in 2008. I won’t do the same. I would be terrified driving on the motorway in Germany. Finnish motorways are enough for me.

You get used to driving when you do it often enough. At first, I didn’t like driving on the motorway or in traffic, but now it comes naturally to me. A wheel is better than no wheel at all. Owning a car isn’t cheap. I could rent, but that isn’t very convenient because I never know when I will need one. I could always be without a car, though. But then there wouldn’t be the same freedom that comes with having wheels. I’ve thought of buying a new car one day, but I got used to driving my dad’s car, so maybe not yet. If I replace it, it would feel like I’m hurting the car’s feelings. I know it’s only a car, but I was with Dad when he bought it, so it’s like a family member. We had it for years. It’s not in my name yet, so it’s not my car. I don’t think I know how to buy a car even if I’ve been with Dad at the car dealer. One thing is sure, once you have wheels, you can be without one again.

Bloganuary: Dream job in a tangled web

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sleeping person with book on face
Photo by Keira Burton on Pexels.com

What’s your dream job?

Bloganuary 2024

Wouldn’t it be great if you got paid for sleeping? That would be a dream job for me. But getting back to reality. My dream job is in a tangled web. I like to do many things, which was difficult when I decided what kind of job I wanted. I always wanted to do something creative and something that wasn’t a regular job. I’ve studied this and that, but I had no luck when it came to getting job experience. They’ve mostly been short internships, but employers don’t appreciate them. I’ve never been a go-getter, so maybe I haven’t gotten anywhere because of that. I’ve had dream jobs, but they’ve changed through the years. Perhaps I’ve been naïve for thinking someone would give me a job after my different studies.

When I was 6, I wanted to become a baker because I liked to help Mum in the kitchen. But then I realised you need to get up early in the morning. I’m not a morning person. Once, as a kid, I wanted to own a candy/sweet shop because I thought I could eat them as much as I wanted. But of course, you can’t. It was only something I thought about. Some people know since they are kids what occupation they want and work for it to reach their goals. For some, it can change through the years. Maybe I’ve looked for something that doesn’t exist. When I finally knew what I wanted to do, I didn’t even get an internship to get field experience. Some employers I’ve sent applications to don’t even get in touch. Job search, in general, is a tangled web, and it’s mentally draining trying to impress people. Then you don’t even get a thank you note.

A dream job would be something where you can control what you do. You can work whenever you feel like it, and you would get paid enough so you wouldn’t need to worry about your financials. No one wants to admit they want a well-paid job without struggling to succeed. But you should also love what you do, regardless of your salary. I couldn’t do a job if I didn’t like doing it. I don’t want to be rich. I only want a job that I’m excited about. I’ve been in enough workplaces I didn’t want to be in. Life should be about what you enjoy and not what others want you to do. Money is nice, but it shouldn’t be the only motivation.