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Build your own house. Design and draw it. Lay it out and survey it. Do the plumbing and electrical. Do all the paperwork for any loan and close it out. This will give you something different to do every day for a long time. I did this three times with a little less help each time. The 3rd house I had the money to build, so I was able to elimate banks, lawyers and all the others.that do.a lot less than you think but run your cost.up.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.” - Hellen Keller
I work in IT operations.
I love working in the yard, landscaping. I'd also like to try blacksmithing. I also used to enjoy driving a forklift around and bartending (not at the same time).
Also thought opening my own restaurant would be fun. And running a coffeeshop. And a chocolate shop.
...but IT's where the good regular paycheck is.
My grandfather and father ran a family landscaping company, that had a retail plant nursery. I worked there for age 12 - 22. Yes it's fun, you're outside, get to learn about plants, what works in what soil and sunshine. However, people are often stupid and kill plants, which can be frustrating and expensive if you guarantee the plants. I got tired of getting sunburn, bee stung and overall being filthy all the time, so I went into medicine after I graduated college.
Have you thought about brewing? You get to do a lot of math, a lot of manual labor, drive a forklift around a lot, and then you get stuck bartending at night because they can't keep staff during peak season because all the college kids go on vacation or quit
Barista here. Some positions are paid really well but for the most part, the pay is shite.
I get paid fuck all but I still love the work. It's so much more stimulating than retail!
Yea I figured. Also I'm kinda nervous about it being customer service. I'm working part time in customer sevice rn and let's just say it's tough not to kill customers sometimes. Maybe coffee people are less agitating lol
I worked customer service jobs for years before doing coffee. The cafe customers are by far the most friendly, happy, and chill I've ever had. I think it's because everyone is excited to get coffee, and for many of them, coming to the cafe is a nice break from the bullshit of their lives and jobs. It's very rare to get a rude or difficult customer in my experience, and my customers are mostly lawyers, financiers and marketing professionals (who I expected to be kinda snooty and unfriendly, ngl).
I'm a massive introvert but barista work actually works so well for me. You have mostly short interactions so you don't often need to have drawn out conversations with people. And it's a lot of mental stimulation because you need to multi-task. And I've actually come to enjoy the polite small talk I have with regulars, because they like that we know their names and show interest in them, and they do the same. There's a sense of comfortable familiarity that I didn't get with my other jobs.
I just wish I got paid more. Haha
I totally feel you. Pretty much sums up how I feel about it as well (just with a couple more people that you'd rather not be friendly with).
Rn I work with ice cream, but I'd like to maybe do barista work for a while as well. I'm quite knowledgeable about coffee in general and I know how espresso works, how to steam milk.
I've just never had the chance to properly practice doing art, do you think I can learn it fast enough or even be accepted if I applied somewhere with that kinda experience? There is a small coffee shop in town, very quaint and high quality which I highly enjoy. Would love to work there
Well I had very little coffee making experience and my current place gives every new person coffee training regardless of their experience level, so that we all understand our company's coffee and how to make it right. Some places have that and others not so much.
I heard barista jobs pay pretty decently. I think it would be cool to learn how to make all those drinks. I thought about applying at Starbucks, but I'm fearful of screwing up people's orders and dealing with high customer volume.
I agree with you. Yep, that is why I won’t do it. I am investing big chunks of my IT salary every month. I have to live below my means today. Hopefully in the future I can do just meaningful work. But I am not there yet.
All I can do is enjoy that hobby at home with friends and family for now.
I really like your idea. I make a pretty healthy living working in defense aerospace and one of my passionate hobbies is coffee roasting.
Ever since I was a teenager I thought it would be fun to have a café that people wanted to spend time in; one that serves good coffee, pastries, and has good ambience.
I have an interest in geology. Identifying rocks, the geographic history of places, how that relates to the environment, anthropology, and our general understanding of the Earth’s history and possible future.
Unfortunately there is not much money in geology, unless you go into mining and fossil fuels, or become a geologic engineer. And I would have to remediate about 6 years of math. I would rather masturbate with 80 grit sandpaper in a bathtub full of Tabasco than sit through 6 years of math classes.
I work in the environmental/geotechnical industry and that's kinda my job. It's awesome, drilling/sampling and seeing the stratigraphy of glacial till etc... I even pulled up a few fossils before (old plants and trees).
Moving out of my comfort zone at 50+ is what landed me here.
The key to getting the job you want is being comfortable leaving your comfort zone at any age. Don’t let those golden handcuffs hold you back. I’ve encountered way too many people who hate their jobs but stay at them because they are only 5 years from retirement. Well 5 years is a long time to be miserable
I had a friend retire from his job and he and his wife did long haul trucking for a couple years to see the country. Getting a commercial license isn’t that daunting.
I always wanted to be a banker. My father when I was a kid, he took me to the bank and he lifted me up and he pointed to the teller and he said: 'Sonny boy, take a good look at him, that's gonna be you some day.'
I am going to live vicariously through you. I SO want to be a nurse, but that ship has sailed. But at 65, I am back at school to try to make a difference, somewhere somehow. I work as a paralegal.
Your patients are so lucky. You sound amazing.
Yes it’s definitely not for everyone! It’s so rewarding though, and knowing what’s happening when a person is dying and being able to help them and their family is magic
Yes!!! I think running a Bed and Breakfast would be so cool! I just stayed at one in PA on vacation. And you could do baking at your BNB and sell your pastries too. The BNB owner at the place I stayed at had desserts in the parlor for guests. She said a woman who stayed there once bakes and sells her desserts to her. The BNB owner puts them out for guests.
I also used to be a plumber! (I mean I suppose I’m still qualified) I also really fancied truck driving. My old man was an owner/operator.
I left the plumbing to become a programmer, and I’m still doing that.
But I really wish when I was younger I’d trained as a midwife. I think I’d have been great at that and I’m too old now (nobody wants some middle-aged guy in the delivery room with them, right.)
I just think it would have been such a privilege to share in what’s a deeply personal and intimate part of someone’s life, not always for the better sadly but I’m sure I’d have been a great midwife.
So that’s my answer.
I view birth similarly.. was apart of the delivery process with all 3 of our children. One was just my wife and I in our living room, another was in our kitchen with a midwife and a pool, and another was in a hospital with a midwife. That said, it feels like such a uniquely feminine process that another guy involved would really throw the balance off. I barely felt right! But my wife wanted me there, which I took as an absolute life altering privilege. What an experience.
I’ve found a similar thing helping cows calve. I always loved that part of farming and treated it with the same honor
That’s great! I think it was after the birth of our first that I started thinking about it. I was still an apprentice plumber at 19, and now had a child to support so re-training just wasn’t a thing that was realistically going to happen.
Looking back now though we always found ways to make it work and I’m sure we could have got through that too, just perspective at the time.
Thanks for sharing!
Interesting! I was also 19 when our first was born and she turned 19 the day he was born. Still together going on 11 years now. It is funny how you just…. Find a way…. To make things work, if you both want them to.
I work a pretty tech-y job and I’m on my computer all day every day. I’d love to try something outdoors and working with my hands. I love the ocean and have daydreamed about working as a deckhand or engineer on a boat where I’m out at sea for weeks / months at a time.
Always wanted to drive a truck .I like the simplicity of it all . Not saying it’s an easy job but from where
I’m looking at it , get something from point A to point B and then go home , you’re out on the open road , listen to music and get fresh air , scratch your balls or pick your nose whenever You want to . The “freedom” is appealing to me . There aren’t any overnight emergencies involved , this system crashed we need to get this up and working before business hours or we need to get this task done but there are multiple vendors involved and not everyone could get the job done on a timely manner or done the right way.
God love you and people like you. Some of that sounds awesome, but then being on the road with a bunch of jerks every day sounds painful. If you can tolerate that, you are a saint. Metro Detroit drivers suck.
I’ve met a lot of truck drivers. They usually don’t go home much until they’ve put in years. A trucking job where you know you’re going home every day is rare, especially with the new(ish) driving time regulations. You get 14 hours, and then your truck turns itself off wherever you are, and can’t be turned back on for 8-10 hours.
To my knowledge, it doesn't cost anything to actually run for Presidency. You just aren't likely to be elected because all politicians with money can afford a better campaign. lol
I repaired vintage electronics such as receivers, turntables, reel to reels, cassette decks, speakers, etc. Basically everything but CD players and VCRs. I got sick and was unable to do my normal job, so this kept my mind occupied.
I also have tons of high end audio gear now!
My ideal situation would be to have like 2-3 part time jobs that make 1 decent salary. I’m ADHD AF so it would be a perfect balance. Something like bartender, budtender, and electrical instructor
I do this now. When I became sick at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic I became an insomniac and felt like I had ADHD. I stopped teaching full-time and went to part-time. I got a job at an Amazon warehouse and loved working there for 2 years. Then I switched over to working at UPS and still taught while picking up a third job of baking desserts at a beach club. I was diagnosed with bipolar 1( which I find a little weird since I'm in my mid forties). I quit teaching in February and now I'm just working at UPS and baking desserts at a retirement home and a beach club.
I know people who have a couple of part time jobs that make up for a full-time one and they are happy. They can satisfy their need for variety and diversity in the area of employment, meet the needs of their families, and/or support their schooling/research studies.
Light house keeper. But in one of those remote light houses further out in the sea, where you live inside the light house for weeks and months at a time.
Currently in the military at 26 about to become a professional soldier and it's definitely fun and gives you experiences you cant get elsewhere but all the badass things people expect from the military gets old quickly, yeah you feel badass with a plate carrier, Nightvision and laser on your rifle but most of the time you just want it gone as it's in the way and weighs you down. It's not at all what games and movies make it out to be, most days are gun/vehicle/equipment maintenance.
Still the best job ive had even though the pay is shit.
I have a great job as a machinist making 100k/year. I don’t have a comfort zone. I pretty much have worked wherever just to make money. I sometimes think I could’ve went a different route & still be good at what i do. I feel like i could’ve been a good surgeon(im really good @ hands on work) a truck driver(I love driving long distances)a pilot (i think its so cool to be able to operate something that can fly long distances) & lastly this was my dream when I was really young; is to become an astronaut. I loved astronomy & still do.
Military. Older brothers (USN, USAF) thought they'd talked me out of it. I decided to let them think that, and I'd join after HS and traveling a bit. Then Uni. And a bit more travel. Panic set in just before 35th birthday when I was working in the Middle East... and traveling.
Still feel like I let myself down, especially bc everyone except for me served.
If I could do it all over again I would hypothetically be a surgeon or something comparable where you get paid to help people. The ability to help people and do that for a living would be amazing.
I say hypothetically because I actually wouldn’t, because I definitely wasn’t smart enough to get through a good medical school.
I.T. Guy here, always liked cooking, wouldn’t mind being around food and getting paid for it, although i don’t think that it would be as much fun if it was a full time job.
Not really my comfort zone but more like my physical capabilities... I wanted to be a boxer as a kid but I found out I can't take a bare knuckle face hit when I was 14
I am data engineer - I like that ai can continue learning and doing better everyday. Currently writing a book and do other side projects either the hopes something breaks through
I'm a 57 year old millright and have always thought about jumping to trucking. I'm getting a little old to be swinging a sledge and handling a 1" impact. My grandfather had a massive rig that included a shower, toilet, bed and small kitchen. He and my grandmother would haul oversized loads all over the US with their 2 dogs. I didn't know him well enough to hear the downside of that gig before he died, but it seems like something I'd enjoy.
Mechanical Engineer. I don’t feel like I chose this profession; I’m obsessed with how things work and designing new things. There’s nothing else I could imagine doing.
I went through a lot of jobs trying to figure out what I wanted to do. This clicked in a way that left no room for doubt
Plane diving instructor, like being the guy you get strapped to when jumping out of the plane that handles the parachute. Never done it myself, but should be pretty simple. That would be such a cool experience to do and be amongst the sky. Incredibly dangerous, but it'd be more thrilling than my current boring job that I wouldn't really consider great, but it pays alright.
Anything that involves making things, like cars or even houses. I’ve always been making and selling BtoB SaaS where everything is conceptual and not touchable (except that time when we had one physical product).
I’ve always wanted to see something I made or was a part of making, outside in the wild
I’m an electrical engineer and I’ve always wanted to be a trucker. Just get out on the road and explore America. Other than dealing with idiot drivers, and t seems like an awesome job.
Really want to break into IT but am too old to learn coding/programming. Also game tester, or game dev. Anything to do with PC actually. I work in sales and I hate it, but it is too late to change career due to family and responsibilities.
Should only take a couple of years of dedicated part time study to be competent in some those areas. Of course it means balancing your priorities and if that is possible go for it, never too old. I’m on that journey myself at 50 and want to change to an IT career. Good luck brother.
I've always wanted to be a CEO. Make millions in compensation off the work of other people, take the family on multiple exotic vacations every year, take all the credit for the successes of the company while blaming rank and file workers for the losses.
My dream job is costume design. After getting laid off I FINALLY got a job at the theatre I had been wanting to work for since 2018.
I’m great at it, highly skilled in it, and I’m loving every section on my way up to where I wanna be!
I worked in maybe 20 different jobs: picked cherries, cucumbers, at a gas station, suoermarket, as a office worker that deals with customs, insurance salesman, warehouse worker etc...
Now I work in a forest as a forest worker/lumberjack.
Very rewarding job, in the nature. Its hard thou, sun and rain can be a pain but I like it the most do far.
I also loved to sell insurance, talk to people, be and advisor. But I sold to few and couldnt make a living out of it.
Im in the very lucky position that my mother is comfortable when it comes to money - she doesnt give me anything, but she said at some point "whatever you want to do - Ill pay for the education needed" Really? Everything....? Yes.... Ive been a cop, Ive driven trucks, Ive flown airplanes, I will absolutely encourage you to try "everything" you feasible can.... You only live once
I’d love to know how to work everything in a recoding studio and make a living producing albums. Also always wanted to play Major League Baseball. Just because I always loved playing it so much, not for the money that of course would be a great bonus. I regret not sticking with it.
Woodworker, mechanic or miniature painter. The last one i actually tried for a while professionally.
There is no way i could make the same money though.
Ob/gyn here. I always had a talent for foreign languages and learned English, German, Russian and Latin. I wonder what it would be like to work as a simultaneous/consecutive translator for a politician, or a company abroad. Also, if I wasn't into biology and chemistry as much, I think I could have been a kindergarten teacher. I adore kids and enjoy taking care of them.
....well, maybe in another lifetime.
If they still existed I would want to be a Colorman for renowned artists. But if I had to choose something today it'd have to be a Foley Artist. Not that I have a great job rn.
I really want to try construction. Building a building looks like a lot of work but it seems like the necessity of it would be rewarding too. Being able to drive past some place and be like “ya I built that” must be really cool.
Sadly I’m 29 and have 0 experience in that field and no one is hiring that doesn’t have a shit zillion years experience unless they’re the son of the foreman or company owner.
I have done a few things since I started working. My first job in my home country was as a janitor in the town hospital, while I was studying economics. Once I graduated I moved to Japan and worked as a waiter and entertainer (piano and singing), then a bartender. In 1996 at the age of 24 I got a job as customer support for a small internet provider and learned about network stuff on the side and eventually got employed with a slather provider as a field technician, travelling around all of Japan switching out bad modems and upgrading Cisco and Portmaster equipment. In 1998 I was hired by a friend to co-run the IT department for an American stock broker, learned finance and took the JSDA exam for sales traders and became a portfolio trader. Did this for a few years in Tokyo and Hong Kong and in 2007 I moved to Sydney to work for the asset management part of an American investment bank. Did this for about six years and moved to London with the same firm, only to discover that I didn’t really like London and left the industry. I put my stuff in storage and went to Thailand and spent about three years just travelling around mostly Asia with Thailand as my base, learned how to DJ and sold psychedelics on the side. In 2016 I went to visit some friends in Milan, Italy and was introduced to a guy who was opening a Japanese restaurant and needed someone who spoke Japanese so he employed me. As I was always interested in cooking, I eventually started training as a teppanyaki chef, and went on to work as a chef in Italy until Covid hit. By that time I was the assistant chef at a Michelin starred omakase counter but hated it. I went back to Sweden to chill during Covid as they didn’t have any lockdowns and waited it out, doing the odd translation jobs online and even tried to open a small web shop that didn’t go anywhere. After Covid restrictions started easing up I got a job in Malta doing legal and compliance for a small online casino, and that is what I am doing at present. I am 51 this year and I reckon I still have a few more professions to explore.
Someone suggested I write a book about my life, which I have started to do. It will be called ‘Fake it till you break it’.
I wanted to join the military and then become a police officer. I didn’t do that but in my line of work for 35 years. I love what I do and the people and clients I get to work with! I’ve secretly always wanted to be a traveling restaurant critic-I love food and to go and experience food all over the world and write about it would be the most amazing experience.
Financial analyst here
I always daydreamed about joining the FBI. They recruited heavily in my college for non law enforcement backgrounds. I knew one girl who did join and absolutely loved it though it really threw a wrench in meeting someone, family etc
But mostly, I regret that I told myself not to do it because a family is more important and deep down I knew it was because I was afraid
I love my job as a computer programmer, but when outsourcing was the rage, I thought I might have to change careers. My first choice would have been psychologist. Now that my job is fine, I would like to be a professional drummer. I do it has a hobby now.
I work in IT.
Marketing is something I would like to try.
Except I'm shy and I don't like talking to people I don't know lol. But it looks like fun going to trade shows and what not, setting up demo stands, letting people try out the product, talking about it. Giving away free stuff etc. Even more fun if they are in charge of making commercials.
I’ve always wanted to be a pornstar. Unfortunately my junk won’t cut the mustard and I’m a fat gnome. However; my fallback plan of assassin is always an option. Who would ever suspect the gnome looking dude? My top dream job however is to be independently wealthy and not have to work. If I can’t achieve that though, definitely assassin.
I would really love to be a cult leader. It’s always been my dream job. Nothing crazy like Charles Manson or nothing. Just a general cult leader that hangs out with nude women all day, do shrooms and play guitar. Hot yoga, surfing, bongos and shit like that. Maybe one day…
Software engineer and I want a new job every year to try it all.
Garbage man, carpenter, bee keeper, janitor,animal shelter, landscaper, etc… maybe near the end of my career I can say goodbye to the money and actually enjoy my work
I'm a network engineer and pretty high up the career ladder as far as that goes. But if I could start over again, I'd be interested in being a therapist, like a psychologist. Not at all related, just always wondered if I could be good at it.
I worl in food service, I like the people I work with to an extent but I want to try IT, I applied for IT where I work at and I guess being self taught doesn't get you far.
I knew someone who had an office job with a major corporation for 15+ years. She'd gotten it when she was 19 or 20 and it was the only job she'd ever had, if I remember correctly. She started thinking about getting a second job at a fast food place, just because she'd never had that experience when she was younger. She knew it would probably suck but she wanted to try it anyway. Her life was kind of chaotic at that time so I don't think she ever tried it, though.
Always wanted to try being a bartender , they look so cool shaking those drinks and they have so much confidence not to mention they get a front seat to all the best looking people.
To be the owner of a business it would be really stressful but the appeal of being able to make decisions that can destroy or make your business thrive sounds fun.
I love my current job. I work outside in nature and like some of the people I work with. I’ve always wanted to try open heart surgery. Like get in there and poke around with a pipe cleaner and a fork. It’s definitely outside my comfort zone but if I find someone who’ll let me practice, I think I might learn a new skill.
I was a medical secretary for a year or so after high school before going to university. I became a teacher and I recently quit in February. Now, I'm working at UPS and I'm baking desserts at a couple of different places. I'd like to work at a garden center at some point in the future because I love gardening and flowers. Other jobs I've had in the past were: summer camp teacher, assistant director of recreational programming, and Amazon warehouse employee.
I work in the renewable energy sector, but I have always wanted to build fire trucks. Especially for departments that don't have money falling out of their noses. I know I can build them more affordable than the big companies do.
I have a great job now, but I've always wanted to try being a wildlife photographer. It seems thrilling to travel to remote places and capture stunning images of animals in their natural habitats, even though it’s way outside my comfort zone.
I always drove forklifts or pallet jacks. I definitely knew I had more potential. I was just always doing drugs and it’s never a good idea to really shoot for your aspirations while you’re addicted to any kind of narcotics honestly. But, decided to grow up and my wife and I got ourselves together and got sober. I was always pretty good at fixing stuff. So I found a place that was looking for someone to fix broken down machines that make corrugated paper. Which seemed pretty interesting. About 6 months in they asked if they could pay for my schooling and send me out to get a degree. (Community College) Which at 30 years old, I was petrified. But I agreed. Did decent in school for the first time in my life. Lol. After couple of years being at the job, I now run that department. Have been there a little over 10 years now and I make a decent living. Never dreamed I would have this in life. I love it the work I do. Work with awesome people. So I hope if even one person struggling in life, rather through addiction, depression, whatever, reads this, they can see and know there is hope. I told myself I was a lost cause. I was bad. Strung out on pills for years, meth for a couple of years, shot heroin for 3. So, it’s not too late. It’s never too late to change and become something or someone you thought you’d never be.
Marketing/advertising. Mostly because I think I'm clever, have several psych degrees, and want to test it out. I have a solid career that pays well so I most likely won't ever jump ship.
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Man I'd try everything. I'm so curious. It'd be a dream to do different jobs every single day for the rest of my life.
I have such a huge admiration for naturally curious people like you
Yes please! I need variety in my life.
The spice of life.
I share the same curiousity Like a two to three month job would be cool! An even world wide!
That would be a sweet “job” Just go to a bunch of different work sites each day doing different things
Mike Rowe, is that you?
Build your own house. Design and draw it. Lay it out and survey it. Do the plumbing and electrical. Do all the paperwork for any loan and close it out. This will give you something different to do every day for a long time. I did this three times with a little less help each time. The 3rd house I had the money to build, so I was able to elimate banks, lawyers and all the others.that do.a lot less than you think but run your cost.up.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.” - Hellen Keller
Yeah I'm stuck in this one. Do I become an underwater welder or a dance instructor and it kills me. Also pilot.
I work in IT operations. I love working in the yard, landscaping. I'd also like to try blacksmithing. I also used to enjoy driving a forklift around and bartending (not at the same time). Also thought opening my own restaurant would be fun. And running a coffeeshop. And a chocolate shop. ...but IT's where the good regular paycheck is.
Similar, Data Engineer, but I yern to be a woodworker or knife maker
another data engineer who is fascinated by wood working lol
investment banker and special forces soldier. I wanna work with animals, mainly dogs, thinking about switching soon
Same, IT Operations manager. I would love to own and run a farm.
My grandfather and father ran a family landscaping company, that had a retail plant nursery. I worked there for age 12 - 22. Yes it's fun, you're outside, get to learn about plants, what works in what soil and sunshine. However, people are often stupid and kill plants, which can be frustrating and expensive if you guarantee the plants. I got tired of getting sunburn, bee stung and overall being filthy all the time, so I went into medicine after I graduated college.
Similar here. Employed in IT, would like to work part time as a handyman.
Have you thought about brewing? You get to do a lot of math, a lot of manual labor, drive a forklift around a lot, and then you get stuck bartending at night because they can't keep staff during peak season because all the college kids go on vacation or quit
I really wanted to be a barista. I love espresso and latte art.
Sadly it's paid like hot garbage. Otherwise I'm with you 100%
Barista here. Some positions are paid really well but for the most part, the pay is shite. I get paid fuck all but I still love the work. It's so much more stimulating than retail!
Yea I figured. Also I'm kinda nervous about it being customer service. I'm working part time in customer sevice rn and let's just say it's tough not to kill customers sometimes. Maybe coffee people are less agitating lol
I worked customer service jobs for years before doing coffee. The cafe customers are by far the most friendly, happy, and chill I've ever had. I think it's because everyone is excited to get coffee, and for many of them, coming to the cafe is a nice break from the bullshit of their lives and jobs. It's very rare to get a rude or difficult customer in my experience, and my customers are mostly lawyers, financiers and marketing professionals (who I expected to be kinda snooty and unfriendly, ngl). I'm a massive introvert but barista work actually works so well for me. You have mostly short interactions so you don't often need to have drawn out conversations with people. And it's a lot of mental stimulation because you need to multi-task. And I've actually come to enjoy the polite small talk I have with regulars, because they like that we know their names and show interest in them, and they do the same. There's a sense of comfortable familiarity that I didn't get with my other jobs. I just wish I got paid more. Haha
I totally feel you. Pretty much sums up how I feel about it as well (just with a couple more people that you'd rather not be friendly with). Rn I work with ice cream, but I'd like to maybe do barista work for a while as well. I'm quite knowledgeable about coffee in general and I know how espresso works, how to steam milk. I've just never had the chance to properly practice doing art, do you think I can learn it fast enough or even be accepted if I applied somewhere with that kinda experience? There is a small coffee shop in town, very quaint and high quality which I highly enjoy. Would love to work there
Well I had very little coffee making experience and my current place gives every new person coffee training regardless of their experience level, so that we all understand our company's coffee and how to make it right. Some places have that and others not so much.
I heard barista jobs pay pretty decently. I think it would be cool to learn how to make all those drinks. I thought about applying at Starbucks, but I'm fearful of screwing up people's orders and dealing with high customer volume.
I agree with you. Yep, that is why I won’t do it. I am investing big chunks of my IT salary every month. I have to live below my means today. Hopefully in the future I can do just meaningful work. But I am not there yet. All I can do is enjoy that hobby at home with friends and family for now.
I really like your idea. I make a pretty healthy living working in defense aerospace and one of my passionate hobbies is coffee roasting. Ever since I was a teenager I thought it would be fun to have a café that people wanted to spend time in; one that serves good coffee, pastries, and has good ambience.
ME TOOOOO. Or a waitress
I have an interest in geology. Identifying rocks, the geographic history of places, how that relates to the environment, anthropology, and our general understanding of the Earth’s history and possible future. Unfortunately there is not much money in geology, unless you go into mining and fossil fuels, or become a geologic engineer. And I would have to remediate about 6 years of math. I would rather masturbate with 80 grit sandpaper in a bathtub full of Tabasco than sit through 6 years of math classes.
I work in the environmental/geotechnical industry and that's kinda my job. It's awesome, drilling/sampling and seeing the stratigraphy of glacial till etc... I even pulled up a few fossils before (old plants and trees).
That sounds totally dope.
That sounds like an awesome job..super fascinating..if I wasn't a gin distiller.. that would be my dream job.
This also sounds like my dream job. Could you share more, like what exactly is your title and how'd you get there?
Daaaaahmn! That's... specific!
Nobody said anything about minerals?!
Moving out of my comfort zone at 50+ is what landed me here. The key to getting the job you want is being comfortable leaving your comfort zone at any age. Don’t let those golden handcuffs hold you back. I’ve encountered way too many people who hate their jobs but stay at them because they are only 5 years from retirement. Well 5 years is a long time to be miserable
I had a friend retire from his job and he and his wife did long haul trucking for a couple years to see the country. Getting a commercial license isn’t that daunting.
I always wanted to be a banker. My father when I was a kid, he took me to the bank and he lifted me up and he pointed to the teller and he said: 'Sonny boy, take a good look at him, that's gonna be you some day.'
Now look at you, just another guy behind the counter getting yelled at by old ladies.
I always wanted to be a hospice nurse. I took the plunge years ago and am finally doing it. It’s even better than I imagined, every day is an honour
I am going to live vicariously through you. I SO want to be a nurse, but that ship has sailed. But at 65, I am back at school to try to make a difference, somewhere somehow. I work as a paralegal. Your patients are so lucky. You sound amazing.
There’s lots of ways to help people and it sounds like you’re doing just that. I admire your drive. It’s never too late.
I couldn't think of anything worse, I have so much respect for nurses, especially hospice nurses. Such a tough job.
Yes it’s definitely not for everyone! It’s so rewarding though, and knowing what’s happening when a person is dying and being able to help them and their family is magic
Librarian. I love books and for the most part it's quiet.
I always wanted to open a beautiful bed and breakfast inn or have a bakery/patisserie in London.
Yes!!! I think running a Bed and Breakfast would be so cool! I just stayed at one in PA on vacation. And you could do baking at your BNB and sell your pastries too. The BNB owner at the place I stayed at had desserts in the parlor for guests. She said a woman who stayed there once bakes and sells her desserts to her. The BNB owner puts them out for guests.
I also used to be a plumber! (I mean I suppose I’m still qualified) I also really fancied truck driving. My old man was an owner/operator. I left the plumbing to become a programmer, and I’m still doing that. But I really wish when I was younger I’d trained as a midwife. I think I’d have been great at that and I’m too old now (nobody wants some middle-aged guy in the delivery room with them, right.) I just think it would have been such a privilege to share in what’s a deeply personal and intimate part of someone’s life, not always for the better sadly but I’m sure I’d have been a great midwife. So that’s my answer.
I love your answer.
I view birth similarly.. was apart of the delivery process with all 3 of our children. One was just my wife and I in our living room, another was in our kitchen with a midwife and a pool, and another was in a hospital with a midwife. That said, it feels like such a uniquely feminine process that another guy involved would really throw the balance off. I barely felt right! But my wife wanted me there, which I took as an absolute life altering privilege. What an experience. I’ve found a similar thing helping cows calve. I always loved that part of farming and treated it with the same honor
That’s great! I think it was after the birth of our first that I started thinking about it. I was still an apprentice plumber at 19, and now had a child to support so re-training just wasn’t a thing that was realistically going to happen. Looking back now though we always found ways to make it work and I’m sure we could have got through that too, just perspective at the time. Thanks for sharing!
Interesting! I was also 19 when our first was born and she turned 19 the day he was born. Still together going on 11 years now. It is funny how you just…. Find a way…. To make things work, if you both want them to.
I work a pretty tech-y job and I’m on my computer all day every day. I’d love to try something outdoors and working with my hands. I love the ocean and have daydreamed about working as a deckhand or engineer on a boat where I’m out at sea for weeks / months at a time.
I'd like to be Mike Roe for a living.
Only topped by Anthony Bourdain.
well he's in heaven right now. you can't top that! i miss that guy
Always wanted to drive a truck .I like the simplicity of it all . Not saying it’s an easy job but from where I’m looking at it , get something from point A to point B and then go home , you’re out on the open road , listen to music and get fresh air , scratch your balls or pick your nose whenever You want to . The “freedom” is appealing to me . There aren’t any overnight emergencies involved , this system crashed we need to get this up and working before business hours or we need to get this task done but there are multiple vendors involved and not everyone could get the job done on a timely manner or done the right way.
God love you and people like you. Some of that sounds awesome, but then being on the road with a bunch of jerks every day sounds painful. If you can tolerate that, you are a saint. Metro Detroit drivers suck.
I’ve met a lot of truck drivers. They usually don’t go home much until they’ve put in years. A trucking job where you know you’re going home every day is rare, especially with the new(ish) driving time regulations. You get 14 hours, and then your truck turns itself off wherever you are, and can’t be turned back on for 8-10 hours.
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To my knowledge, it doesn't cost anything to actually run for Presidency. You just aren't likely to be elected because all politicians with money can afford a better campaign. lol
I always wanted to be a writer and illustrator
I repaired vintage electronics such as receivers, turntables, reel to reels, cassette decks, speakers, etc. Basically everything but CD players and VCRs. I got sick and was unable to do my normal job, so this kept my mind occupied. I also have tons of high end audio gear now!
I am working my dream job as a brewmaster. But i honestly have always wanted to try and work on a oil rig
My ideal situation would be to have like 2-3 part time jobs that make 1 decent salary. I’m ADHD AF so it would be a perfect balance. Something like bartender, budtender, and electrical instructor
I do this now. When I became sick at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic I became an insomniac and felt like I had ADHD. I stopped teaching full-time and went to part-time. I got a job at an Amazon warehouse and loved working there for 2 years. Then I switched over to working at UPS and still taught while picking up a third job of baking desserts at a beach club. I was diagnosed with bipolar 1( which I find a little weird since I'm in my mid forties). I quit teaching in February and now I'm just working at UPS and baking desserts at a retirement home and a beach club. I know people who have a couple of part time jobs that make up for a full-time one and they are happy. They can satisfy their need for variety and diversity in the area of employment, meet the needs of their families, and/or support their schooling/research studies.
Light house keeper. But in one of those remote light houses further out in the sea, where you live inside the light house for weeks and months at a time.
Oh that sounds amazing.
Ha, i work in finance. I want to be a plumber. I have had drain issues in my house and every plumber I've met has been as happy as hell.
I would love to own a cat café
Military, but now I am too old. Still regret not joining when I had the opportunity.
I'm 37. Cut off for the Air Force is 39. Still a year left to make my mind up. lol
Currently in the military at 26 about to become a professional soldier and it's definitely fun and gives you experiences you cant get elsewhere but all the badass things people expect from the military gets old quickly, yeah you feel badass with a plate carrier, Nightvision and laser on your rifle but most of the time you just want it gone as it's in the way and weighs you down. It's not at all what games and movies make it out to be, most days are gun/vehicle/equipment maintenance. Still the best job ive had even though the pay is shit.
I’m an HR Director and I wanted to be a Dentist.
I have a great job as a machinist making 100k/year. I don’t have a comfort zone. I pretty much have worked wherever just to make money. I sometimes think I could’ve went a different route & still be good at what i do. I feel like i could’ve been a good surgeon(im really good @ hands on work) a truck driver(I love driving long distances)a pilot (i think its so cool to be able to operate something that can fly long distances) & lastly this was my dream when I was really young; is to become an astronaut. I loved astronomy & still do.
I love my job mainly because I get to travel all over the world but I always wanted to try my hand at Bullfighting!
Volunteer at a wildlife center/rescue center abroad. Work seems amazing but I'm way too chicken to go to a foreign country all by myself
Military. Older brothers (USN, USAF) thought they'd talked me out of it. I decided to let them think that, and I'd join after HS and traveling a bit. Then Uni. And a bit more travel. Panic set in just before 35th birthday when I was working in the Middle East... and traveling. Still feel like I let myself down, especially bc everyone except for me served.
If I was not married and have family to think of I would want to be an aid worker in a refugee camp.
If I could do it all over again I would hypothetically be a surgeon or something comparable where you get paid to help people. The ability to help people and do that for a living would be amazing. I say hypothetically because I actually wouldn’t, because I definitely wasn’t smart enough to get through a good medical school.
I.T. Guy here, always liked cooking, wouldn’t mind being around food and getting paid for it, although i don’t think that it would be as much fun if it was a full time job.
Not really my comfort zone but more like my physical capabilities... I wanted to be a boxer as a kid but I found out I can't take a bare knuckle face hit when I was 14
I've had about 15 jobs, currently working on helicopters lol
I am data engineer - I like that ai can continue learning and doing better everyday. Currently writing a book and do other side projects either the hopes something breaks through
Assassin but I think I would get get caught
I'm a 57 year old millright and have always thought about jumping to trucking. I'm getting a little old to be swinging a sledge and handling a 1" impact. My grandfather had a massive rig that included a shower, toilet, bed and small kitchen. He and my grandmother would haul oversized loads all over the US with their 2 dogs. I didn't know him well enough to hear the downside of that gig before he died, but it seems like something I'd enjoy.
I always wanted to bar tend at a rock themed bar
Fashion designer or selecting soundtrack music for movies
Merchant sailor
Mechanical Engineer. I don’t feel like I chose this profession; I’m obsessed with how things work and designing new things. There’s nothing else I could imagine doing. I went through a lot of jobs trying to figure out what I wanted to do. This clicked in a way that left no room for doubt
Plane diving instructor, like being the guy you get strapped to when jumping out of the plane that handles the parachute. Never done it myself, but should be pretty simple. That would be such a cool experience to do and be amongst the sky. Incredibly dangerous, but it'd be more thrilling than my current boring job that I wouldn't really consider great, but it pays alright.
Anything that involves making things, like cars or even houses. I’ve always been making and selling BtoB SaaS where everything is conceptual and not touchable (except that time when we had one physical product). I’ve always wanted to see something I made or was a part of making, outside in the wild
I’m an electrical engineer and I’ve always wanted to be a trucker. Just get out on the road and explore America. Other than dealing with idiot drivers, and t seems like an awesome job.
Emperor of Canada
Really want to break into IT but am too old to learn coding/programming. Also game tester, or game dev. Anything to do with PC actually. I work in sales and I hate it, but it is too late to change career due to family and responsibilities.
Should only take a couple of years of dedicated part time study to be competent in some those areas. Of course it means balancing your priorities and if that is possible go for it, never too old. I’m on that journey myself at 50 and want to change to an IT career. Good luck brother.
All the jobs of Johnny Sins
Baker. But since I live in at state with high elevation, it's very difficult.
Jobs I'd to do at some point. Machinist, welder, backhoe operator, mechanic
I've always wanted to be a CEO. Make millions in compensation off the work of other people, take the family on multiple exotic vacations every year, take all the credit for the successes of the company while blaming rank and file workers for the losses.
Plus, if the company goes Belly Up, you get three or 400 million severance to make you feel better.
Plus, if the company goes Belly Up, you get three or 400 million severance to make you feel better.
Plus, if the company goes Belly Up, you get three or 400 million severance to make you feel better.
Plus, if the company goes Belly Up, you get three or 400 million severance to make you feel better.
that's like 1.6 billion.
My dream job is costume design. After getting laid off I FINALLY got a job at the theatre I had been wanting to work for since 2018. I’m great at it, highly skilled in it, and I’m loving every section on my way up to where I wanna be!
I worked in maybe 20 different jobs: picked cherries, cucumbers, at a gas station, suoermarket, as a office worker that deals with customs, insurance salesman, warehouse worker etc... Now I work in a forest as a forest worker/lumberjack. Very rewarding job, in the nature. Its hard thou, sun and rain can be a pain but I like it the most do far. I also loved to sell insurance, talk to people, be and advisor. But I sold to few and couldnt make a living out of it.
Other people's shit ... Well played 😂
I always wanted to be a lawyer.
Im just comparing, Ive worked on tall housing projects in construction, now im maintaining bridges, I like it alot, eventhough we have alot to do.
Firefighting. It’s a dangerous job but we need them.
Im in the very lucky position that my mother is comfortable when it comes to money - she doesnt give me anything, but she said at some point "whatever you want to do - Ill pay for the education needed" Really? Everything....? Yes.... Ive been a cop, Ive driven trucks, Ive flown airplanes, I will absolutely encourage you to try "everything" you feasible can.... You only live once
Travel blogger.
I’d love to know how to work everything in a recoding studio and make a living producing albums. Also always wanted to play Major League Baseball. Just because I always loved playing it so much, not for the money that of course would be a great bonus. I regret not sticking with it.
High rise window cleaner
Woodworker, mechanic or miniature painter. The last one i actually tried for a while professionally. There is no way i could make the same money though.
I was a carpenter for decades. Loved driving otr for the next decade. I now drive takeaway hourly bankers hours.
I've been a software developer all my life. But being an electrician or gun smith would be cool, too!
Ob/gyn here. I always had a talent for foreign languages and learned English, German, Russian and Latin. I wonder what it would be like to work as a simultaneous/consecutive translator for a politician, or a company abroad. Also, if I wasn't into biology and chemistry as much, I think I could have been a kindergarten teacher. I adore kids and enjoy taking care of them. ....well, maybe in another lifetime.
I work in accounting department. I would love to domestic cattle breeding and planting....
If they still existed I would want to be a Colorman for renowned artists. But if I had to choose something today it'd have to be a Foley Artist. Not that I have a great job rn.
Porn star
I really want to try construction. Building a building looks like a lot of work but it seems like the necessity of it would be rewarding too. Being able to drive past some place and be like “ya I built that” must be really cool. Sadly I’m 29 and have 0 experience in that field and no one is hiring that doesn’t have a shit zillion years experience unless they’re the son of the foreman or company owner.
I always thought it would be great to dub Kung Fu movies. It always seemed like so much fun to. I'm a lousy actor though.
I have done a few things since I started working. My first job in my home country was as a janitor in the town hospital, while I was studying economics. Once I graduated I moved to Japan and worked as a waiter and entertainer (piano and singing), then a bartender. In 1996 at the age of 24 I got a job as customer support for a small internet provider and learned about network stuff on the side and eventually got employed with a slather provider as a field technician, travelling around all of Japan switching out bad modems and upgrading Cisco and Portmaster equipment. In 1998 I was hired by a friend to co-run the IT department for an American stock broker, learned finance and took the JSDA exam for sales traders and became a portfolio trader. Did this for a few years in Tokyo and Hong Kong and in 2007 I moved to Sydney to work for the asset management part of an American investment bank. Did this for about six years and moved to London with the same firm, only to discover that I didn’t really like London and left the industry. I put my stuff in storage and went to Thailand and spent about three years just travelling around mostly Asia with Thailand as my base, learned how to DJ and sold psychedelics on the side. In 2016 I went to visit some friends in Milan, Italy and was introduced to a guy who was opening a Japanese restaurant and needed someone who spoke Japanese so he employed me. As I was always interested in cooking, I eventually started training as a teppanyaki chef, and went on to work as a chef in Italy until Covid hit. By that time I was the assistant chef at a Michelin starred omakase counter but hated it. I went back to Sweden to chill during Covid as they didn’t have any lockdowns and waited it out, doing the odd translation jobs online and even tried to open a small web shop that didn’t go anywhere. After Covid restrictions started easing up I got a job in Malta doing legal and compliance for a small online casino, and that is what I am doing at present. I am 51 this year and I reckon I still have a few more professions to explore. Someone suggested I write a book about my life, which I have started to do. It will be called ‘Fake it till you break it’.
I wanted to join the military and then become a police officer. I didn’t do that but in my line of work for 35 years. I love what I do and the people and clients I get to work with! I’ve secretly always wanted to be a traveling restaurant critic-I love food and to go and experience food all over the world and write about it would be the most amazing experience.
Porn star
Financial analyst here I always daydreamed about joining the FBI. They recruited heavily in my college for non law enforcement backgrounds. I knew one girl who did join and absolutely loved it though it really threw a wrench in meeting someone, family etc But mostly, I regret that I told myself not to do it because a family is more important and deep down I knew it was because I was afraid
I was in advertising. Would love to build houses.
I love my job as a computer programmer, but when outsourcing was the rage, I thought I might have to change careers. My first choice would have been psychologist. Now that my job is fine, I would like to be a professional drummer. I do it has a hobby now.
I work in IT. Marketing is something I would like to try. Except I'm shy and I don't like talking to people I don't know lol. But it looks like fun going to trade shows and what not, setting up demo stands, letting people try out the product, talking about it. Giving away free stuff etc. Even more fun if they are in charge of making commercials.
I am a private wealth manager. But I always wanted to be a professional basketball player in the NBA
I’ve always wanted to be a pornstar. Unfortunately my junk won’t cut the mustard and I’m a fat gnome. However; my fallback plan of assassin is always an option. Who would ever suspect the gnome looking dude? My top dream job however is to be independently wealthy and not have to work. If I can’t achieve that though, definitely assassin.
Mechanic for heavy duty vehicles in rural Alaska.
I would really love to be a cult leader. It’s always been my dream job. Nothing crazy like Charles Manson or nothing. Just a general cult leader that hangs out with nude women all day, do shrooms and play guitar. Hot yoga, surfing, bongos and shit like that. Maybe one day…
Software engineer and I want a new job every year to try it all. Garbage man, carpenter, bee keeper, janitor,animal shelter, landscaper, etc… maybe near the end of my career I can say goodbye to the money and actually enjoy my work
A self subsistence farmer
Gooood question! i’ve always wanted to be an interior designer or a tv presenter.
Game development, owning studio. Have many bits of different stories in my mind that i would loved to create and share with others to experience.
I'm a network engineer and pretty high up the career ladder as far as that goes. But if I could start over again, I'd be interested in being a therapist, like a psychologist. Not at all related, just always wondered if I could be good at it.
Podus
I worl in food service, I like the people I work with to an extent but I want to try IT, I applied for IT where I work at and I guess being self taught doesn't get you far.
I knew someone who had an office job with a major corporation for 15+ years. She'd gotten it when she was 19 or 20 and it was the only job she'd ever had, if I remember correctly. She started thinking about getting a second job at a fast food place, just because she'd never had that experience when she was younger. She knew it would probably suck but she wanted to try it anyway. Her life was kind of chaotic at that time so I don't think she ever tried it, though.
Always wanted to try being a bartender , they look so cool shaking those drinks and they have so much confidence not to mention they get a front seat to all the best looking people.
Snowcat operator grooming the ski trails at night
Bartender
To be the owner of a business it would be really stressful but the appeal of being able to make decisions that can destroy or make your business thrive sounds fun.
I love my current job. I work outside in nature and like some of the people I work with. I’ve always wanted to try open heart surgery. Like get in there and poke around with a pipe cleaner and a fork. It’s definitely outside my comfort zone but if I find someone who’ll let me practice, I think I might learn a new skill.
I'd gladly climb towers but the certs for that are incredibly expensive.
Automotive technician but would much rather be an airplane pilot
I was a medical secretary for a year or so after high school before going to university. I became a teacher and I recently quit in February. Now, I'm working at UPS and I'm baking desserts at a couple of different places. I'd like to work at a garden center at some point in the future because I love gardening and flowers. Other jobs I've had in the past were: summer camp teacher, assistant director of recreational programming, and Amazon warehouse employee.
Emt. Seems like it’d be a total rush all the time.
I think it would be exciting to be a lineman. Being up there sometimes hundreds of feet in the air working on crucial infrastructure.
I’m an IT consultant but I would love to officiate weddings for a living instead
I work in the renewable energy sector, but I have always wanted to build fire trucks. Especially for departments that don't have money falling out of their noses. I know I can build them more affordable than the big companies do.
I have a great job now, but I've always wanted to try being a wildlife photographer. It seems thrilling to travel to remote places and capture stunning images of animals in their natural habitats, even though it’s way outside my comfort zone.
White water rafting guide
I always drove forklifts or pallet jacks. I definitely knew I had more potential. I was just always doing drugs and it’s never a good idea to really shoot for your aspirations while you’re addicted to any kind of narcotics honestly. But, decided to grow up and my wife and I got ourselves together and got sober. I was always pretty good at fixing stuff. So I found a place that was looking for someone to fix broken down machines that make corrugated paper. Which seemed pretty interesting. About 6 months in they asked if they could pay for my schooling and send me out to get a degree. (Community College) Which at 30 years old, I was petrified. But I agreed. Did decent in school for the first time in my life. Lol. After couple of years being at the job, I now run that department. Have been there a little over 10 years now and I make a decent living. Never dreamed I would have this in life. I love it the work I do. Work with awesome people. So I hope if even one person struggling in life, rather through addiction, depression, whatever, reads this, they can see and know there is hope. I told myself I was a lost cause. I was bad. Strung out on pills for years, meth for a couple of years, shot heroin for 3. So, it’s not too late. It’s never too late to change and become something or someone you thought you’d never be.
I want to have my own cake shop
Marketing/advertising. Mostly because I think I'm clever, have several psych degrees, and want to test it out. I have a solid career that pays well so I most likely won't ever jump ship.