It’s Friday! And a long weekend to boot! While you’re reading this week’s Friday Take Over, I’ll likely be doing laundry. Don’t be jealous. This week, I’m so thrilled to have Jackie Cross from With Just a Bit of Magic guest posting. Jackie lives in Michigan, she’s a wife, mother of 4 kids from toddler to teen, a project manager, a writer, and social media consultant and to pull it all off it takes a bit of magic! Most of the time you can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and of course Instagram. And yes… she does have a magic wand! Today she’s sharing with us what she wants to be when she grows up.
When I grow up I want to be a teacher… a lawyer… a chef… a bakery owner… the list goes on and on. Or it could I suppose.
I think that all of us when we were little and on into our teens years had these wonderful hopes and dreams of what we would be when we grew up. Some of them were outlandish dreams like wanting to be a princess that rode a magical unicorn through the sky and had lots of little fairie friends or some were much more obtainable like I’m going to be a paralegal and then work towards a law degree (BTW… the first one was totally made up but as a little girl I bet it sounds great! The second one… all me).
As a teen I socialized my way through high school and while I got good grades I just didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up. Sure I had lots of ideas and then once I graduated I finally decided what I was going to do. Paralegal. Why? Because I loved the idea of being a lawyer but hated (and still do) talking in front of people. Being a paralegal was perfect because I got to read, research, and work in law. On top of that I knew that I could do that job anywhere in the entire world and get paid a pretty decent wage.
Well, let’s skip the part where I dropped out of school and moved 300 miles away from my parents because that’s an entirely different story.
Nobody ever says when I grow up I want to be a waitress or I want to be a retail clerk, but that is exactly where I was at.
We all have hopes and dreams of great success. Don’t we?
Hi. My name is Jackie. I’m a 40 year old mom of 4 kids and I do not know what I want to be when I grow up.
I got out of retail and the restaurant business a while ago after finally finishing college. I graduated at the top of my class with an associates degree of applied science in computer networking – Microsoft technology. That means that I could work as a network administrator taking care of all of the computers in an office or whatever that was running Microsoft. I also managed to walk away with some pretty good web programming skills and the basic understanding of MySQL. Pretty impressive, huh? I bet that you didn’t pin me as a computer geek.
But that isn’t my passion. It isn’t what I do on a daily basis. Instead I’m a project manager and I work with all of the other computer geeks. Is this my dream? No. Is it a good job? Sure is.
Jackie from With Just a Bit of Magic
My dream now is this or one of these… I would love to own my own bakery and make delicious pies, cakes, cookies, muffins, and breads all day long. I’d love to be home and spend more time with my kids. I’d love to blog & work in social media for a living. I’d love to go back to school and be one of those people who goes to college and takes random classes just because they sound interesting, a life long learner & college student.
So many choices really and I just don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
I’m not complaining so don’t get me wrong. I have a great life and as many people when they were younger made some not so good choices. I just never went back to my dreams.
What about you? Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? Are you doing what you always dreamed of?
This post totally resonates with me on so many levels that I feel like I’ve just been punched in the gut. In fact, I feel my own blog post on the subject brewing! I’m curious to hear from the readers – so be sure to answer Jackie’s questions in the comments below.
Again, you can find Jackie at With Just a Bit of Magic, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
I love these recent posts by Jackie: 48 Questions, Mom Hair, and her recipe for Challah Bread (mostly because I like to say “Holla!”).
Awww, I just heart you Jackie! It’s so interesting hearing how you ended up doing what you’re doing. I have no doubt that if you really want a living in this space on the interwebs, you’ll get there!
I agree. It just takes time and someone to present the perfect opportunity. I won’t give up that’s for sure.
Thank you Wendy for asking me to share your space with you. I appreciate it!
Of course!! I love this post so much!
Thank you. Honestly, I was a bit worried about it.
Aww… I have to admit that I have to “grow up” before I can decide. What adults don’t tell kids anymore is the average person will have several jobs and even careers over their lifetime. Very few people stay with one company anymore. Yes, our futures are all part of the great wide open. So many possibilities and chances.
It’s funny how we can go to school for one thing and never use that degree too because of all the other possibilites out there and how we change our minds.
I had so many jobs out of college. I never really knew what I wanted to be, but now that I’m a blogger I feel I’ve finally found what I want to be when I grow up.
I feel the same way. After I found blogging & social media I felt like I found something that I really loved.
I’ve always known I wanted to write…but how, in what capacity, and for whom has changed a million times over. It sure would be lovely to work for myself someday. But we’ll see.
I agree… working for myself would be really nice for a change!
Love this post. I think what we want to be when we grow up evolves and changes as we grow up
I’m doing what I love right now, but, who knows, it could change in a couple years. That’s the great thing….we don’t have to stick with one plan our entire lives.
My advice…do it all!
In a sense I am doing it all I just don’t get paid for all of it!
What I want to be when I grow up has changed over the last 4 years. I now want to be a stay at home mom that works in social media!
When I was a girl, I wanted to be a teacher. And I was for 16 years. Then I stumbled upon my life’s work: a school librarian. I cannot imagine doing anything else to earn the money for my mortgage!
They say these days we change careers/jobs seven times in a lifetime. I figure I’m down three (legal secretary, teacher, librarian)…wonder what’s next?
I think there are different seasons of life and when we take turns on our pathway…we change our direction and our focus. I have LOVED each of my seasons and felt a sincere purpose in each of the turns that came with it. Keep creating and birthing your dreams as you unfold your journey, my new friend!!! it sounds like your inspired for more!!!
Awesome post! I always think it is funny when they ask grade schoolers what they want to be when the grow up as those dreams are going to change so many times– but I guess we have to start dreaming at some point.
When I was little I wanted to be a writer (an author) and probably a teacher– but ultimately I always knew I wanted to stay home with my kids which is what I do… which I have to remind myself is what I always wanted on some days so that I truly enjoy it more.
I say the same way, Jackie and I’m almost 50. It’s a joke that I use often. Seriously though if it weren’t for blogging and social media, I’d be lost. I’d love to take random classes too, but just need the time.