When I Grow Up

Huckdoll did this way cool meme, and I'm playing along.
Jobs I've Had vs. Jobs I've Wanted
The first 'job' I ever had was babysitting. I guess most teenage girls do this for extra cash. But it seemed to be a theme that followed me around for a while.......
Next I got my first real job, as a cashier at Publix (a supermarket based in the South). I really liked that job, lots of cute guys!
Then I got an office job. Ugh, it sucked. I worked at the DMV! It was as awful as it sounds. People hated us, and we got death threats. It was very stressful. I got laid off because when my kid was sick, I stayed home with him instead of pawning him off on someone else, as my boss actually had the nerve to suggest to me. Losing that job ranks right up there as one of the best things that ever happened to me!
Because then I became a SAHM. The best job ever! And that's when the babysitting thing started following me around.....I did home child care to make extra money. And T-bone had kids to play with. Win/win!
When I finally decided to go back to work, Child Care was the most logical choice for me. That way, I could still be close to my kids, get cheap/free child care for them, and I certainly had plenty of experience. Other than a brief stint working for an evil Florist, I did that for years.
After my third child was born, I became a SAHM again. Until my divorce (another one of those negative things that ends up being one of the best things to ever happen!). Then, I had to get a job quick. And I knew that I was not emotionally up for working in child care. I happened to see a good friend of mine and she was cleaning houses for a small company. She hooked me up with a job, and I cleaned houses for about three years. I loved it, much to my surprise.
Then I moved on to doing child care again, for about 2 years. But that's when those jobs I always wanted came in to play.
I had always wanted to work in the medical field, especially once I had kids and they were constantly going to the pediatrician. It really seemed like the field for me. I had applied at our large local hospital off and on for years, but never heard back. But when I was cleaning houses, I also went to school at night. I didn't finish, but it wasn't a total waste........those classes finally got me a job at the hospital! I started out as a Unit Clerk and now I'm a Clerk Monitor Tech. I love this job, although I'm hoping to transfer to a different unit.
And the ultimate job I always wanted is one that I'm hoping to take steps towards doing in the fall....a nurse in a neonatal ICU.
The first job I remember wanting, though, is a Kindergarten teacher.
Was I insane? I'd have never made it past a week.
I also wanted to be a photographer. Now, I'm a pathetic wanna-be with my point & shoot camera.
And for many years, I wanted to be an artist. But the only thing I lacked....was talent.
I also went through the veterinarian stage. I used to buy that 'slime' stuff and play with it, thinking it would help me get used to seeing icky things as a vet. (I was a weird kid.)
And one dream job that I still dream about is being a writer. I really love true crime books and I'd love to go watch the really good court trials and write about them.
Maybe I'll be a NICU Nurse/True Crime Writer when I grow up.