13 May 2020

There were certain careers that really stuck out to us as kids. And once we had our little hearts set on them, it was really hard to tell us about anything else.

Of course, as we got older, life got in the way and we started to realise our dreams probably weren’t going to come to fruition. We started to learn about salaries and qualifications and what we think we ‘should’ do suddenly became more important than what we ‘want’ to do. 

But that doesn’t mean that the passion isn’t still there.

The jobs we wanted as kids speak to some very fundamental values we have within us. What we wanted to be when we grew up was a kind of unadulterated version of a genuine passion we possessed, and still probably possess.

The idea of a being rich and famous actor/popstar/dance crossed all of our minds until we realised we were talentless/tone deaf/unco-ordinated as hell. But the idea behind these industries like entertaining others, or telling stories, or being creative is probably still really significant to us.

So, why not use that to figure out a career you will genuinely love?

Veterinarian

Getting to hang out with dogs all day was literally every kid’s dream and to be honest, it still sounds super appealing.

Becoming a vet is still a totally viable career path. But if you’re not keen commit to that, ask yourself: what was it about being a vet that interested you? If it was animals, there’s plenty of other options in animal science or even agriculture. Or if it was the element of caring that drew you in, suss out health, medicine or even social services.

International Spy

Do not tell me I was the only kid who used to pretend my watch was a secret walkie-talkie tracking device for me to communicate with my team of espionage experts.

It might have been the idea of getting to use all those cool gadgets that drew us in to the spy world – maybe a career in IT could be the way to go? For others, maybe it was the idea of security and cracking codes – well hello, cybersecurity is not only a real job now, but one that’s in high demand.

Robotics

Having some super exciting tech job where we got to piece together new devices was certainly exciting to anyone who had a Lego set growing up.

While robots might not be quite as exciting and high-tech as they once were, you should suss out IoT Engineering. IoT stands for Internet of Things and it’s all about creating new and amazing digital and connectivity technologies that the world needs right now. James Cook University (JCU) is the only uni offering a degree of this kind in Australia, and it’s going to be a super important career as we move into the future so it’s well worth a look.

Doctor

Ah yes, the chance to save lives and look like a hero doing it in a schmick white coat… until you realised that the path to becoming a doctor is challenging as heck.

It doesn’t mean you’re not up for it though, particularly if you can get some help along the way. JCU is renowned for its medical program and it’s one of the only unis in the country that don’t just go off your ATAR or OP when it comes to admissions. Plus, they’re super supportive of their students and passionate about health in rural, remote, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – true heroism if you ask me.

Marine Biologist

How we found out about what marine biologists were as kids I’ll never know, but a lot of us seemed to grow up wanting to be one.

It’s actually not as outlandish as it sounds – Marine Science is a genuine degree at James Cook University, and because they’ve got campuses on the coast of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef at their door, they’re perfectly positioned to teach you all about the marine world. If animal and environmental conservation is what interests you, then this is definitely the kind of career you’re after.

So, if you’re stuck on what you should be doing with your life, have a think back to what you wanted to be as a kid and figure out why you wanted to do that. It’ll give you an idea of what truly motivates you and once you figure that out, it’s not so hard to find a career path you’ll be passionate about.

If you’re interested in any of the above careers, JCU offers all these and more at their sunny QLD locations. They have a heap of unique courses that are perfectly suited to the tropical landscapes (and are super invested in honouring and protecting the environment around them), plus they have a lot of pathway options to help you get into the course you really want.

Check out their courses over here.