Do you change your career like you change your underwear?

When I was at school moving into year 12, we were told by our careers advisor that research had shown that we would have no less than 5 careers. Not 5 different jobs, but 5 completely different careers in completely different industries. At the time I remember thinking, geez that’s a lot, I’ll never get to 5!

So for some reason that little piece of information popped into my head this morning so I decided I’d reflect back on my ‘careers’!

Career number 1 was Beauty Therapist. After year 12 I moved to Sydney from the country (Tamworth) and attended the Ella Bache College of Beauty Therapy. I loved college, it was a great year. I came first in Business Studies and so decided that at the end of my college year I wasn’t ready to enter the big wide world of full time work, so I moved to Newcastle and enrolled at TAFE in a Diploma of Business Management.

Once again had a great year at TAFE, enjoyed living in a flat with 2 girlfriends, and worked at Hogs Breath Cafe and a resort in the Day Spa to pay the bills. But after I finished my year at TAFE, once again I wasn’t ready to enter the big wide world of full time work! I also decided that I wasn’t going to become a millionaire from waxing people’s legs!

So I decided to apply for Uni because I wanted to be a Beauty Editor. Through my scores at TAFE I was accepted into a Bachelor of Communications at Uni of Newcastle. After disliking my first year journalism teacher, and not really having access to the ‘big magazines’ in Newcastle I turned my attention to Public Relations. Throughout Uni I would go on to have a number of different jobs. I got sick of driving an hour to the Resort Day Spa, so I got other jobs in town like receptionist, admin assistant, pulled beers at a local pub and then worked in the Pro Shop at a Golf Resort.

I graduated Uni and then got in the ear of the guy who was in charge on the marketing at the Golf Resort where I was working in the Pro Shop. (It would be this guy who would later introduce me to my now Hubby!) Anyway and so began Career number 2: Marketing Communications Coordinator.

And then Marketing Communications Manager. Stayed there for about 2 1/2 years and then eventually got sick of the hour drive each way every day. And so began Career number 3. Well I’m not sure if it’s a new career, because it was still in the same sort of industry. Anyway, I went out on my own with a copywriting and marketing consultancy businesses. Then one of the advertising agencies I was doing some work for offered me a full time job. Career number 4 as an Account Director.

I know I’m kind of cheating because numbers 2, 3 and 4 have all sort of been in the same industry, but all quite different nonetheless.

And so I’ve got to 4 and haven’t quite reached the predicted number of 5. I think my Career number 5 will be stay-at-home-mum. And then after that who knows! As a Gen Y you never know where we’re going to end up, or what we’ll end up doing!

How many ‘careers’ have you had?