We all have dreams and we all make mistakes. Sometimes, the dream we follow turns out to be the mistake. One day you look back and think... "What am I even doing here? I hate teeth! Why didn't I pursue.... fill in the blank." We've all been there in one way or another.
Redditor u/Shelliko wanted to know who has some regrets when it comes job choices that have been made by asking..... What career do you wish you had pursued?Meow....
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Professional cat petter. As it stands, I'm an amateur cat petter. Don't get me wrong, it's a terrifically rewarding avocation, but I really wish I'd gone professional out of grad school.
Flames
I've always wanted to be a firefighter. However due to being born with a bad back, this is only a dream.
Being a firefighter in the US is extremely difficult even if you had a perfect background and qualifications. A single position could have 500+ applicants fighting for it, and many of those applicants include veterans and people with graduate degrees. Unless you have connections with someone in the department, it is basically impossible to become a firefighter. Regardless, I am sorry for you. It is unfair that some things are impossible for us out of sheer bad luck.
Creative Psych
Anything creative. Not fine art, but animation or graphic design would be my top picks, or maybe something with programming. Instead of studying art, though, I listened to my parents and teachers and picked a science.
One psych degree and a whole lot of no progress later, I'm finally doing the creative field thing at 28 and wishing I hadn't spent so much time trying to be what I'm not.
Final Cut....
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I had the grades to become a surgeon. I have always liked the skill required to cut up a person. It sounds like something I would enjoy. I just thought medical school didn't sound like it was worth it.
To be perfectly fair, you don't need to go to medical school in order to cut people up.
Safe from Home
IT. Specifically cyber security.
Probably would have been able to work from home.
Look up an example A+ certification test. If you can answer those questions, you already know enough for a lot of jobs. If you don't know how to answer them, then you know what you have to learn.
Still Hope!
Merchant Navy! I'm still relatively young, so maybe one day.
I'm about to go this way. i'm a cadet (noa) on my second tanker and i really enjoy my time, even though i'm 100% sure that this is nothing everybody could do. being away from family and friends for months etc. and soooo much depends on the crew you're with. it can be rough to be on call pretty much 24/7 and working sometimes 14h a day. but for me, a person that never travelled much it's a nice way to see new places, and safe a little money.
Anyways corona makes sure you only see the ports and cant get out in the cities. i have made some friends and for most of them it's the money bringing them back. as a cadet i'm earning 1000€ a month which is quite need for something being part of my education, having food and a room included. as a captain/master the salary can go up to more than 10k and if you stay on board for more than 6months a year you can forget about taxes. so yeah to make and safe money it's definitely a good choice but not so much for social life/ family.
Tasties....
I've always wanted to be a chef but every chef I've talked to says it is incredibly stressful to be working in a small kitchen with a ton of people doing a ton of different things at the same time, with another chef yelling at you because there's people waiting for their food outside.
That sounds like hell.
I love cooking and experimenting with food and having people enjoy it but I don't think I could handle the pressure and stress that comes with it.
Sustained....
The law. Later in life I realized that I had the skills, and it would have been more affordable back then. Basically, I'm good at analyzing data and writing it down in a methodical way, and lawyers get paid a lot of money to do that, whether they're the ones who present it in court or not.
These days, I wouldn't. But back in the '70s and early '80s I'd have made serious cash and had the energy to work the hours.
I ended up using my skills in high tech and made good money. But I could have done the same in law in the SF Bay Area in the '80s and made amazing money.
Genius....
The creative arts. I had considered it when I was in high school but didn't pursue it because I thought you had to be a creative genius to do those jobs (and I was unaware that Graphic Design and Digital Illustration were not the same thing) and I certainly was not a creative genius. I'm currently back in school trying to pick up a 2 year degree in Graphic Design/Illustration, but it's just not comparable to those who spent 4 years majoring in it and getting tons of classroom studio experience.
Human Study
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Become a psychological human profiler. I'm fascinated by how we think and why do we do, what we do. If that makes sense!
The Skin
A dermatologist. I had terrible acne as a teen but always enjoyed popping those bad boys. It didn't occur to me until almost 20 years later that I should have looked into dermatology.
To be fair though, cutting giant skin cancers off of old people is probably really gross.
Stats
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I would love to have pursued degrees in math and/or computer engineering instead of accounting. Everything I do now is self taught programming and stats. I just happen to understand what the double entry method is (outside of porn).
The STEM
Field botanist... only realized 3.5 years into college with very little in the way of STEM coursework though and was ready to move on from college.
At 29....
Always wanted to be an airline pilot. At the age of 29 I'm not sure whether it's worth doing.
I've always wanted to be a charter pilot. I'm 29 as well and have a good opportunity to start over right now. It's just so expensive and I have no idea if it'll be worth it. Wish I had skipped undergrad and just don't that instead.
Burned Out
Air traffic control. At 9, I hold my dad I thought I'd be good at that job. He growled back "those guys gets burned out".
Fast forward many years. I know current and retired controllers. Based on their stories, I would have loved that gig-----and been good at it. I loved what I did/do for a living, but I wonder how things would have been different.
When in School
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Something IT related. I'm going for it now, but I'm 25, and kicking myself for not having started in high school. I could have a livelihood by now if I had.
The Fighting Kind
MMA. I wish I would have done wrestling in high school as well as martial arts but my father would never let me as he did full contact fighting after he earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do and said it was too dangerous to let me start at such a young age. Then any time I ever asked again he just said the same thing.
I believe this stems from one of the guys in his class winding up in prison for accidentally killing a man with a kick to the temple outside of his house - he would be robbed constantly by the same person and eventually stood up to him one day.
Fur Lovers
A vet for big animals (like felines) or marine biologist! I LOVE animals, but science isn't really my forte, so I chose to become an interpreter (I'm still studying, I'm not officially an interpreter yet).
You never know where life will go. an acquaintance of mine left a VERY high paying Wall St job in her late thirties to be a big animal vet. It was not a cake walk by any stretch of the imagination. she worked her butt off to make that switch. just saying, it is possible.Collections
Garbage collector, politician, timber man, Baker are all jobs I think id enjoy. But I've always thought being the guy who trims the hedges along the champs elysees would be the greatest job in the world.
by design.....
Sometimes, I wish I had chosen to go into industrial design. Get to be creative, have a stress-free, routine job where no lives are at stake, come home every night and only work five days a week.
But then I step out of my room, walk outside, and I see the ocean... nothing but ocean for miles and miles, and in that moment I feel like I chose the right career for myself.
For the Pulitzer
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Journalism. I was going to move to Montana with my sister and brother in law to study Journalism there, but my mother stopped me. Said she wasn't ready for me to leave home. Now I just write for fun.
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.