Where you are and where you thought you'd be

wuzzled · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 20

I've been feeling really intensely distraught about career and life and choices. so I thought I'd distract myself with other people's stories. :-)

Where are you now and where did you think you'd be?

oldskoolgeek · Joined: 22 Apr 2004 Posts: 79 Location: northern virginia

Where I am: working two part time library jobs.
Where I thought I'd be: In fantasy land I thought I'd be a published author by now, in reality, a year ago I would've thought I'd be working at the same soul sucking admin job.

Current mood: Happy for the most part. I really enjoy my jobs, I only wish they were at the same library (instead of an hour apart in different directions) and had better hours (tomorrow I work 9-2:30 at the public library, 4-10pm at the university library so I'm lucky if I can remember my name at the end of the day). I really like the work and it has me seriously considering going back to school to get my MLS, but even if I don't I feel like I have more direction in my life now.

glassprincess · Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 50

Where I'm at now:
I'm in training to be a SAHM - eventually a WAHM.

Where I thought I'd be:
I use to get depressed about my life choices until I started thinking about the good parts too - not just the bad. For all intents and purposes I was looking forward to a gratifying career in the Fine Arts - particularly owning my own high-end art studio. I can't pinpoint any one thing that detoured me away from this goal. It was a lot of little things that added up over time and moved me into other directions. I don't have regrets, and well, I'm only 33 and I understand a lot of women find themselves achieving their lifetime goals after 40... ha!

Lyssalicious · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 161 Location: Midwest

Well, I'm 21 and in college, which is how I expected it to be.

I did, though, figure that I'd be dating someone in college, and I am very definitely not. Also, I always imagined I'd be a journalism major, but journalism is nowhere in the picture now.

I'm trying not to make too many expectations for my future now, because I think it'll probably end up very different from the way I envision it.

becca_13 · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 206

where i am -
married, a home owner, living in atlanta, working at a job i hate but in an industry i went to school for

where i thought i would be -
married, not necessarily a home owner, living in nyc, working in the film industry

so i am not where i thought i would be professionally, nor am i in nyc (but i adore atlanta) but i am happy with my life in general. i have great friends, pretty good self esteem, an awsome house, and a man i love dearly. i think it isn't a bad trade off....

deborahthecraft · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 364 Location: California

Where I am:Merried,renting,thinking about going to school for the first time in my life...pondering home ownership in the comming year along with possibly getting pregnant...all while running my business and working a day job thats nice but not my dream.

Where I thought:Running my Interior Desgin Firm, living in LA with a boyfriend,partying it up.Calling my Mom to go on vacations and otherwise living a fast paced and rather superficial but fun life.

Happy where I am,looking forward to whatever future I/we create,no longer trying to figure out the meaning of life and what I am suppose to do.

Going with the flow but holding my oars in both hands.

amanelle · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 347 Location: NC

No where near whereI thought I would be

Where I thought I would be--close to finishing up law school living in or heading to a bigger city. Single.

Where I am--married. still working on finishing a college degree(no law school after) running a crafty business and studying silversmithing. coming to realize the fact that I was born in NC and will more than likely die in NC.

I'm somewhat happy with where I am. Happily married. I know law school isn't for me, but I would like to have finished a college degree by now. I hate hate hate living in NC, I don't want to be stuck here for the rest of my life.

sun bear · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 443

Life Dream:
Turn 26, get LASIK, move to California, get a place of my own, get a dog, learn to surf (not necessarily in that order).

Where I am:
27 have had lasik, gotten a condo an adorable dog and know how to surf...mostly :-P

I think I need to make up some more goals for myself. :)

jt

sewing stars · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 112 Location: Little Rhody

Where I am:

Working as the Secretary for the college I graduated from, in a 5 year realtionship living with my boyfriend, renting apartments, living in RI, a cat owner, night/weekend entrepreneur.

Where I thought I would be:

Freelance children's book illustrator, living in Albequerque NM, single, free.

Overall:

I love my boyfriend and kitty, and I am pretty happy with my job. I have a lot of freedom, and I am trying to get my stuffed creature/magnet set empire up and running. Someday I will quit this job and sew my days away. My boyfriend hopes to 'make it' so he can take care of the bills and I can stay home and have all the time in the world to sew, which is sweet, but depending how my plans for world domination go, I may hire him instead.
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never forget how to fly...

acebeader · Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Posts: 227 Location: Wisconsin

What a great topic! Reassuring to know I am not the only one thinking that way....

I am: 27 and living in Iowa with my wonderful boyfriend and our dog, a boxer. Crafting a lot, and working as head of purchasing for a manufacturing company. We own the house, which gives us a lot of freedom.

I thought I'd be: Married, having my first child by 30, designing clothes and jewelry full time.

I feel: Iowa is ok, but I miss Wisconsin. I love my boyfriend and most days am fine with how we are, but sometimes get ants in my pants about getting engaged. I am very happy how crafty I have made my life, and how much I have taught myself to do. I also love purchasing!

elizaseyes · Joined: 20 Apr 2004 Posts: 24 Location: Midwest

I am totally not where I ever, ever thought I would be. I work at a Jewish nonprofit, am traveling to Israel for an intensive yeshiva program for a month, and am seriously thinking about rabbinical school. It blows my mind sometimes to think that me--who didn't set foot in a synagogue for 4 years--is now keeping the traditional dietary laws and Shabbat laws. I don't eat non-kosher meat, I don't drive, work, touch money, write or go out from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, I am keeping a kosher kitchen next year, I actually love studying Torah...it's all wonderful, but still, very different from where I thought I'd be.

I guess I thought I'd be doing something more fabulous. The progression was very organic though--just me following different things till it got me here. I actually wanted to be a makeup artist in college, but found a job at a museum after college, loved it, and decided to go back to school for non-profit management. I got an internship at the nonprofit I'm now the assistant director of, which works with Jewish college students, and they hired me on full-time. Working with them made me realize how absolutely fascinating I found traditional Jewish history, culture, etc. to be, and whaddya know, here I am, thinking about becoming a rabbi.

Still, I'm single, no kids except the cats, no savings to speak of. I really thought I'd be married by now with kids on the way--except it turned out that I've still not yet met the man who's meant for me. And, I'm much happier and more fulfilled than I thought I would be. So if singleton-status is the tradeoff for that for a while, I'm content!
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full effort is full victory. --mahatma gandhi

lex · Joined: 13 Apr 2004 Posts: 34

How interesting.

Where- in between stage, living with parents, single and haven't written a book yet.

What I thought- home owner or fabulous apartment owner, with many lovers, possibly married, and a few published books. I also wanted to travel to several countries.

I have done some travelling, I'm working on the writing, and I have a cool love interest, good friends and a good relationship with my family. So I can't really complain.

Athos · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 446 Location: San Francisco

wow, elizaseyes, i also work for a jewish nonprofit and it has definitely altered my career path. good luck with everything!

while working with so many jews and interfaith couples, helping them make connections that will make lasting changes in their lives, i started doing more and more volunteer work and doing more stuff with my church. i now want to start a master's of divinity program. someone asked me tonight if i had a calling to be a sister, and while sometimes i think if the catholic church did ordain women i would get in line immediately, i think i'm called more to be a mother - to my own children that i hope to have, and to others, and help lead them to better lives.

i think when i was much, much younger, i knew i'd do something like this. i'm 27 now, and i went through many different stages, many of which were very unhealthy, and almost killed me. only now do i feel like i'm on my true path.

jean · Posted: Thu May 06, 2004 10:26 am Post subject:

jean · Posted: Thu May 06, 2004 10:33 am Post subject:

where i thought i'd be:
living in la, working in film, living a quasi-punk rock life, single, no kids, out every night; create bohemian existence and part of a community of musicians, writers and artists

where i am: living nyc, a writer, married (!) but alas renting, not much savings or money, but i never thought that stability was in the cards for me. working for myself (which i always imagined), very creative, but much more mundane than the rock-n-roll lifestyle.

who i feel about it: now that i'm a mother, i can't believe how much i totally dig the role! i so love being a mommy, and this has taken me TOTALLY by surpise. i'm so moved from the experience of crafting a family, even though i never thought it was what i wanted. i rarely go out, but have people over for dinner and to drink wine. i look foward to going to the park. loud rock shows hurt why ears! what has happened to me????

however, i do need a little rock-n-roll in my life. occasionally i need to go out and get liquored up and dance and talk and maybe evern smoke a cigarette, just to mix things up. if i don't do this, i feel the wild-child side of me will come out in some other less appropriate way.
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Jean Railla
my blog: http://mealbymeal.blogspot.com/