• Question: Is your current occupation the job you aimed for when doing your GCSE's? And if so, is it what you expected?

    Asked by GoodDaySir to Adrian, Ali, Charnelle, Deborah, Kit, Phil, Rob on 7 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Deborah Draycott

      Deborah Draycott answered on 7 Nov 2017:

      No I wanted to do forensic pathology, but was reluctant to do the animal experiments involved in the biochemistry degree needed. I also considered doing my nurse training in the navy.
      I honestly can’t remember at what point I decided to do nursing, but have never regretted the decision.

    • Photo: Robert Cullum

      Robert Cullum answered on 7 Nov 2017:

      Not when I started them! I set out wanting to be an accountant when I picked my GCSEs, with dreams of moving to London and working in the financial sector! However when I did some work experience in an accountancy firm in Year 10 I found that I really didn’t enjoy it and I realised I wanted to do a job that involved working with people. It was my biology teacher who suggested to be that I might want to be a doctor in Year 11 – the rest, as they say, is history.

    • Photo: Philip Williams

      Philip Williams answered on 7 Nov 2017:

      I did want to be a doctor. I didn’t want to be a GP until I had a placement in New Zealand for a couple of months in a GP surgery. I suddenly discovered that I loved that one-to-one patient-doctor relationship where you really can listen to and understand your patients, get to know them and make a real difference. I didn’t really like the conveyer-belt nature of a lot of hospital based specialties and found it difficult to think of those patients as people. So I plonked for general practice and I love it!

    • Photo: Adrian Taylor

      Adrian Taylor answered on 8 Nov 2017:

      No to be honest I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, tried doing computing but found it very boring, so gave it up and drifted for a couple of years while I worked out what I wanted to do.

    • Photo: Ali Blatcher

      Ali Blatcher answered on 8 Nov 2017:

      Nahhh I didn’t decide to study medicine until I did my A levels. But I did do triple science at GCSE.

      I don’t come from a family of doctors so didn’t know what to expect fully from the job, but I enjoyed my work experience, so I applied.

      If I am honest, sometimes I do wonder whether I should have chosen a different profession, as the hours are long and the job is hard. But if this is something you are prepared to work really hard for, then go for it.

    • Photo: Kit T

      Kit T answered on 9 Nov 2017:

      I wanted to be an architect and kept my GSCEs open to carry on things I enjoyed like art and history. Before going to uni I wasn’t completely sure what to expect from being a doctor, as although work experience or personal experience gives you an insight, it’s hard to really know what the job is like day to day and all the things you think about until you do it. I’ve not been disappointed though!

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