Are you the fireman or dancer you always dreamed of being, or has life taken a different turn? asks Jane Plunkett
At the age of 75, actress Sophia Loren recently announced that she still hasn’t decided what to do with her life when she grows up - a refreshing thought for anyone still struggling with career paths.
But Sophia’s indecisiveness aside, this iconic question - what do you want to be when you grow up? - is one that every kid has been confronted with.
But from all the pilots and astronauts, princesses and superheroes on the career wish-list, how often does a child’s dream actually become a reality?
We spoke to some influential figures in the UAE to find out if they followed through on their childhood career ambitions - or whether, like Sophia Loren, they’re still just too young to decide.
Italian-born Maurizio Viel, Plastic Surgeon at London Centre for Aesthetic
Surgery Gulf, in dubai
“I always wanted to be a pilot as a child. I was fascinated with flying. My dream was to become a pilot, but it never became reality.
“Growing up I began to understand myself better and what I liked, and I realised I wanted to become a doctor.
During my training I learned more about plastic surgery and I liked it a lot. I’m glad, as it’s an absolutely beautiful profession. I have no regrets at all.
But that doesn’t mean that I won’t try and get a pilot licence as a hobby some time in the future.”
Ali Alsaloom, (aka Ask Ali) from Embrace Arabia
“I always wanted to be a police officer or an airforce pilot.
I used to carry aeroplanes around in my hand in the air and run along with them pretend to be flying.
As things turned out, I’m not a pilot, but I wouldn’t change anything in my career. There is a reason why things happen, and in the history of the UAE there hasn’t been a cultural consultant doing what I do - I get a lot of job satisfaction.”
Jeff Price, radio DJ and television personality
“I wanted to be a Royal Marine. Back in the day when I was 15 and training for the marines, I imagined once I got my green beret, I’d be skiing in Norway, water skiing in the Caribbean or scuba diving. It was quite naive really - the idea of war or being a soldier having a pull a trigger didn’t cross my mind.
But I had to leave that dream because I injured my back severely and spent a year recovering.
It was then my dad asked me what I was going to do with my life, and since I loved music, I decided to pursue working in radio. But that dream, did come true.”
Dave Crane, hypnotist and life designer
“I wanted to do pretty much what I am doing now. When I grew up listening to Radio 1 in the UK, I always wanted to work on stage with pop stars and do the road shows that the Radio 1 DJs did - and I ended up doing all that when I moved out to Dubai.
Also the spooky thing is - as a kid I was mad on superheroes and wanted to have some special ability, and I guess the hypnosis I do now might have being some unconscious interest in having a super power.
As a kid you don’t know what a career is, but you want to stand out and do something different, and I wanted to be well-known by people. Maybe it came from being a black kid growing up in a white town in Scotland. But I love every second of my career and I never want to retire.”
Claire Sharrock, editor of 7DAYS
“When I was really little I wanted to be a nurse, but later decided I’d really rather be a Blue Peter presenter (a television show for kids where the presenters do lots of wacky things like sky diving and race car driving). ?
I didn’t quite make it, but I have ended up with a great job and do get to do some cool things - I was taken up in a Red Bull stunt plane and flew upside-down, which is sort-of a Blue Peter thing to do… But I spend a lot more hours at a desk than I might have planned.
I haven’t run out of time of course - there’s still plenty I plan to do when I eventually do grow up - but if I tell you what, my boss might not be too happy!
Houriya Kazim, breast surgeon and founder of Well Woman Clinic in Dubai
“I think I always wanted to be a surgeon. My mother says she remembers me cutting my dolls open and saying ‘look I’ve pulled out the appendix mum’.
My father was a bone surgeon and many in my family are doctors, so there was a big influence there. In fact, on the last check we counted about 70 doctors in our family going back to my grand father, who was a faith healer in Dubai many years ago. He had 20 children and all of them became doctors, even the girls.
I guess now when I think of my future, I want just two things, to be rich and idle.”
Steve Thompson, Polo bachelor
“As a kid I lived in a council flat in Liverpool and I used to jump on the bus and go all the way out to the country when I could. I would stop off at any fields that had horses in them and go riding the horses - which always landed me with some harsh words from farmers and policemen.
I always wanted to work with horses - it was a vocation. Thankfully I got many chances and travelled the world working with horses. And now I’m the owner of The Dubai Polo Academy. It’s sounds boring, but honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Salha is the lead singer and manager of Salha and the Million Dollar Band
“All I ever wanted to do was be a performer. I was singing and dancing before I could walk and talk and I was making up songs about pussy cats even before I owned one. “I used to put on shows for my family. My brother and I once put on a version of ‘Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat’ and between the two of us we were every single part in the musical.”
Ulie Amer, Explorer and founder Mountain High
“I wanted to be an explorer - an Indiana Jones.
My father gave me a globe as a kid and every night we would spin it and I would pick a place and we’d discuss what the people of that place ate, what they worked at and what language they spoke. I would go to sleep having wild adventurous dreams about those places.
Then it finally happened for real when I set up Mountain High.
Do I have any career regrets? None. I love what I do and it never stops. Next year I hope to climb a mountain in Nepal that stands at over 8,000 metres - and maybe even start writing some books.”
Sorce:http://www.7days.ae
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