When I was at an appointment this week, a gentleman said: "if you had learned something good, you didn’t have to be here." Aha. This made me think about professions, vocations and career aspirations. For my father and his friends it was the most important thing to be able to learn a trade.
I remember that my grandmother told me that she had advised my father to learn the profession of tiler, because after the war there were many apartments and houses that got new bathrooms. My father – the best in the world – had been proud of his profession all his life. He preferred to flow diagonally across the floor.
And for me and my siblings, it was practical to have such a hands-on father. When I was at school, however, the career aspirations were different. We had to paint our career aspirations in elementary school. There were pictures of stewardesses, locomotive drivers or veterinarians hanging on the wall. We wanted to go out into the world, help and experience a lot. During our studies we wanted to change the world. Well, then real life struck.
When I with my girlfriend once again in the garden "our" we heard three young ladies at the next table discussing loudly while typing into their smartphones. One girl is planning a career as a "supermodel", while the other wants to become a fashion blogger. The third was unsure of what career she wanted to pursue. She only knew that it was "something with the media" should be. Fortunately, i had reported shortly before about two "A" level high school graduates who want to get involved in social issues and study natural sciences.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all those who want to reach for the stars in their careers that they will succeed.