What do you want to be when you grow up?

I wanted to grow up and ride ponies all day, every day.

Somewhere along the line, my devastatingly practical mother suggested that horse riding was more of a hobby than a career (a very expensive hobby at that) so if that was what I wanted to do I'd have to get a job to pay for it, or marry someone very wealthy....I'm still waiting for that to happen, so in the meantime I suppose I have to work.

So, aged about 6 or 7, I went back to the career drawing board, what could I do so I'd have lots of money to spend on ponies? I could be a riding instructor...nah, they drive rubbish cars. I could be a vet, that way I could work with ponies...but I may also have to put them to sleep...nah. I could be a jockey...nah, I like chocolate too much. It was about this point that I realised I may have to have a non-pony related career. This was a tough realisation for a kid who loved ponies a little too much (to the point of only running like a pony...even at the inter schools athletics carnival), so I rather dejectedly started considering non pony-related careers.

Unfortunately by the time I'd finished high school I was still not really sure what to 'do with my life'. Some of the options I've considered over the years include:

• Archaeologist, in the style of Indiana Jones (not hugely likely...although, like Indy, I also don't like snakes - I guess I'm living the dream in a small way)
• Chiropractor (very expensive insurance)
• Environmental Scientist (not very good at science)
• Marketing/PR (I still don't actually know what they 'do')
• Milliner (not talented enough)
• Policewoman (not fit enough)
• Lawyer (Mum's favourite)

I decided that it would be best to move interstate and go to uni...that lasted a whole semester. So, yet again I was faced with the good old 'what do you want to do' question, and still being without a wealthy husband to pay for ponies, I had to get a job. 

I eventually landed a traineeship in office administration, not exactly the mind blowingly glamorous career I'd hoped for, but meh, it paid the bills. Like so many others in my field, I just sort of ended up working in admin and here I am, 7 years later still at it (and pretty damn good at it I might add). The way I figure it is, until I work out 'what I want to be when I grow up' I may as well support people who do know. I still wish I could have an 'aha' moment and think 'that's it, I'm going to go and become a brain surgeon'...or something, but my life has worked out pretty well without a burning ambition - I guess it's not that bad to not know what you want to do after all.

Although I haven't ridden a pony in 7 years...