When I grow up I want to be… a princess 👸 Wait no… a unicorn trainer… actually, make that a dragon slayer 🤘 🐉

When we’re kids we liked to dream about what jobs we might one day have. Maybe you thought you could be a dragon slayer and your parents were too nice to say otherwise 😅

Maybe you were a little more realistic and dreamed of being a veterinarian or world-famous soccer star ⚽

But as you grow up – and develop a cat allergy or lack the child prodigy skills to compete on the world stage – you need to come up with some seriously realistic but totally rewarding ideas for your future.

To help you out we’ve found four career pathways that are a little left-of-field to your childhood dreams 💭

Fly planes from the ground 🛩️

Look, there’s something undeniably cool about being able to say “I can fly a plane” but being a pilot is not the only job that keeps aircraft in the air.

We’re not talking about becoming a baggage handler (but that might be a great casual job during your post-school study). Air traffic controllers are just as important as pilots in keeping planes in the air and avoiding crashes.

Yep, those towers at the airport are filled with smart people watching the airspace and telling skilled pilots what to do and not do 🤓

If you're curious about what goes on in air traffic towers and the strategic science of keeping transport going, take a look at our latest virtual work experience. Systems and Signals Operator will give you a taste for signalling, control systems and communication technology.

Save lives from behind a desk 🔥

Did you grow up wishing one day you’d be saving lives, rescuing cats and putting out fires? 🚒 As you grew older maybe you realised that becoming a firefighter wasn’t for you, but that’s not the only life-saving job with the fire service.

Someone with communication skills and training needs to man the phones, deploy the trucks and keep the service in running order ☎️

Joining the squad as a fire communications officer puts you on the frontline answering calls and strategising the available resources.

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Support the arts without being a millionaire 🎨

Maybe your dream of being Ballerina was cut short by injury (or a lack of natural talent, despite a deep burning passion). 

The arts – whether that be performing arts, theatre, galleries etc – needs as many supporters as it can get, and unless you have the bank account of a philanthropist maybe you don’t know how to lend a hand 🤔

Every great stage show, every art exhibition, every dance spectacular has a small army of people behind the scenes making it work 🎭

Becoming a marketing professional for the arts is a creative way to express your passion for the arts without being on stage. Or if the idea of sitting behind a desk bores you, a stage technician has many options from specialising in lighting 💡 to sound 🔉

Join the army for the strategy 🪖

Being in the army isn’t all about physical combat (though that is definitely part of it). Commanders need to communicate with their troops or report back to HQ, and who manages that?

Keeping these complex communication systems running is critical to the army’s success 🎖️

If you have an interest in the special forces, but also want to use your analytical brain to design, set up or run advanced satellite, radio and computing systems, consider specialising in systems management.

The best place to start - in our slightly biased opinion - is with our Systems and Signals Operator virtual work experience. Did we mention it's free? 💸

What keeps planes from colliding mid-air? How do trains run to a timetable? If you’re curious about the strategic science of transport signalling, control systems and communication technology take a look at our latest virtual work experience. Made in collaboration with Inland Rail, our Systems and Signals Operator credential will link you with #skills and industry mentors ✌️ Plus, it's free 🤑