If you had a second chance?

Following on from the Ology thread, if you had your time over, what would you do instead?

Having had three careers (archaeologist, chef and bookshop manager, then early retiree) I know I lack stickability, but looking back I'm happy with my choices and always chose a path that lead to daily satisfaction rather than material wealth, although we're paying the price for that now! 

I wonder how many of us made the right choice at 16, 18, 21 or even 50?

Career to date florist, zoo keeper, chef, gardener, cleaner, running own business. Soon to add builder to my bow   .
I consider the change to go back and do things again or differently absolutely terrifying!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once is more than enough for me! 
So Hell no!, never going to happen, not for me thanks!

Major job change and relocation because of redundancy. Best thing that ever happened to me. (Both times) I would probably be dead or at least 'washed up' if I had stuck with my original career. When I started work Tradesmen were the creme-de-la-creme. Not now though, with numerous 'dilutes' about they are at the bottom of the pay scale.

Wouldn't change anything else I may not have met the boss

No, no regrets. Fell into a Civil Service job straight from school as I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career. Fell out of that 6 years later and went to Australia for a couple of years, travelling around, picking up work here and there - apple picking in Tasmania, Chalet cleaning on the Barrier Reef, a Department Store and a Bank in Sydney, can't remember what else. 
Returned home, vowing to keep travelling. Meanwhile, fell back into my old Civil Service Job. Despite never wanting to settle down, met the man who changed my mind and we got married. He humoured my need to travel and we managed 3 holidays abroad every year - just enough to take my mind off work which was a necessary evil to pay for the holidays. Managed to get a few interesting jobs with travel around Wales thrown in and finally, they paid for me to study, part-time in London where I acquired an M.Sc in my very boring -ology. One of the oldest students there as I was in my 40s then.
Had the chance of voluntary redundancy at 48, and my OH did also, so we both retired early, cut back on our day-to-day expenses and still managed our 3 holidays a year.

My only regret is that the Big C took him too soon, otherwise we'd still be travelling. I did go to Peru on my own afterwards, but it wasn't the same. There have been other holidays with a friend since but I've lost the need to travel now and am happy playing about in my own little world and dreaming up crazy ideas to discuss with you. .

Well, a little like SC mentioned in the ology thread....when times move on so does your qualifications.
I trained in fashion and textiles design. I loved my job. Travelled lots ...then I had twins!
We couldn't bring up twins in a London flat so moving out killed my job prospects...no design companies here! When the boys left school I would have loved to go back to work but it wasn't an option....so going back I would choose an arts subject that I could pick up where I left off.

I can honestly say I am happy with my lot, so would not change a thing. I love my life and all the more having woken up in a London hospital having been given a second chance.

No qualifications, no higher education, not counting my paper, roll and milk delivery jobs when I was at school, my first job was 2 days after I left school, left on Friday started on Monday, it was to supply women with threads, they were on a bonus and it was one of the most demanding, terrifieing jobs I ever had, left there and went to the local steelworks where I worked with the riggers, then into the furnaces, moved from there to a chemical factory, where I worked with sodium, chlorine and cyanide, then became a fireman, after 5 years went back to processing, became a charge hand then took redundancy and worked in tesco for a short time, had my knees replaced so decided to retire at 63. Any regrets :- no, would I change my life :- no, if I had stuck it at school I doubt if I would have met my OH as my life would have went in another direction, after this past year of being together every day we are still happy with one another, we enjoy each others company and after 56 years that's good, though I have told her she has been more fortunate than me

Following on from the Ology thread, if you had your time over, what would you do instead?
I wonder how many of us made the right choice at 16, 18, 21 or even 50?

With hindsight - such clear vision! - I definitely did not make the right choice at 18. I was horse crazy since the age of two if my mother is to be believed, so when I left school after A levels I trained to be a riding instructor. Then I worked on a pony stud till middle age, when I realized if I didn't change my job I would always be poor - and I mean poor! There is no money in most equine careers. So I spent the next 18 years packing pork pies, which I hated, but which had lots of overtime to build up my funds, until I gave that up to care for my Mum full time.

Mild autism had a lot to do with my choices, as I don't relate well to people. But if I could have my time again I would go to University. What would I choose to study? There's so much now, not so much back then, so maybe geography or geology, or archaeology, or horticulture - something that would give me an outdoor career.

Careers advice at school consisted of a set of alphabetical leaflets in a filing cabinet, I got as far as B before getting bored so chose banking. I hated every minute of it so went back to school to get a place in Uni planning to study Civil Engineering ( little idea what that was at the time but it seemed opposite to banking). Much to my parents dismay I then turned down places in Uni and joined the RAF as an Avionics(electronics for planes) engineer. I moved into Computing while still in the forces and carried on that career when I re-joined civvy street. One major regret in my career was choosing a path where I ended up replacing my IT technical design work (which I loved) with managerial headaches (which I hated). Managed to retire early and happy so probably wouldn't change much.