And what do you want to do when you grow up?
When I was 10 I wanted to be a zookeeper. Preferably one that looked after penguins or seals. I�m not sure now why it was that I wanted to be a zoo keeper, I think it was something to do with wanting to be able to throw their fish to them and watch them leap up and catch it. I was easily entertained as a child (still am in fact).
When I was 13 I wanted to be a journalist and that�s the idea that stuck until I was 15 when I wanted to be an actress. Lack of acting ability wasn�t going to stop me. I once spent several hours searching through my Dad�s book collection looking for a soliloquy to read at the audition I was never going to go to.
Then I had to start making choices, choices that assumed I had some idea of what it was I wanted to do: what A-levels did I want to take? Where did I want to take them? What degree was I going to do? Where did I want to go to university? Was I going to take a year out? What was I going to do with it?
My year out bought me some time. My degree bought me some time. My line through out university was: �It�s only the 1st/2nd year..1st/2nd term of the 3rd year�I�ll worry about it later.� And then it was later and I did have to think about it and I didn�t know and to a large extent I still don�t know.
And it�s not only me. I know more people who don�t know what they want to do, than people who do. I know more people who are trying to work it out as they go along, than have a grand plan. And I don�t know whether this reassures me or scares me.