So, You Never Got To Be A Train Driver?

You and how many other boys - and girls!  Now you're a
journalist, an accountant, a headmaster, a research
scientist, a vet... just like some of today's train drivers. 
Yes, I've just picked up a report on the BBC about all the

They have exchanged their profession for a career which in
the past, though highly skilled, did not carry high status
in society.  Why are they doing this?  The pay is good - it
may be a shift up or down depending on what you're used to,
but it's above the national average.  There's a lot less
paperwork than in many jobs and the hours, though sometimes
'anti-social', are largely predictable.  A former vet who
was interviewed said that though his new job involved
working shifts, at least he knew what they were.  He could
plan ahead and enjoy his time off.  'When you go through the
gate at the end of a shift, you leave the job behind.'

I was fascinated not just because I'm a career coach but
because one of my clients this very week listed 'train
driver' as a boyhood dream.  It wouldn't be his choice now
but that's beside the point.  What's clear to me is that
even I would have ruled that out as impossible - and it's
not!  We sometimes lament that we're living in a world of
bewildering change.  That can work to our advantage.
Avenues previously closed to us may open up because of
changing circumstances so the assumptions we make about
what's possible need to be constantly tested.

Maybe you've given all you have to give in your present
career. Maybe it's just not the same job as it was when you
began.  If you have an inkling that it's time for a change,
look over the parapet and see what's down the tracks.  And
if you really do still want to be a train driver, why the
hell not?