It’s typical in an interview situation for the interviewer to question why you want the job, and where you would eventually see yourself ending up in the business, as a natural gauge of your motivation and ambition. But in an interview I went to last week, my interviewer phrased that question as “what do you want to be when you grow up?”

This is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, but nobody has really stuck it to me that directly since I graduated from university. What does one do with a Master’s degree in English? There’s certainly no prescribed career path for “person who likes to read a lot”.

Her question brought to mind Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity. Specifically, the part where Rob Fleming, seedy anti-hero and record store owner, makes a list of his top five dream jobs.

Here’s Rob’s list:

1. NME journalist, 1976-1979
Get to meet the Clash, Sex Pistols, Chrissie Hynde, Danny Baker etc. Get loads of free records – good ones too. Go on to host my own quiz show or something.

2. Producer, Atlantic Records, 1964-1971 (approx)
Get to meet Aretha, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke etc. Get loads of free records (probably) – good ones too. Make piles of money.

3. Any kind of musician (apart from classical or rap)
Speaks for itself. But I’d have settled just for being one of the Memphis Horns – I’m not asking to be Hendrix or Jagger or Otis Redding.

4. Film director
Again, any kind, although preferably not German or silent.

5. Architect
A surprise entry at number 5, I know, but I used to be quite good at technical drawing at school.

It has traditionally been very difficult for me to mentally divorce my desire for personal fulfillment in my work from my more material needs for money and my disinclination to spend 6 years on a PhD. But in the spirit of Rob Fleming, here is my current all-time, no holds barred, top five dream jobs. (list subject to change without notice)

1. Professor
I like the idea of lecturing to eagerly attentive students and having summers off work. Conferences and travel for “research” purposes sounds like a pretty sweet deal, too. Main obstacle to this being my lack of a doctorate. Teaching at a college or private secondary institution might be acceptable as well, but again, no teaching degree.

2. Writer
Fiction, preferably Giller and Booker prize winning adult contemporary fiction. I would also be extremely happy to produce popular mystery, fantasy, romance or children’s books. The promotional tours; the quiet, sedentary, reclusive work periods; the immortality in print. Yum. Downsides: years of obscurity, poverty, and near-certain alcoholism as a result of excessive self-reflection. Also, actually sitting down to write is a bit of a bugger.

3. Cantankerous bookstore owner
Used or new, with wooden aisles full of mystery novels, bought cheap and sold dear, books to the ceiling and in inaccessible places, sliding ladder on a brass rail attached to the bookshelves a must, spiral iron staircase a bonus. Downside: the business aspect. I hate doing taxes, accounting, etc. and the reality of shoplifters depresses me.

4. Comic book artist
It’s a niche market, I know, and hard to make any kind of living in. But how cool would it be for me to make another strike for women in this predominantly male industry by winning a Xeric award and self publishing my weird little book about the history of safety or chemistry or mermaids and then have it become a cult hit and get mobbed while trying to go incognito at cons. Bonus: might also lead to meeting Simon Pegg in person one day.

5. Audio book recorder
Having my voice and storytelling ability preserved for all eternity and getting paid for doing it. Narcissism is a problem for me, yes, but I also really enjoy reading out loud. Fortunately, I have a recreational outlet for this desire through LibriVox, where I am currently recording Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

All this woolgathering aside, I am seriously evaluating where I want to be, personally and professionally, in the next 2 to 5 years. Wedding bells and baby making don’t seem to be on the books, so it’s time to buckle down and get serious about work. Plus, career advancement means I might be able to afford a visit to Stephen and Skye in Japan and be able to go to Peru next year without having to live in a box and eat pasta every day for the foreseeable future.

There is a job posting at Cabinet Office right now that really intrigues me, but I have to decide in the next day or two if I’m going to apply. I think I will, but I have certain trepidations about the disruption of the delicate work/life balance that we all struggle to maintain being tipped deeply towards the “work” end of the scales, involving weekends and evenings camped out at the office, dreaming of checking e-mail while I am asleep, etc.

If nothing else, having applied for a part-time Master of Information Studies program at U of T in the fall (librarian studies) is a way of keeping my options open. I’ll know in a few weeks if I get in or not.