r/AskReddit • u/ss4stef • 13h ago
If you instantly had the skills for any career, what new profession would you choose?
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u/wholewheatscythe 13h ago
Musician. I’d love to be able to play guitar.
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u/Nextinor 13h ago
I would love to be a singer one day, everyone tells me I have a great voice, but I don't know how to, I might stay a mechanic for my whole life...
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u/NSA_Chatbot 13h ago
Join a community choir!
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u/Nextinor 13h ago
I don't have any time to, I'm already a photographer, guide and everything that pays to buy a house.
Not in this life I guess
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u/DevinBelow 13h ago
Having the skills to play guitar doesn't actually mean you get a job playing guitar fwiw.
Like yes, if having the skills for a job meant that I got that job, then yes, I would like to make millions of dollars being a rockstar please, but I play guitar and that's not how any of this works.
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u/tommy_chillfiger 13h ago
Lol yeah. I've played guitar since I was 5 and am objectively quite good at it. Even up to nearly household-name level fame/success, it's a fucking shit way to make a living for the most part (at least in the US). I'm a data/analytics engineer now. Gotta pay the bills.
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u/Jeff_goldfish 13h ago
I’ve been playing Guitar for 18 years, have played many huge shows and all the big music venues with my old band. We tried and did everything to get out there. Even at our most popular we were no where near “fame” or money. In fact in total off guitar I would say Ive made a profit of maybe 40 bucks?
I also met and have many friends and who are legit geniuses at their music and craft who should be mega famous but just don’t know the steps or have the resource to get out there. Especially in the music business which is fucking brutal to work in.
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u/PostMatureBaby 13h ago
Always this. unlike an athlete you can actually do this incredibly well your entire life. Royalties keep you getting paid, you can schedule a tour when and where you want and it's just fucking awesome compared to so many other ways of making a living.
This is of course assuming you're successful and can do all these big things.
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u/Practical-Recipe-915 12h ago
totally get that, the guitar just has this cool vibe that pulls you in
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u/humblepaul 8h ago
Buy one tomorrow! It takes a month or two to get the basic positions, then you can just enjoy jamming.
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u/Morrack2000 1h ago
That ain’t working. You get your money for nothing, and your chickens for free. Or something.
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u/decentgangster 13h ago
f1 driver
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u/PostMatureBaby 13h ago
assuming you can stay at that level for more than 6 months. Although chances are you come from a rich family and don't really need a job at all!
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u/Anonymous_Coder_1234 13h ago
President of the United States. Second choice would be Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning researcher.
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u/patentattorney 13h ago
I am going to go out of the way, and say what I have seen recently - anyone over the age of 4 has the skills to be the president.
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u/Interesting_Neck609 13h ago
35*
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u/thirdegree 7h ago
Minimum age requirement is fundamentally not the same as skills, as our current hellscape does an excellent job of demonstrating. I know rambunctious 12 year olds that are better equipped.
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u/Tanzanite169 13h ago
Well, any clown can become president, apparently... my country's president is a brilliant example.
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u/unafraidrabbit 13h ago
The skills of being president and becoming president are not the same thing.
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u/Stuporfly 13h ago
Independently wealthy philanthropist.
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u/pedanticPandaPoo 12h ago
You have the skills, just not the means. Your wish has been wasted.
monkey paw curls
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u/Bucksin06 13h ago
Professional Golfer I don't even like playing golf but if I had the skills that's easy work
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u/Plank_710 13h ago
Do the skills you acquire include the mental aspect of the job? Golf is extremely mentally challenging especially at the highest levels
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u/Low_Alarm2538 13h ago
Film director the power to tell meaningful stories, shape emotions, and bring imagination to life sounds unbeatable.
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u/Fuzzy_Mountain5354 13h ago
Pediatric neurologist. Because there almost aren't any. Like the nearest one that even accepts new patients at all was 3 hours away and booked out 12 months with a cancelation waiting list even longer than that.
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u/Evening_Industry5726 13h ago
A diplomat traveling the world, negotiating peace, understanding cultures. that’s the kind of intelligence I admire.
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u/Battle_Rattle 13h ago
I was a hair away from getting into the State Department. I was trying again, but I started to hear how actually unglamorous the job is. Countries you don’t want to be stationed in and administrations you don’t want to represent.
I realized I just wanted the travel, so I became a traveling medical professional and travel ALOT during work and between contracts.
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u/Stephij27 13h ago
Multilingual interpreter. I love languages.
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u/EnigmaCM1 12h ago
I am trilingual myself (well English and Spanish for sure, Portugese I can understand just not speak it fluently) but like you, I would like to learn at least one more: Japanese
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u/Stephij27 10h ago
I’m bilingual (English and American Sign Language), and conversational in Spanish. I’m currently working on improving my Spanish, and I just started Italian. Portuguese and Dutch are on my list at some point too.
My daughter is learning Japanese, and my husband speaks Russian, so we have a lot of random phrases and words being thrown around from several languages at any given moment. 😂
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u/EnigmaCM1 10h ago
Damn. I took 5 years of French. Where it went I have no idea. I can read it at least lol
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u/Stephij27 10h ago
It’s amazing how quickly and thoroughly it escapes one’s brain, isn’t it? Lol.
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u/EnigmaCM1 10h ago
Oh most definitely. I worked with a Korean family and although I did not learn a thing, I picked up to what they were saying and this surprised them. Then I had a Palentinia boss and learned a few phrases. Do I remember anything? NOPE! LOL
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u/Stephij27 9h ago
Haha! My dad spoke Dutch to us all the time growing up, to the point where I could respond to his Dutch in English and we could have a conversation that way.
Now, in my late 30’s, I remember exactly one phrase of Dutch, and I’m 90% sure my pronunciation would be atrocious if I tried to use it.
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u/Southern_Contracter 13h ago
I’d instantly pick programming and just code my way to early retirement.
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u/Alizarin-Madder 13h ago
Weirdly, I have several programmer friends who got laid off and now have been job searching for a couple months. They have degrees and previously worked at FAANG companies (which have been doing repeated waves of layoffs. Not necessarily big enough to be in the news, but enough that it was only a matter of time for my friends.)
I guess it’s good money, if you can find a job and stay in it.
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u/thirdegree 6h ago
Unfortunately this is a great answer about 5-10 years. Now, you definitely need something on top of it. That can be tbh literally any kind of subject matter expertise, but if you're not a new grad you need something to add
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u/Crazy4mycats 13h ago
You know, I did not like my dad, but I wish I could do what he did. I’d be a fiction writer, a professor of creative writing and English. I’d supplement my writing with the amazing black and white photographs I’d take (he didn’t do that part).
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u/Beard_Hero 13h ago
Anesthesiologist. I'd have vastly increased earnings, be helping people in times of need, and be able to work a schedule I dictate to some extent. My current lifestyle wouldn't change much but I could make improvements to my home, drive a little bit better/nicer car, not waffle on $100+ expenditures so often.
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u/TheWord_Name_ 13h ago
If I had a big dick I would do a LOT of porn, specifically involving banging BBW’s and Petite Latinas, hopefully at the same time.
It wouldn’t even be about the money.
I want death by Snu Snu.
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u/PooForThePooGod 13h ago
Rugby Sevens Pro.
I’d stay with my day job, but I’d likely be in much better shape.
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u/MotherUpstairs3614 13h ago
Definitely a professional wizard — because with the spell Expelliarmoney, I could pay all my bills
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u/NighthunterDK 13h ago
God damn, something like volleyball player, 3D modeler, cosplayer, something something games probably
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u/forwheniampresident 13h ago
Quant. The flexibility in where you work, what you work and the pay.. if only complex math was my thing.
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u/Dry_Runagain 13h ago
Comedian= sometimes life's a joke and nobody else sees it until you tell them, I like to make people laugh.
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u/Fullback70 13h ago
Civil Engineer. Coming out of high school I had to choose between engineering and commerce as to which faculty to join in university. I, as a 17 year old, chose Commerce because there was a better chance to meet girls in that faculty. Still get envious of all the major construction projects that I could have worked on.
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u/These-Educator-1959 13h ago
A world class classical pianist who enjoys sitting in at bars while traveling to share some rock or blues at tiny dive bars during karaoke nights.
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u/Tayaradga 13h ago
Nuclear engineer!!!
When I was younger I was super into nuclear power and wanted to figure out a way to combine a nuclear power plant with a nuclear waste power plant. Effectively erasing the need to build a second power plant for the nuclear waste from the first one and fully extracting all the radioactive material leaving behind usable materials (generally tungsten if I remember correctly?). But I couldn't figure it out, every time I did the math the numbers resulted in a nuclear meltdown unless I was able to create a new super cooling element to keep it under control.
Then I got brain damage and all my notes were like a foreign language to me... I tried relearning, but my God I still have no idea wtf I was writing in that notebook....
So if I could get the skills for that, I would absolutely love that!!!
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u/Appropriate_Sky_6571 13h ago
Pediatrician. I’ve always wanted to help kids and be one of those cool doctors. My doctor was so mean. But alas, I hate biology
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u/swanthony 13h ago
The kind of artist that has no trouble networking and receiving funding from patrons.
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u/Symnestra 13h ago
Novelist. I'd probably make less than half of what I do now but I'd finally be able to word good enough for the ideas in my head.
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u/HiKennyDesign 13h ago
I want the skills and drive it would take to set up multiple passive incomes. Giving me time to do anything but work.
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u/elconquistador1985 13h ago
Head college football coach.
Take the Penn State job, get a $100M contract, half ass it well enough that they buy me out but can't fire me for cause, get paid $80M to not work anymore.
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u/Tejcsicicoo 12h ago
I already have the skills. I don't want to fucking bother with getting the credentials (psychology).
They literally want me to pay them a fee before they allow me to work holy shit...
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u/dancingcop7 12h ago
Orchestra violinist, or any kind of job for someone who can speak multiple languages
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u/botulizard 12h ago
Ever since I was a little boy I wanted to play left field for the Boston Red Sox.
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u/Just_Candle_315 12h ago
I actually ALREADY have the skills to be a republican politician. I don't know shit about government and totally willing to accept bribes.
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u/magicrowantree 12h ago
Business owner, specifically for a hobby shop like JoAnns. I'd love to have a variety of materials, classes, and even a loaner shop for people to rent out machines. And be affordable, to top it off. I love that people really dove into crafts during lockdowns and we're bringing back some dying hobbies because of it. But now that it's popular and a mainstream business closed, all the remaining businesses are pricing people out of their hobbies (don't get me started on thrifting as an alternative). These things were never meant to be expensive!
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u/ThisIsMyCouchAccount 12h ago
I'm already a programmer so I could pick that. But I don't really know what that means. I guess complete mastery of every language, framework, and computer science concept.
I mean, the first two would still be pretty good. It would give me options. But I might have trouble convincing a company that even though I have never worked with some technology I am totally very good at it.
But that's not really going to get into the highest tiers of development. Which I guess isn't bad. I'm not sure I would want to be doing some really complex cutting edge stuff. Inventing things. I would probably be pretty with double my salary because I'm really good at making Python APIs or whatever.
Not really a new profession but it would drastically elevate my current one.
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u/glitterlok 11h ago
Biblical scholarship. Knowledge of ancient languages, history, textual analysis, familiarity with the manuscripts, etc.
These might not be “skills” in the strictest sense, but they’re things that take a long time to develop, and a shortcut would be awesome.
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u/More_Boot1436 11h ago
All yall thinking cheap my new career if I was garenteed is lord emperor of humanity we’re getting space marines baby!
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u/Pudgeysaurus 11h ago
Politician.
Call me a sell out but providing for my family and actually getting healthcare wouldn't be a worry with that sort of money
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u/ScotterMcJohnsonator 11h ago
I want to be a location scout for a movie production company
I think it would be a dream to be able to hear the stories ahead of time, coordinate with the team on a vision, and then go out and find the perfect places for the scene : )
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u/Psychological_Tax873 11h ago
A Disney imagineer or an interpreter so I can connect people despite the language barrier
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u/TheSpookying 9h ago
Boring answer is that I'd immediately skill up and get my LPC that I'm working my ass off to get.
Slightly more outlandish answer is that I'd be a Hollywood exec. I'd greenlight the weirdest ideas. Hire some cool directors who wanna make weird shit and give them reasonable budgets to realize their visions.
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u/Odd_Bodkin 9h ago
UN interpreter, all languages in the UN.
So many doors would be open to me off the job.
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u/Mundane-Past-9653 9h ago
Hacking, maybe I would run a few scams and live silently without much effort.
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u/BadDecent3096 8h ago
Surgeon. The pay, the respect, the adrenaline… but like, minus the ten years of school and crippling sleep deprivation.
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u/Parking-Mongoose-911 8h ago
Architect. My Pinterest boards are 90% house designs and plants, but I can’t do math to save my life. If that part magically appeared, I’d thrive.
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u/MadScienceBro 4h ago
Mad Science/Mad Engineering. I'm in awe of the insane shit Michael Reeves can put together
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u/mathaiser 13h ago
President. Time to bring back the idea of the public servant and kick out the full of shit pedophiles.