# What did you want to be when you grew up? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 5, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392 "2003-07-05T16:44:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/1 "2003-07-05T16:44:05Z")
Remember elementary school? In addition to the pictures of How To Draw Letters, and illustrative flash-card-style posters that said A Is For Apple, we had pictures that showed various occupations. As a young boy, I felt as if I were often asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I always said I wanted to be a carpenter. Of course, now I work in a radiology clinic, so go figure. So, what did you want to be, and how did it turn out? FISH ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/2 "2003-07-05T16:46:56Z")
I wanted to sit in one of those towers and watch for forest fires. I hear that there are a few left. I also wanted to start an airline in South America. ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/3 "2003-07-05T17:27:45Z")
I wanted to be Indiana Jones. Badly. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/4 "2003-07-05T17:36:59Z")
I wanted to be a truck driver. ---
**Author:** ![fizzygoodmakefeelnice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@fizzygoodmakefeelnice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizzygoodmakefeelnice)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/5 "2003-07-05T18:19:59Z")
I wanted to be a talking lion. Hasn’t happened yet. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/6 "2003-07-05T18:23:47Z")
Random person: “And what do you want to be when you grow up?” Me: “A Transformer!” Parents: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![big\_alex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e56c9b/32.png) [@big\_alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/big_alex)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/7 "2003-07-05T18:38:22Z")
An astronaut. But then I grow up with fairly bad eyesight, not really liking maths and hating physics, and getting homesick at the smallest distance from home. So maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/8 "2003-07-05T18:42:45Z")
A nuclear physicist, because I thought it sounded so cool. Math. Ick. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/9 "2003-07-05T18:49:15Z")
A teenager. I’ve outlived my dreams. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/10 "2003-07-05T19:28:02Z")
A biologist and a cartoonist. I can still draw cartoons, but somehow I wound up being a writer/professor. ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/11 "2003-07-05T20:00:07Z")
A fighter pilot. Entirely due to the fact that Top Gun was a way cool movie around 1985/1986 when I left school. Glad I didn’t do it though, seems like really hard work. Glad I ended up a Computer Geek. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/12 "2003-07-05T20:08:37Z")
Lunar Colonist. Still holding on to the hope, even though the odds are about as remote as they get. ---
**Author:** ![Stage\_Manager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stage_manager/32/7267_2.png) [@Stage\_Manager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stage_Manager)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/13 "2003-07-05T20:13:33Z")
I was going to be a lawyer. Or a librarian. Or (later) a programmer. Or a teacher. So how did I end up a theatre geek? ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/14 "2003-07-05T20:19:02Z")
I probably wanted to be a dancer or something like that. I can’t really remember. Now in a few months I’ll be studying journalism. Please don’t hurt me! _runs and hides_ ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/15 "2003-07-05T20:24:43Z")
An archaeologist, and the first woman president. Astronaut was good too. I’m a librarian and SAHM now. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/16 "2003-07-05T21:35:02Z")
When I was 3, I really wanted to be a garbage man (they had the coolest trucks). Then I wanted to be a professional hockey player (that idea lasted until I was about 16). Now I run a record store. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/17 "2003-07-05T22:05:57Z")
My brother and I were going to be architects together. Then we were going to be dentists. He’s a bookkeeper and I answer phones. ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/18 "2003-07-05T22:11:18Z")
A veterinarian then a librarian then a cartoonist then a world traveller. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/19 "2003-07-05T22:14:19Z")
I used to want to be a rock musician and a radio announcer. I’ve done both. I’m pretty much retired from the first, but I will be working until retirement at the second. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392/20 "2003-07-05T22:16:59Z")
For a while, when I was eleven, I wanted to be a mailman. Because my mother had forbidden me to join the military, I thought a postal uniform would be the next best thing. I guess I had the desire to belong to something. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up/186392.md?page=2)