What did you want to be when you grew up?

In My Humble Opinion
41

When I was in K-1st grade (+/-) I wanted to be a truck driver and race car driver. My plan was to carry my race car in the back of my 18-wheeler around the country to races.

However, for most of my elementary school years I wanted to be… a chemist!

Until I had my appendix out, ca. 4th grade, after which I wanted to be a surgeon for a year or two before switching back to wanting to be a chemist.

Then Middle School and High School hit and my science classes were a real disappointment to me. Dammit, I wanted to learn some real chemistry! So somehow my attention turned to the social sciences: I became interested in History and Anthropology and by the time I hit college, those were still my two big interests and I planned on majoring in one and minoring in the other.

Great plan, except that my school didn’t offer Anthropology! So, I majored in History and minored in Geology (my high school pal and roomate was a Geology major) with a plan to be a Park Ranger.

While taking a few classes in Geology, my inner child (the chemist) was stirred when I discovered that in Geology I could combine basic chemistry with hiking, camping, and fun… and get paid for it! So I finished my BA in History, took an MS and PhD in Geology and now many years later, my childhood dream is (sort of) realized…

I’m a race car driver with my own 18-wheeler!

No, I’m not. I’m a Geologist who mostly does Geochemistry!

42

Well, I wanted to be a truck driver first - the over the road kind? I figured that I’d live in my truck, sooner or later meet BJ and the Bear at a truck stop, he’d fall in love with me, and we’d drive all over the country as a couple solving crimes.

Having realized, several years later, that Greg Evigan was not likely to be interested in a suburban pre-teen with a bad case of acne, I decided that I wanted to be a lawyer.

Having realized, several years later, that I’d have to like, do real good in school and go to college for eleventythree years before I could even start lawyering and high school grades were, like, important, I rebelled and moved out of the house right after HS graduation, making that important transition to living in a cheap hotel with the boyfriend who didn’t work.

Having realized, within several hours, that I needed to do SOMETHING so that I could eat and keep a roof over my head (the things you don’t think about when running away from home!) so I finally joined the ever-interesting field of “administrative assistant.” Which is where I still am. And probably will remain until I die.

Happy Monday!

43

I’ve wanted to be all sorts of things. When I was really little, I wanted to be an archaeologist, but I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to dig up dinosaurs or Native American pueblos. I still think it would be really cool, but it’s not the #1 ambition. At one point I wanted to be a Blue Angels pilot, but then I discovered you had to join the military to do that, so that idea was out the window.

Other things I’ve toyed with include literary translation (that was the original plan when I started college) or political science professor (that was the original plan when I started grad school).

If I didn’t have to worry about mundane things like paying the bills, I’d be one or several of the following:

Glassblower

Owner of a small restaurant/café with a random and ever-changing menu of old yummy comfort-food standards, plus some ethnic dishes that Americans rarely get to try, but have universal appeal (why is there no decent homestyle Russian restaurant in Chicago? My pelmeni and borsch kick butt!) It would have live music on the weekends, plus hang the work of up-and-coming local artists on the walls. Plus I would teach international cooking classes on off hours, because I fully believe it’s much more difficult to retain hate and prejudice toward a people if you love their food. OK, so the falafel concept completely blows that theory out of the water, or else there would be peace in the Middle East, but humor me, OK?

Culinary ethnohistorian, with lots of fieldwork – my first project would be to trace the migration and adaptation of the dumpling across the Eurasian landmass

Amateur ethnomusicologist

Travel writer

Lots of people have told me I should either become a journalist or go to law school, but I don’t have the cojones to do the kind of journalism I would want to do, and I have no desire to spend tens of thousands of dollars and three years of my life at this point to have other people torture me.

What have I done so far? Well, so far I’ve been a third-generation ice cream professional, cosmetic salesperson, data entry person for business simulations, book stacker, refugee vocational counselor, court interpreter, various icky administrative jobs, export sales coordinator, and most recently, immigration paralegal.

44

When I was a first grader through the 4th grade I wanted to be a teacher. Then I realized how crappily they were treated and that they hardly got paid and I ditched that idea. My next dream occupations were, in age order:

10-11 Spy/Comedian
12-13 Writer
13-18 Obstetrician.

I took premed in college but dumped it for Journalism/Public Relations after coming to terms with my inability to take the math classes.

45

I wanted to be a science fiction writer when I grew up. Back in 1966 or so, I saw the first SFWA anthology and thought, “I want to be able to join them.”

By 1981, I realized I wasn’t going to grow up, so I started writing SF. Have sold enough SF to feel like I’ve achieved my goal. I’m also a member of SFWA.

46

I wanted to be:

Marine Biologist. I specifically wanted to study sharks. Odd because I always was a big scaredy cat.

Daisy Duke. The major problem with that was that I also wanted to marry Bo Duke and obviously I couldn’t do both.

A country singer. More specifically Crystal Gail. Maybe it was the hair?

A cat burglar. I think I just wanted to wear the costume.

Married to a rich man. I didn’t really care what rich man. Just someone who could buy me everything I wanted out of the Sears Catalog.

I didn’t do any of things. Strangely enough, I am okay with it.

47

When I was a little kid, I wanted to be the trash guy that shoved thick tree branches into the big shredding hopper. I was convinced that’d be the neatest job in the world.

After reading Napolean Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, I wanted to be a self employee’d millionaire.

Then, akin to Qadgop, I wanted to play Superman in the upcoming movie. Chris Reeve dashed those plans.

For awhile I entertained notions of becoming President but now, I’m just happy to be employeed and a Dad.

48

Gah, actually I don’t want to be “employee’d”. I can’t believe I did that twice.

49

I wanted to be Quincy! You know, a forensic pathologist. Then I had a cousin describe, in vivid detail, some of the things he had to do in medical school…

So, I wanted to be a forensic scientist. Still cool science and dead people… Then I realized that, although the sight of blood etc never bothered me, the smell was something quite awful. And I saw a dead body. Ummmm no thanks.

So, I condensed all my aspirations into… Going To College. Very important. And followed closely by Going To College On Scholarship.

So, there I am at college, having no clue, working my way alphabetically through the curriculem to see what fit, and didn’t declare a major until I was a Senior. My goal became To Work For State Government. You laugh? Not as hard as my first interviewer.

So, here I am, an Environmental Scientist with a State Agency. For 14 years. Works for me.

50

I keep seeing “marine biologist” or “oceanographer”. Jacques Cousteau influences?

51

Doctor – Way too squeamish, and I’ve spent well more than my fair share of time in hospital and hated every second.
Pilot – I gave this up when I decided I would be away from my family too often. I believe my mum is still touched by that.
Entomologist – Yup, I was the kid who complained when others ‘discriminated’ against insects.
Formicologist – Unfortunately, the market for a ‘studier of ants’ is very limited.
Geologist – This inexplicable and sudden passion for rocks is something I’ve yet to rekindle.
Owner of Business – Inspired by the wealth of Bill Gates. However, my plans were vague to say the least.
Programmer – Until I saw what kids way younger than me were doing.
Journalist – Still haven’t decided against this, but I figured that it’s not necessary to go directly into it.
Politician – Same as above.

After all that, I ended up as a…
…high school student, who is now hazily considering the following:

Cryptographer – Though I think I may have over-romanticising this career.
Seismologist – Inspired by my biological father, who gets to travel around the world hunting oil for Shell.

Otherwise it will likely be something with finance or computers.

Yeah… I finally came to the realization that I actually like mathematics. However, careers out of the way, my current ultimate dream is to own a ski resort.

52

I wanted to be a “scientist”. I was forever building models of planets (old basketball + paper mache + paint = model) wiring lights and speakers and buzzers and switches, collecting samples from creeks, etc.

I suppose since I graduated in Computer Science that’s close enough.

53

Yep.

I wanted to be just like Jacques Cousteau.

Except a girl.

And young.

And pretty.

With hair like Crystal Gail.

54

Oh, I just remembered what got me off the science trek (in addition to lousy classes) and into social science: I wanted to be in the FBI! I’d heard that to be in the FBI, you had to get a degree in either accounting or law. I rapidly determined that I didn’t want to be an accountant, so I looked into law and decided that the social sciences were my best path to earn a law degree and eventually get into the FBI. However, pretty soon I was just into the social sciences and forgot all about my JD and FBI ambitions.

(Circa 9th grade)

55

I really did want to be a nurse, but when I was 11 or 12 I heard and saw this toothless old neighbor of mine play blues on a slide guitar. I was hooked. He said he’d teach me, and he did some, but when I begged my mom for a cheap guitar she shipped me off to accordian lessons. :mad: We moved soon after that.
She was a lousy cook, too. :smiley:
The accordian was kinda fun, but it wasn’t what I wanted.
Now I’m pushing 60, and trying to teach these old fingers new tricks.

56

like *Stevie Ray Vaughn and Buddy Guy. Bonny Raitt, too.
I really did want to be a nurse, but when I was 11 or 12 I heard and saw this toothless old neighbor of mine play blues on a slide guitar. I was hooked. He said he’d teach me, and he did some, but when I begged my mom for a cheap guitar she shipped me off to accordion lessons. :mad: We moved soon after that.
She was a lousy cook, too. :smiley:
The accordion was kinda fun, but it wasn’t what I wanted.
Now I’m pushing 60, and trying to teach these old fingers new tricks.
Peace,
mangeorge