# When did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 2, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-know-what-you-wanted-to-be-when-you-grew-up/573149 "2011-03-02T02:38:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-know-what-you-wanted-to-be-when-you-grew-up/573149/41 "2011-03-05T18:15:52Z")
I was 25 when I decided I wanted to work in international development. Now I have a couple years of field experience and a degree (as of a couple months ago). Anyone feel like hiring me? …yeah, that’s what I thought. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-know-what-you-wanted-to-be-when-you-grew-up/573149/42 "2011-03-05T18:22:44Z")
I wanted to be a vet. But as I got older, I knew I could never put an animal down, so that ruled it out as a possibility. My true calling (I think) was to be an English teacher to middle school students. I figured that one out at about age 30. Not what I ended up doing though… ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-know-what-you-wanted-to-be-when-you-grew-up/573149/43 "2011-03-05T19:00:46Z")
12 years old. Guidance counselor asked the question. And I said “engineer”. I loved creating things, but didn’t have the artistic mind – I was a technical guy. Senior year of high school I discovered computer programming and fell in love with it. So, I have managed to combine that with my desire to be an engineer and I get in some quality coding time as well when developing systems which need custom software to integrate the hardware. It was a bit of a roundabout route to get here, but I have now been doing it for almost 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![Zago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zago)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-know-what-you-wanted-to-be-when-you-grew-up/573149/44 "2011-03-06T03:46:38Z")
I think at 15 I decided I wanted to become an interior decorator. I didn’t have any adult advice/guidance but ended up at a state university in a Bachelor of Interior Architecture program (5 year professional degree). During my first year I was persuaded by a professor to change my major to Architecture. Looking back, I wish I had stayed with my initial choice as I think it was a better fit. Still, I’ve made it work. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-know-what-you-wanted-to-be-when-you-grew-up/573149/45 "2011-03-06T04:11:51Z")
My job hardly existed when I was a kid. Of course, I am older than most of y’all. Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-know-what-you-wanted-to-be-when-you-grew-up/573149.md?page=2)