# When I was a kid, I wanted to be a.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 17, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844 "2000-01-17T19:46:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![missdavis102](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@missdavis102](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missdavis102)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/1 "2000-01-17T19:46:00Z")
I wanted to be a blues singer. My mom always sang me the blues, so I guess it was natural. Then somebody told me I couldn’t sing the blues because I wasn’t black! It was very disappointing. I could still do it though… ## I also wanted to be a ballet dancer, an astronaut, and a garbage collector, but those were all passing whimsy. Now I’m none of those things. What did you guys want to be when you grew up? Stop Thinking That About Me!! ---
**Author:** ![egkelly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/db5fbb/32.png) [@egkelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/egkelly)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/2 "2000-01-17T19:50:00Z")
I wanted to be a con man…like The “FLIMFLAM MAN” with George C. Scott. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find a tutor for this sort of thing these days… ---
**Author:** ![Astro\_Hog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Astro\_Hog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astro_Hog)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/3 "2000-01-17T19:55:00Z")
I wanted to be an American Indian, Archeologist, Fireman, Policeman… Of course I too am not one of these. Strange… ---
**Author:** ![Catrandom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@Catrandom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catrandom)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/4 "2000-01-17T19:57:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by missdavis102: > I wanted to be a blues singer. My mom always sang me the blues, so I guess it was natural. Then somebody told me I couldn’t sing the blues because I wasn’t black! It was very disappointing. I could still do it though… You could indeed; the blues are timeless. Go for it! Me, I wanted to be a rock star. I even went so far as to learn to play bass. But, though I could sort of sing, I had no songwriting gift (and I wasn’t a very good bass player.) So I was in a band when I was at the being-in-a-band age, and that was it. Catrandom, who ended up a copy editor ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/5 "2000-01-17T19:59:00Z")
I wanted to be a bank teller. My reasoning, I wanted to dress in nice business suits and be around money. I am an accountant, so that’s not too far off. * * * If your head is wax, don’t walk in the sun. -Benjamin Franklin ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/6 "2000-01-17T19:59:00Z")
I wanted to be an archaelogist. In fact, I still do. Why the heck didn’t I get that degree?!? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/7 "2000-01-17T20:03:00Z")
I wanted to be an archaeologist as well. In fact I’ve got the degree, the only problem is that it does not pay the bills. I also want to be skier, a downhill racer, in the true sense of the Crazy Canucks. * * * See those stars over there? That is the Little Dipper. I’d show you the Big Dipper, but my zipper is stuck. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/8 "2000-01-17T20:05:00Z")
I wanted to be an astronaut. I was born in '61 (a week after Alan Shepherd went up) and as soon as I was aware of TV I was endlessly fascinated by space flight. I still remmeber watching the Apollo moon landing and running outside to look up at the moon knowing there were three guys up there. * * * Come let us go, I’ve a cask of amontillado. ---
**Author:** ![CanadianSue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@CanadianSue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanadianSue)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/9 "2000-01-17T20:08:00Z")
I wanted to be a professional dancer. I took tap, jazz and ballet for 14 years and always figured that would be a dream come true… Changed my mind along the way… then as I got older, I wanted to be a firetruck 😉 * * * We are, each of us angels with only one wing,and we can only fly by embracing one another ---
**Author:** ![BunnyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BunnyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyGirl)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/10 "2000-01-17T20:08:00Z")
MissDavis, one of the hottest blues singers around, Susan Tedeschi (sp), is white. She rules. Kind of Janis Joplin sounding but better. I wanted to be: 1. a ballerina 2. a horse trainer 3. a veterinarian That’s all I can remember. ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/11 "2000-01-17T20:12:00Z")
I wanted to be a physicist. Still do. Ditto that, “Damn, why didn’t I go for that degree” 😉 I also wanted to be The Invisible Man. * * * “It is now proved beyond doubt that smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics.” ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/12 "2000-01-17T20:14:00Z")
However hard it is to believe, I wanted to be a firefighter since I was 2 or 3. Now I am one. Go figure. ## I also could have enjoyed going into construction…I still love backhoes and excavators. Damn they’re neat. Jeremy… Nobody ever calls me after they’ve done something smart. ---
**Author:** ![special](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/special)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/13 "2000-01-17T20:18:00Z")
i just wanted to be grown up! i hated being a little kid. however, my son wanted to be a firetruck. does that count? oh, wait! for a long time i did want to be a collie. it didn’t work out. ---
**Author:** ![yamo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecae2f/32.png) [@yamo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yamo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/14 "2000-01-17T20:18:00Z")
I wanted to be an Elevator Man. Isreal, the Elevator Man was kinder to me than daddy, the ratfuck. Problems with authority? Who? Me? ---
**Author:** ![Frankie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Frankie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankie)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/15 "2000-01-17T20:22:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by missdavis102: > \*\*I wanted to be a blues singer. My mom always sang me the blues, so I guess it was natural. Then somebody told me I couldn’t sing the blues because I wasn’t black! It was very disappointing. I could still do it though… > > I also wanted to be a ballet dancer, an astronaut, and a garbage collector, but those were all passing whimsy. Now I’m none of those things. What did you guys want to be when you grew up? > \*\* I also wanted to be a blues singer…still do but, I’m afraid it is not meant to be. And I thought my sister was the only woman who wanted to be a garbage man? What is the facisination! Growing up, I always wanted to be a scientist…I am still facsinated by layscience and was close to being a nuclear physicist. But unfortunatly, calculus was unbearable so now I think maybe I’ll try for my fallback job. Pro Football Player! * * * -Frankie Lack of charisma can be fatal ---
**Author:** ![missdavis102](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@missdavis102](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missdavis102)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/16 "2000-01-17T20:28:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Frankie: > > And I thought my sister was the only woman who wanted to be a garbage man? What is the facisination! ## I wanted to be a garbage lady! Stop Thinking That About Me!! ---
**Author:** ![Sylence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Sylence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylence)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/17 "2000-01-17T20:35:00Z")
Volcano. I’m not kidding. Now. . . I want to be a writer but I’m so much of a freaking perfectionist that I delete everything I write. ☹ – Sylence * * * I don’t have an evil side. Just a really, really apathetic one. ---
**Author:** ![Kepi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kepi/32/7251_2.png) [@Kepi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepi)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/18 "2000-01-17T20:42:00Z")
I wanted to be an architect - but was afraid of all the math. Thought about being a meteorologist - it was the only science I enjoyed. Would like to have been a baseball player - but I couldn’t throw, catch, or hit worth a darn. Ended up as a technical writer/trainer. ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/19 "2000-01-17T20:52:00Z")
I wanted to be something that you could win an award for doing. Actor, singer, dancer, you name it, I had my speech prepared. I still want to be a rock star, but I have no musical talent whatsoever. So I married a guitar player. One of these days, I’m going to have him teach me how to engineer. That way, if he ever gets famous, I can still get some kind of credit on the label. 🙂 * * * “The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his ribcage.” --anonymous redhead ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2000, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844/20 "2000-01-17T20:55:00Z")
PS–missdavis, my husband is a blues guitar player, and he’s white. You go for it! * * * “The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his ribcage.” --anonymous redhead [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-a/12844.md?page=2)