When did you know what you wanted to be "when you grew up?"

1. 74

   whitney_185posted 12 years ago

   I just figured it out after piecing many different experiences together into a field I hadn't really considered before. What about you?

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      mtsi1098posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      when I was about 15 I hooked up the atari to my television set and I was off and running with computers...

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      adbreaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      my whole life i absolutely hated math it was my worst subject.
      
      it wasnt until i got to my junior year of high school and I had the most amazing math teacher who was different from all the others I have ever had.  He fun, exciting, he wanted us to do well, and really cared about each of his students.
      
      In the fall I will be a senior in college and I am studying to be a high school math teacher.

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   Muldanianmanposted 12 years ago

   I'm almost 40, and still haven't figured it out yet.  I have drifted from one job to another, without any real idea of what I should be doing.

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3. 74

   whitney_185posted 12 years ago

   I don't think there's anything wrong with that as long as you're enjoying the work! Having quite a few jobs that I despised really helped me figure out what I wanted to do.

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   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   I had been funnelled into science all through my education, ending up with a PhD in biomedicine. Discovered finally that I loathe laboratory work with a passion, especially when it uses animals. Although I enjoy constructing, testing and debating theories, I do not want to do the grunt work in a white coat beforehand.
   
   Requalified in library and information studies. Realised I absolutely did not want to work in a public library, found academic libraries too hierarchical, so went to work as a scientist/info. specialist at a charity looking for replacements to the use of animals in medical and scientific research and testing.
   
   The work was OK, but I disliked having to be in an office, clock in, listen to the idiocies of managers and trustees. After about 10 years, I started a "Free before I'm 50" campaign in my early 40s.
   
   Trained as a book indexer and started moonlighting with it. Unfortunately, the books I got to index were not in subjects that interest me, so I found the work dull. I persisted though, because anything would be better than being harassed by managers, forced into teamwork, having to talk about soap operas, pop music and office trivia every day.
   
   Then I fell into translation in my mid-40s by accident, did moonlighting with it for about 3 years, found I could live from it, so left employment and went freelance just before turning 50
   
   I'm not saying I'm in an ideal job, as I work long hours and have silly deadlines. However, it's the best I've had so far. I do have 100% control over how and when I do my work and do not have to work with anyone else. To me, that is more valuable than anything else.

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      Muldanianmanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I too studied Library and Information Studies at the University of Central England, but came to realise that I found library work very boring.

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5. 74

   whitney_185posted 12 years ago

   I totally agree with you about not having to work for anyone else and just being able to work by yourself. Enjoying the work makes life so much easier than not enjoying it, even if you're not earning as much. There's more to life than money!
   
   And "Free before I'm 50"... I love it! I can think of a few people who would find that motivating, I'm going to share it with them!

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6. 61

   Disturbiaposted 12 years ago

   I'm completely a right brain person so I could never be happy doing something that wasn't creative. Ever since I can remember I have been interested in photojournalism, but wouldn't you know it, my life kept getting in the way. I had the good fortune to marry, on a whim of course, a man who left me pretty well off financially when he passed away, so now I don't really have to do anything if I don't want to. But I have an interior design company which gives me plenty of outlet for my creativity.

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7. 74

   whitney_185posted 12 years ago

   Photography for an interior design company sounds like you'd have a lot of beautiful things to work with!

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   thisisoliposted 12 years ago

   I am happy doing SEO work, varying clients as well as long term clients helps keep me interested and motivated in a subject, while the website management of my own portfolio gives me teh sense of growth I need.
   
   I have never really known what I wanted to do, theres so much out there.
   
   My teachers have always looked at me like I was an idiot, the form councellor in college was exasperated by me.
   
   She took my interests and put them through the system they have, it seemed I was destined to become a librarian or an office admin assistant, something of that irk.  When I said I did not want to do that I could here her internal monologue saying 'the computer says so, sorry'.
   
   For the short term I was an admin assistant I was quickly promoted out of it, and I really do now enjoy the freedom of self employment.

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9. 71

   Cagsilposted 12 years ago

   At the age of 22.

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10. 85

    Lily Roseposted 12 years ago

    I never really knew. My previous job before becoming a stay at home mom was kind of thrown into my lap and it lasted almost 9 years.  I've been a stay at home mom now for 6 years and am getting ready to go back to that same job only because I can be reinstated and it pays well and allows plenty of flexibility, so it's kind of a no-brainer, but I would not say it's what I ever "dreamed" of doing. It's good enough though.

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11. 0

    klarawieckposted 12 years ago

    Age four. I asked my dad to buy me a toy piano because I was going to grow up to be a pianist. He bought me a real piano and signed me up to take lessons. Twenty-five years later, I was graduating from college with a Piano Performance degree.

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12. 60

    dutchman1951posted 12 years ago

    Age 62, and re-making myself again....still not there!    lolol
    
    
    who says we "have" to grow up?

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13. 92

    habeeposted 12 years ago

    I wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I used to bribe younger kids to play school with me. I had an antique schoolhouse desk in my bedroom since birth, so maybe that's what started it all! lol. But I also wanted to be a cowboy, a rancher, and a veterinarian.

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       dutchman1951posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       me to, not the teacher though, to intense for that, would turn off the kids like that.
       
       My hats off to you though, it s an involved profession for sure and I am sure, rewarding.
       
       I am now crossing over into legal assisting at age 62, applying as a researcher for  a Constitutional lawyer who takes on rights cases, always wanted to assist and fight for people who were wronged.

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14. 67

    Rosie2010posted 12 years ago

    I wanted to be an actress. Took lots and lots of lessons.  Went to a few auditions but no luck.  So I thought I'd try community theatre, no money but any kind of acting experience would be good.  I got a call back, but so were about 20 people.  At the end of the day, everyone got a part EXCEPT me.  Devastating!  I tried to be a stand up comedian.. but I couldn't swear like a pro.  There goes all the money spent on acting.  Anyways, I love going to school, from business finance, gemology, criminology to law.  Got accounting degree but after getting to the 5th level of accounting certification, I decided I hated doing accounting.  Oh well, I'm still a drama queen.. no money, but I can do drama that's for sure. lol

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15. 61

    TMMasonposted 12 years ago

    I still haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up.
    
    I was told by the teachers though, along with the other lil white boys, that we would be nothing when we grew up because our country was to repay the miorities for all our oppression of them.
    
    So I said hell with it and didn't bother to even think about it.

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       Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Not getting enough attention in the political forums?
       
       Let's not make everything political.

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          TMMasonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          I gave my reason why i didn't consider anything for a future career. Simple as that. Alot of llil white kids were thrown away in the name of Affirmative action. That is just a fact and a side-affect the Left said would come about from that policy. read the Sociology on it. Pretty clear.
          
          Oh and I get plenty of attention UW... you know that.

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    Home Girlposted 12 years ago

    I wanted to be a singer but my mom told me that I had a weak voice. It was not true but I believed my mom. I took piano lessons (my mom's wish), I hated that. I took dancing lessons but my partner liked girls more than dancing, I quit that. I became a teacher - hated every minute of it. Became stay at home mom - could not wait to get out of the house!Came to Canada without any money - had to do whatever you can to survive. I am still doing it. What do I like? I do not know. I know what I do not like though.

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       klarawieckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Well, that's a start!

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17. 0

    Home Girlposted 12 years ago

    Yep! 50 more years and I will definitely know my vocation!

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18. 60

    SueShepardposted 12 years ago

    I honestly wanted to be a housewife and knew that around 10 years old. I just had simple dreams of getting married, keeping things in order, and making my husband happy. I loved the thought of being home and doing house chores and errands, keeping everything running smoothly. Not very big goals, but I liked that type of life. I actually have that now after leaving the teaching profession, but I need to make some money here soon since that goal is looked at as not being ambitious and lazy. I think I should have grown up in the 50s.

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19. 78

    brimancandyposted 12 years ago

    I originally wanted to design and build amusement park rides, or be involved with the planning on the parks, until I discovered all of the stuff that you have to do to get a job like that, and how there really isn't a great demand for ride designers.
    
    I also thought about being an actor, but knew that I wasn't any where near handsome enough, with all the other pretty boys on television, and, be one of the dime a dozen. So that was out.
    
    Then I decided that I wanted to be a writer. I think that is the most likely career I could achieve. In fact I have been published in other areas, I just haven't ever done anything that I have been paid for. But, I did have a nice following for a while when I was writing adult stuff, in the area of 10,000 fans. But, then Geocities tanked, and took my pages with it.
    
    But, I don't think I have quite grown up yet. There is always going to be some other career that I would like to try to get into. Being self employed will always be my main goal. Working for someone else sucks rocks.

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20. 81

    earnestshubposted 12 years ago

    At fourteen. I knew I wanted to be a surgeon.
    
    Then my education was interrupted by a lack of money. I had to go to work...... again.
    
    All turned out well though, I went in to business as a young man and stayed there for 35 years. I got over my desire to be a surgeon and studied psychology alongside owning my businesses, and have had the opportunity to do some good in my life.
    
    Now I just love being a full time grandfather, who's work is always a sideline to the main task of giving as much time, reading as many bed time stories, and listening to the needs of my little ones.

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    BRIAN SLATERposted 12 years ago

    About 14 minutes ago.

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22. 79

    Bard of Elyposted 12 years ago

    When I was around 16 I wanted to be a pop/rock star or singer-songwriter or a famous naturalist. I am still hopeful and have had some success with a music career!

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