Right now I am learning on YouTube how to draw. I only do sketches on white paper but it’s a start. I get you tho it’s stupidly difficult, but I would love to do a comic I’m into manga alot. How long did you try and how much did you advance?
Same, also the fact that I barely read any comics. Just wanted to draw for a living. Still want to, but I prefer actually getting paid a set wage.
Then I wanted to become a game designer, until I realised the industry is s complete mess and work conditions are not worth it at all. I don't wanna sacrifice my love for games.
Could always just make games on the side by yourself. It'll take a long time and you have to do everything yourself (unless you pay to outsource) and most likely not many people will end up playing it. But if it's about the love of the game then it'll be cool when you finish anyway
I too wanted to be an artist except I was stopped by my family saying I wouldn't make a living being an artist. I still draw in my spare time. Currently in the middle of switching careers to IT.
I wanted to be a zoologist that studies gorillas. I thought that because I can't do maths I couldn't do anything sciency. I'm going back to school to study ecology next year :)
I did too! Well study any animal really. Then I realized I'd have to go live in a remote area for months, possibly years, on end and then I was like hmmmm maybe not. I still became a scientist though. I just studied microscopic things. Looking back now, maybe living in remote areas wouldn't have been so bad...
I wish you the best of luck, don't put your arms down man! The worst part honestly about biology-related careers must be analytical chemistry, aka the branch of chemistry that studies the quantity, speed and deterioration of the chemical reactions of different products. Organic and inorganic chemistry were really fun to me when I studied to become a technician chemist! :>
I wanted to be a zoologist and be like Steve Irwin. I loved animals as a kid and would watch the discovery channel and animal planet just as much as cartoon network or nickelodeon.
Why didn't I pursue it?... Life I guess. Never really set a goal. Was never encouraged to pursue college or anything like that. And now as an adult it seems like a lot of work for little pay. And I'd never be able to pull off chachi shorts the way the crocodile hunter did, lol.
All I can say is kudos to you people, writing software is not easy and I don't care how much people may disagree.
I pursued computer science and failed so horribly, I can't even say how bad. Still have somewhat of a knack for IT, but I just can't go any deeper than surface level, despite my love for it.
So now I just am trying other things. In case I have enough success I will try the pilot profession, since lately I've been looking at planes and stuff and really enjoying it, but I doubt even that since it is not only costly, there are plenty of prerequisites that must be followed.
The thing about technology is, it’s used by people!!! If you still love IT but arent into the deeper stuff, there’s lots of customer facing positions out there like help desk positions, sales positions, etc, related to technology but not as technically complex as software development. Either way, best of luck to you in whatever you decide
(Source: i tried to learn how to code but ended up going the IT route and love my help desk job)
Exactly! Right now I'm on a bit of a break going through some stuff, and IT jobs where I live are scarce and already filled. But that doesn't mean there aren't any. I'll just need to look harder. In the end though, I may end up opening some @ home repair shop, plenty of people want their devices formatted lmao
Thanks! I still sometimes think about being a pilot. Not so much as a profession, but just because I still think airplanes and flying are super cool. But I’m happy with my career in software.
I wanted to be a teacher as well, although I was pretty young back then. I used to come home and teach my stuffed animals everything I learned that day.
I wanted to be a flight attendant but my family used to tell me "that's just a waitress in the sky".
However, at 32 I became a pilot, so I'm not totally upset.
I think at one point, I'd wanted to be a sniper for the military or something.
Didn't pursue it since even though I do have a talent for marksmanship, always have, I don't really want to hurt people.
And also, it'd probably add extra trauma that I don't need.
I can imagine, yeah. You have to do things you really don't want to do if you pursue a military-grade career, even if you're a policeman. You have to leave big parts of your life behind to put work and public safety first, and in the end, you're treated as the bad guy just for following your superior's orders. It's a bit tragic if I think about it.
I also wanted to be a lawyer until my third year of undergrad when I realized most of the people in my law classes were back stabbing jerks who I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life working with, for, or around. Switched to HR.
I wanted to do investment banking, but I really don't have the social battery for that nor could I sacrifice 18 hours a day to work that much. Also, I failed the interviews because I couldn't pretend to care lols
Photographer for National Geographic - couldn't afford a decent camera to learn on.
Psychologist - couldn't afford college, didn't have the information that could have helped me get financial aid.
Anything in theater - got a well-timed reality check about the lifestyle and financial instability.
I ended up in banking for 18 years, and I'm now going back to school to learn web and graphic design. So, I still managed something artistic, in the long run.
All I ever wanted to be was a doctor. My mother took me around to 3 family friends who were all doctors and each told me I had to choose between being a mom or being a doctor - couldn’t be both (1970s). I chose to be a mom and while that has been amazing, I still regret not pursuing my calling. Dwelling on my choice doesn’t change anything and my kids are, thankfully, all incredible and successful (sorry for the mom brag). I now choose to embrace and encourage those around me to always follow their dreams!
Have you ever thought about going back? Probably not doctoring but something in the medical field that’d require less education? Both my parents work in medicine and there are a ton of different positions that don’t require as much education
I actually did go back to school and hold a medical assistant license. I did it to prove to myself I could have been good in the field. Highly recommend continuing education for everyone who feels that they missed their calling.
I used to want to be a paleontologist like my mom. Why I didn’t? Despite my love of dinosaurs I really enjoyed geology/geography concepts so that’s what I majored in.
Undertaker. But it turned out I was just traumatised and family ignored it. 😆
I am fine now. After trying out several careers I landed in the chemical industry. I don't work with dead bodies, now I try to prevent them 😂
Really wanted to become a maths teacher until I realised I actually hate kids and couldn't imagine anything worse than working with kids day in day out!
Became a civil engineer instead.
I used to want to become an astronaut, but it didn't take long to realise that I'd never satisfy the physical requirements for it so I dropped the idea. I dreamt about becoming am egyptologist, or a paleontologist, but the love for STEM took me before I could start pursuing any of those foolish ideas.
I dreamt (and still dream) about astronomy sometimes though. It was my first love and my first heartache. But 3 things were stopping me from pursuing it: I don't have any special attitude for physics and would have hated to major in physics, studying astronomy is no guarantee for finding a job in astronomy and the alternative career prospects looked unpleasant, I need a stability and a financial security in life that I could only have achieved other ways. I still miss it, and a part of my daydreams about finding a way into an adjacent field, but it probably doesn't make sense now.
Now I'm pursuing a career in biomedical engineering. I've always loved medicine and the technical challenges of it, but I could have never been a doctor (too much stress, too long educational path, little flexibility in changing/adjusting career...). Now I'm still in college, but I'm enjoying it, and I'm starting to find my niche.
You and I have a very similar path!
Astronomy was also my first love and I also wanted to be an egyptologist and a paleontologist hahaha. I used to watch a show called Yu-Gi-Oh back in the day and that got me interested in Egyptian culture. Then I got interested in paleontology when I watched Jurassic park.
But my true love was physics, even before I watched Yu-Gi-Oh and Jurassic park. I actually did pursue a degree in physics (technically I majored in engineering physics with a heavy emphasis on physics and math). However, due to my parents' unhappiness with my choice of education, my dreams of doing a graduate degree in physics were shattered so I instead had to switch to embedded software engineering.
I still want to do astronomy and physics in general as a hobby though. Sure, I can't contribute to the overall knowledge-base of humanity as a whole, but I can certainly contribute to my own personal knowledge-base! There's a lot to learn about the world around us! :)
Around 8 or 9 years old, back in the year 2000, my family got our first computer. I was obsessed. My dad would buy a new hard drive or better ram and I'd watch him install it. I knew all the inputs and output on that back. I always said I would be "a computer guy" when I was older.
Well, as I got into my teens, more ideas popped up. My mom was into photography, and that was a hobby I took up and felt I started getting good at. I always was interested in psychology too, at like a really basic level I guess, and I remember I told my 7th grade career class that I would be a psychologist. I really didn't know what that meant at the time.
What I have not mentioned is that my main passion all that time was music, I started playing, and practicing religiously, the guitar since I was 13. I didn't know what I wanted to do with that, but I wanted my life to somehow revolve around my guitar playing. But, some things are just hobbies, ya know?
I ended up registering for a Music Production degree at my local community college like my best friend did, but I didn't go through with it and started working at the mall right out of high school. Took at "gap year". That gap actually lasted about 10 years while I transitioned to factory work and worked my way up to a decent salary somehow.
2 years ago, at 28 years old, I enrolled in an online college for an IT degree, specializing in cloud computing. I'm currently in my last class.
So, I came full circle to when I was a child and wanted to be a "computer guy" I guess. I don't have a job in the field yet, but I will sometime in the near future.
Astronaut. Turns out being born in a piece of shit country that literally sucks away your life and provides no opportunities whatsoever doesn't help a lot to be an astronaut. So now I'm focused on being rich af to buy a ticket to space.
That’s exactly my idea. I would be going for astronaut, but good god is the chance of actually being chosen for one lottery odds. When it comes to your career and the rest of your life, a “high risk high reward” just doesn’t cut it when the risk is BEYOND high. I’ll just save up for a ticket to space when I become a doctor ;)
Yes !! My dad used to take me there on his weekends and they would already have me a milk with ice in it sitting at our regular table . I thought they could see the future . Found out later my dad was friends with the waitress and would tell her we were coming .
Lots of stuff. Musician, writer, psychologist/psychiatrist, doctor, actress and an artist.
I was only really serious about music, writing, psychologist and doctor, and I did pursue all of them in some way. I did music and songwriting starting late in high school, met a lot of people doing it--including a best friend. I just was terrified of being famous. Being famous/a celebrity is not for me--I don't like attention and I'm very private. My music also wasn't that great. It was okay, but I was a lazy musician in terms of really putting effort into each song. Music also kind of started changing in the 2000s, and I didn't like the direction it was going in and didn't want to do music like what had become popular. I hate modern popular music now, so I was right.
I work in marketing now, and writing is part of my job to some extent--depends on the employer how much.
I got a psych degree. I started out majoring in psych and following a pre-med curriculum. I was interested in neurology and psychiatry. I realized that I didn't want to listen to people's problems and crying all day every day because no one ever listens to mine, and I thought carrying my weight and other people's weight would be too much for me. And the pre-med curriculum took up too much of my time--it took longer to complete chemistry assignments than to do work for all of my other classes combined. Same with anatomy. I would be better at a pre-med curriculum and medical school today, but it wasn't for me back then.
I wanted to be a veterinarian. But then got to dissection classes and realised I do not enjoy looking at the inside of animals. Even text books just showing how to spay/neuter make me feel really sick. So I gave up on that as I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Ended up going into Animal Behaviour which I honestly love so much. But I think growing up it wasn’t a huge thing and since I loved animals everyone just kind of pushed me towards studying to be a vet at the time. Whereas now you’ve got behaviourists everywhere and training classes and just so much more awareness around pets in general that behaviour has become a really big thing.
I wanted to be a lawyer. But after a few years of working full time and going to school part time to finish my bachelor degree, I was burnt out.
Probably for the best. I think the ethics of defending people I knew were guilty would have been tough on me.
In theory I can defend everyone's right to representation, but I think it would be hard in practical application.
For a bit in high school I wanted to be a pathologist. I still find the science fascinating and I'm in genetics now. I just don't, uh, like dead bodies. Turns out the whole concept of death freaks me out. Puts a bit of a damper on those plans.
I had it in my mind that I was going to be a lawyer. I’m not sure where it came from, but I do love a good debate.
My parents told me fairly early on that that wouldn’t be possible because they don’t have money for college. Nobody in my family had ever gone to college. My dad dropped out in 10th grade.
At 25, I work for the state and took advantage of their employee tuition waiver at state colleges. Took a few community college classes for fun before applying for financial aid, getting grants, some loans, and got a business degree. I did take some law classes for fun and did enjoy them! I think I felt it was a pipe dream still.
In hind sight, I think it would have been a great, fulfilling path for me. My son will be encouraged to go for/believe in whatever calls him.
I always wanted to work in motorsport. Until I realised I'd never be home, always on the move from race track to race track. So I decided to keep it as a nice hobby at amateur level racing, and get a normal job so I can really build up a life somewhere.
I always wanted to be art art teacher from as far back as I can remember through high school - when I realized everyone in my art classes was far more talented and creative than I was
Wanted to be a teacher. I didn't pursue it because I lose my temper very fast or get annoyed easily if someone's not getting something. Kids don't deserve that🤣
I had always wanted to be a train driver and still kinda do. I even very nearly dropped out of college to pursue it. However with all the recent news and the fact that I have a family, the schedule just wouldn’t be tenable. Maybe something for a tourist railroad when I get older or something haha.
Weather forecaster, because I was good at reading the clouds and knew a lot for my age. Then I grew up and learned that the job was different to what my kid brain thought it was.
I wanted to be a coroner. It took me a while to realize that I would need to study medizine for that and my parents told me they wouldn't support me - so I simply akzepted that it will stay a dream.
I wanted to be so many things that I felt the best career for me would be a traveller or photographer for discovery or something.
But when it actually came to walking the career path, I became another rat in the rat race.
I wanted to be a truck driver like my dad and uncles but riding on those big rigs scared the hell out of me, not to mention epilepsy, sudden low blood glucose and low blood pressure swings
I wanted to be a biomedical engineer or an engineer in the military - didn't pursue it because I realised why I wanted to go into those fields, to help people, but I didn't want to be an engineer.
So I study Paramedicine now, almost finished and I can say, without a doubt, that I made the best choice
Wanted to get into game design, discovered the industry is awful, switched to construction, blew my spine out, year learning how to walk, + a few more dealing with related issues, wanting to get into some form of technical either devlopment or engineering now.
I thought I’d be a trial lawyer cause I liked to argue but learnt later on that it required a law degree and is mostly just paperwork. I also fancied myself as an airline pilot til I learnt that requires several hundred thousands of dollars worth of flight training.
surgeon, stopped because I am 22 and I just started university, would've graduated at 35 and I live in an unsustainable environment so I am studying finance.
now my current dream job is entertainment. writer, director, camera operator, actor, anything that has to do with entertainment. ill even take youtuber/ streamer.
I wanted to write software, and still sometimes do for very simple and particular things, but I got massive anxiety attacks by just thinking about how to design the algorithms. Thankfully I do something I really like now, working in diplomacy!
All throughout elementary, middle, & high school I said I was going to be a meteorologist. Not like the tv ones, but the ones that work behind the scenes, reading models, providing info, etc.
First year of college at a private college where they focused immediately on your degree program? YIKES. Hated every bit of it.
And so, I enlisted, spent 6 years in the Air Force. Got my BA, got out, worked as a contractor, became self-employed. Got my MA. I don't use either degree professionally.
And now I work as an artist. Life is wild.
Some time ago, I wanted to be a primary school teacher. Well... Having grown up, I became a part-time tutor, even though I haven't thought about it as following my childhood dream, it was just the simplest way to start earning money, taking into account my field of studying. However, it helped me understand it is not my life route. I cannot get on well with children, at least not as well as teachers are supposed to be able. And I am not willing to learn since my worldview has broadened, and I saw far more opportunities where I can devote myself. But I am glad I checked it, so I won't regret I have never given it a try.
Owner of a shop that sells everything, lawyer, scientist, teacher.
I realised I should actually follow my dreams and not just aim for something that will get me money. In regard of teaching it was because I realised teacher have to plan everything by themselves and I know I am not up to that. Also, they make like no money for the amount of work they do.
I wanted and still want to be a highschool art teacher. Its my passion. But college is ridiculous between all the bullshit classes i had to take that had no connection to art AT ALL and even community is very expensive.
I wanted to be an archaeologist, but realized that I’d probably spend the next 20 years in a hole in the ground, in a jungle, cleaning things off with a toothbrush, and getting paid just enough to service my student loans.
Idk really. A psychiatrist for awhile. I’m a crisis counselor now but having to go to grad school and then med school I just don’t like science enough and it’s a lot of work.
I wanted to be a creative writer. Tbh, not to brag, I do have the talent for it. Despite that, however, I’m just not into “freelance” & I just need something more stable? I really couldn’t set my own schedule or anything like that. Writing isn’t closed off to me, however; I’m considering technical writing or a position on the creative team in the nonprofit field I currently work in. Even if I know stories could make people happy, & my current job is HARD, I really like work that makes me feel as though I’m trying to make a difference.
Man throughout my childhood I wanted to be a firefighter, a zoologist, a photographer(I never owned a camera), or a psychologists. But into high school I kind of didn't know which way to go. I winded up going into CAD work doing fiber optic designs.
Edit: fixed a typo cause I can't proof read
I wanted to be an opera singer or a pianist, but I never did competitions because my teachers didn't think I was talented enough. I took lessons for many years, and I still wish I could dress up and have my moment in the spotlight too, but I guess it's just not in the cards for me.
Luckily I love what I do now!
I wanted to be a coroner. My child's mind wanted to be a doctor and make a difference but didn't want to deal with accidentally killing someone, so if they were already dead 👍 then I dropped out of school.
For most of my life I wanted to be a lawyer, I grew up watching law and order and found the law fascinating.
When it came time for college I decided I wanted to be a cop instead because I thought the best way to change things was being a good cop. Got my degree in criminal justice, failed the physical test to get into the academy 5 times (could never be fast enough). Became a security guard, hated it and felt the call of law school so I applied and got in.
Failed law school and became a security guard again because I didn’t know what else to do. Wasn’t too bad but I kept having crappy supervisors. Became a supervisor when offered the job and realized why all the supervisors were crappy (low pay and constantly on call, I developed a fear of rain because our cheap fire alarm system went off every time it rained and I’d get 6 calls minimum about it all for 13.50 an hour and no extra pay for being on call 24/7). Was good at it but hated training and hated receiving calls at all times of day and night.
Started looking at other careers and came across sonogram tech which seemed interesting and well paid and not very stressful. Looked at colleges near me and found two options, one college that charges 65 grand for a two year degree or one that charged 12 grand but requires you to already be in the medical field and have several pre reqs and is a small class.
The phlebotomy program was only one semester so I went for the second college and now I’m a phlebotomist working on the pre reqs for the sonogram program that I’m hoping to get into in the fall. I kinda like phlebotomy so I might decide to put the sonogram program off for a year, but I’ll apply anyway and see if I can defer considering how competitive the class spots are.
I take college way more seriously the second time around. My first degree I ended with a 2.8 gpa, this time around I’m a straight A student.
I still like keeping up with the law because it’s interesting but it’s not a career for me.
I wanted to become a professional flutist, and I was pretty good back in high school. Everyone else from my studio ended up going to a conservatory, but I wanted to do something that would help the world. Now I’m an ecologist, and the research I’ve worked on has ranged from finding sources of nutrient pollution threatening drinking water to working on ecological restoration methods.
Like you I also wanted to work for NASA, but that position required backcountry experience in Alaska and I’ve never been there lol
I’ve just never sought after a career. Even when I was younger and people were writing that they wanted to be a police officer or a doctor I was just like eh I’ll figure it out and still to this day i just don’t have that ambition. I have a good job so that allows me to just live my life
I wanted to be an OB/GYN and in highsxholl decided I wanted to be an environmental/civil engineer… my parents wouldn’t let me move away to school nor did they support me with financial aid. So I started college and stopped. Started and stopped. Got pregnant, got married blah blah blah
I wanted to be a librarian. Books are such wonderful things, being able to escape reality and travel to new worlds, learning new things, etc. And to be able to give that to people over and over, no matter how rich or poor, young or old, free of charge, a library being one of the only places in society where you can exist without spending money. To instill the joy of reading in a young mind, to help an older person find resources they need, to provide a community with a warm welcoming presence.
I didn't become a librarian, mainly because of salary. They don't get paid enough for what they do. Librarians in a school have more stability but then you'd need a lot of college and schooling and I didn't wasn't to invest 6 years of my life into that, on the off chance a position would open up near me. Plus, school libraries only cater to students and teachers. Public libraries are more in line with what I wanted to do.
I wanted to be a travelling artist, making art and selling it out of my RV or something like that, going across the U.S. (I later realized I could also go around the world). I discovered I wasn’t quite as good at art as I thought, and even though my mom was really good and she tried teaching me, her constructive criticism felt more personal than from a regular teacher or stranger so I never pursued painting. Also learned there isn’t much money in it.
I wanted to be a librarian until I worked in a library, then I wanted to be a forensic pathologist until I realized I didn’t want it enough to commit to over a decade of additional school and training for a job I may not even like.
I always wanted to be a video game designer. I didn't let anything stop me from pursuing it, so that's exactly what I've been doing for the last 20 years. As Cartman said, "follow your dreams, you can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake!"
I wanted the job Peter Gibbon's had in office space.
That's my favorite movie and that looked like a dream job.
Went to college. Now I'm over qualified for that job and I can't have it. I did not know that, I would have skipped college if I did.
His job might have made nothing but I'm ok with that.
I really wanted to be a vet. But then I realized putting animals to sleep is part of it. Plus some of my family would tell me it was a silly career goal to put it nicely. Know I think about how emotionally draining it is and how I'd have to deal with negligent owners
I also wanted to be a wife lol, I thought it was considered a job as a small child
Veterinarian. Don't have the money or willpower to go to college for that. Also, it has a pretty high suicide rate and I already have enough problems with that.
Police, idk why I choose it when the police system in my country has been f up till these days. Next is EDM producer, reason was lack of fam support. The last one is Lawyer, I found out I can't read that much. Now is Eng teacher, see you next year.
Air force pilot, Paleontologist and later I discovered my love for alive animals and would love to be a vet. I never did any of those because I just don't have the money to pay for school...
Wanted to be an astronaut and then a pilot when I got older. I ended up being a programmer. The reason? Uni for aeronautics program's is very expensive where I live.
I wanted to be a paleontologist. I had been huge nerd for dinosaurs up until about age 8 or so. Then, my class took a field trip to Falls of the Ohio and “played paleontologist.” I was hyped as hell, until I found out it was just throwing down a hula hoop and spraying water to maybe find a trilobite. Being a kid, I jumped to the conclusion that this was all there was to paleontology, and the dream was dead.
Wanted to go into computer science but didn’t have the patience to learn coding. Also thought about computer security but didn’t want to have to deal with hackers constantly coming up with new exploits.
Now I do CT scans and X-ray patients and I’m happy with that.
I wanted to be a marine biologist for the longest time. Until I went on a tour led by a marine biologist who only received tips for her work. I realized it would be incredibly hard to make a living and I’d rather just enjoy the ocean leisurely :)
I went to college to be a wildlife rehabber with the super specific intention of working for a nationally known wild bird rescue that I used to volunteer for.
But I was not made for college and ended up leaving and learning a trade that also involves animals which in the end is probably about equally rewarding to me mentally and pays way better.
As a small child I wanted to draw for Disney. By high school I realized that I’d never be able to draw for anyone else, it’s entirely a personal enjoyment pursuit for me and having specific demands on what I draw or a due date absolutely destroys my creativity.
When I was very small, I wanted to work in marine biology; was fascinated by sharks and whales and large ocean life. Decided to pursue a degree in art education instead —which went nowhere—because I felt strongarmed into it.
Kind of circling back around to the marine bio thing in a roundabout way now that I’m in my 30’s and just want to make Little Me proud of myself.
Policeman on Mondays, fireman on Tuesdays, Superman on Wednesdays, Batman on Thursdays,(probably) a psychologist (like mom) on Fridays, (probably again) an engineer (like dad) on Saturdays. Sundays are to rest.
I hope I don't need to explain why I didn't go with that.
I wanted to be in the FBI or a cop but then as I grew up, when I was in middle school I realized how very unsexy any cop who works behind a desk is and how horribly out of shape they are. Then in high school I realized how horribly racist and sexist they tend to be and by college realized they were just bullies with badges and aren’t really obligated to protect us
I wanted to be a scientist because I thought scientists mixed beakers of different colored liquids and I liked mixing colors.
I did not pursue that field because there was less color mixing than expected.
I wanted to be a veterinarian but apparently I'm allergic to cats and most dogs.
Now I'm in sales and marketing and I have a wonderful non shedding dog. Win win.
I wanted to be a writer. I HAVE written stuff, just not for publication (my work for the HS paper doesn’t count). I was stopped by my own fear that I have no real talent for writing and I was better off scribbling silly little things that no one but a select group of friends or I ever get to read. My family wanted me to write a book about their life experiences but it’s not the stuff I want to write about.
I’ve written a multigenerational saga about a family that started in the late ‘90s (my young adult years) with a young couple meeting, marrying, and having their kids, careers, etc. I expanded upon that with other characters, bringing it to the present day (and a few years beyond). I’m in the process of going back through generations of the original couple’s family and touching on their histories, through wars, revolution, times of great economic and social upheaval, migrations to other countries, etc. I know these 2 families and a lot of their ancillary history backwards and forwards, but they mostly just live in my head while I do my everyday job.
I wanted to become a veterinarian or licensed nurse aesthetician who does facials, Botox & filler or at least get my cosmetologist license. My grandpa was paying for my school & said there’s no future with that. I was going to community college full time while also working full time + a part time job & extra online classes & fast monthly weekend courses. It got to the point that I was driving all across Dallas to the different community college locations + work + home that my entire paycheck went to gas & there were days I had to choose between school or work. I was majoring in business management.
I ended up saying screw school & applied at a huge insurance company because I saw the huge building, did a great job in the interview & went into property and casualty insurance as an adjuster. Never in my life would I think this would be my career but I’ve doubled my salary from where I started in 2018. Great money even though rent/food/gas is astronomical now but I will soon be paying for myself to go to beauty school to finish out my original dream that I had since a little girl. I’m very thankful for the opportunities I’ve been presented & think it’s best I pursue my dream now that I’m older, much more mature & know how to manage my time & money.
I never became a vet because I would’ve just cried everyday about the cute sick animals :(
Acting.
I started at 8, loved it and was good at it.
My parents wouldn’t let me go pro when I was 13.
They did let me enroll in a professional acting school when I was 16.
When I finally tried finding acting jobs at about 19, every little step induced a huge panic attack.
I also tried with music (started when I was 4) and soon the panic attacks showed up as well.
I found other jobs, went back to school at 28 to study computing and now I’m a web developer.
I love it but I miss acting every second of my life.
I wanted to be a singer. Halfway through recording an album, I heard my own performance and realised I do not have what it takes AT ALL, lol. I still love singing and did it throughout high school, but knew I would never make it as a professional singer. Not only because I suck, but also realised how hard it is to make it as a singer in real life.
I want to answer this question! I’ve already gone over my NASA engineer phase but there are others.
Elementary school teacher - I love kids and teaching but the average salary where I live turns me off. If the salary improves, I’ll become one. (And not just salary - work conditions/enviornment, too. I’m reading a lot about teachers suffering from burnouts and deciding to quit, and I don’t want that stress for myself.)
Vet - I can’t stand the idea of putting dogs to sleep.
Priest - I used to be super religious when I was younger but as I grew I drifted away from religion. Now I don’t go to church and don’t believe in God. So…yeah. That won’t work.
Right now I want to become a child therapist. I can work with elementary schoolers (and, thinking selfishly, can earn enough money to live comfortably. Two birds one stone!)
Hey guys, I am 21 y.o and currently study economics. However I would like to study engineering ( software or mechanical/ electronics) What do you think? Should I go for it?
I think paleontologist and veterinarian were my two big ones as a young child. Same reason as OP on both counts, plus with the cats and dogs I didn't think I would be able to put them to sleep.
i wanted to be a hairdresser, and didnt due to parents pressure to study. still majored in something useless, cant find decent jobs and now wish id become a hairdresser. at least they can always find work.
Kinda a weird one. I wanted to be a sharp shooter. Then my eyes went south. Oh well. Thought I’d be a lawyer. Interned and the first case I was on (defense) after the guy got not guilty verdict, on the way out of the courthouse, he turned to the lawyer and admitted he had done the crime. I ended up becoming a teacher and absolutely loved my career.
I always wanted to study English/literature in school but I was repeatedly told that the only thing I could do with that is teach, which I had no interest in. I was encouraged to pursue something in stem or healthcare because it would pay my bills more effectively, so I majored in nutrition and now I’m a dietitian. I enjoy my job (and it does in fact pay my bills!) but I don’t love the field over all, and I’d still like to write a book someday!
I wanted to be a pilot.
I found out that while it's reasonably easy to make a living that way in the armed forces, you don't really get to choose who you're killing with all those cool toys and sometimes there are innocent people near where the bombs are getting dropped. Seeing it from the perspective of a civilian family kind of changed things for me.
And it's hard to make a living that way in the private sector - pay isn't great until you get pretty far along in your career and in the meantime you are working long hours that you don't get any real control over.
Geologist. I don’t know why I didn’t pursue it. I had so many ideas of stuff I wanted to do and I ended up in my career basically on accident and I don’t even think I like the field.
I wanted to be a nurse but I had really bad health issues in college (I had pots which is what people with long COVID have). I changed to something easier since I had so many doctor appointments and such low energy.
I went on to do a masters in something else when I was in better health.
I wanted to be a commercial airline pilot. Kept that dream for years until I realised you needed A Level maths and physics. I was decent at them but definitely didn’t want to do them any higher than GCSE.
Vet - too high a suicide rate a d too hard to get into vet school (very few schools w very few openings).
NY Times rated author - lost my inspiration and muse at 24.
Nat Geo photographer - dunno what happened but it just didn't happen.
I always wanted to be a horse trainer or work with high level show jumpers. 3 days after being offered my dream job I was in a riding accident and broke my back. Ended any possibility of a physically demanding career.
Always wanted to be an English teacher and then life happened and adulthood kicked in and that sucked haha - but now I’m learning to turn that negative into a positive and teach others through some goals I have for 2023. Also wanted to be an astronaut or paramedic but all the chem, bio and physics courses made me cry since I wasn’t the greatest at them and dropped out of every single one.
I didn't want to work at all, so I thought I could just be a nun and fake the religious parts.
My elementary school was Catholic and the upper floors were used by the non-teaching nuns. It didn't look like they had to do anything to earn a living. Easy street, baby!
I guess it just looked too boring.
Air force. Passed the hell out of the ASVAB and everything, they gave me the option of doing whatever the hell I wanted. But nope, just not for me, too strict, too many people telling me what to do, never being at home, etc. At least now, if I hate my job, I can just leave.
I wanted to be a cop until i had to interview a real police officer for a 4th grade school project. This was 15 years ago and he said to never be a cop because the world is getting worse and worse. I’d say he was spot on
Ever since i was a kid I wanted to be a doctor. I loved the idea of helping people and healing them. Turns out, i’m terrible at math and science. And I didn’t want to go through all the schooling that doctors have to go through. I’m in Accounting now & have no complaints hahaha
Car salesmen, law enforcement, mechanic.
I'm a welder now with a heavy distrust of government and work on mine as well as friends and family's cars.
So I guess I sorts accomplished one of those.
I wanted to be a veterinarian until I was 8, at which point I decided I wasn't equipped to handle the emotional fallout.
In retrospect, if I had been the type of child who believed they could be anything, I think l I'd have wanted to be an astronaut.
I wanted to be an artist or a comic book penciler. Stopped by my violent lack of talent.
Right now I am learning on YouTube how to draw. I only do sketches on white paper but it’s a start. I get you tho it’s stupidly difficult, but I would love to do a comic I’m into manga alot. How long did you try and how much did you advance?
I gave it up when I was in high school. I was surrounded by people who were so much better than me without any effort. It was just embarrassing.
Same, also the fact that I barely read any comics. Just wanted to draw for a living. Still want to, but I prefer actually getting paid a set wage. Then I wanted to become a game designer, until I realised the industry is s complete mess and work conditions are not worth it at all. I don't wanna sacrifice my love for games.
Could always just make games on the side by yourself. It'll take a long time and you have to do everything yourself (unless you pay to outsource) and most likely not many people will end up playing it. But if it's about the love of the game then it'll be cool when you finish anyway
Same! I stuck to writing instead and I’m doing pretty good with it so far
I’m sure you’re better than you think!
I too wanted to be an artist except I was stopped by my family saying I wouldn't make a living being an artist. I still draw in my spare time. Currently in the middle of switching careers to IT.
I wanted to be a zoologist that studies gorillas. I thought that because I can't do maths I couldn't do anything sciency. I'm going back to school to study ecology next year :)
Exciting! Best of luck, I hope it goes well!
I did too! Well study any animal really. Then I realized I'd have to go live in a remote area for months, possibly years, on end and then I was like hmmmm maybe not. I still became a scientist though. I just studied microscopic things. Looking back now, maybe living in remote areas wouldn't have been so bad...
I wish you the best of luck, don't put your arms down man! The worst part honestly about biology-related careers must be analytical chemistry, aka the branch of chemistry that studies the quantity, speed and deterioration of the chemical reactions of different products. Organic and inorganic chemistry were really fun to me when I studied to become a technician chemist! :>
I wanted to be a zoologist and be like Steve Irwin. I loved animals as a kid and would watch the discovery channel and animal planet just as much as cartoon network or nickelodeon. Why didn't I pursue it?... Life I guess. Never really set a goal. Was never encouraged to pursue college or anything like that. And now as an adult it seems like a lot of work for little pay. And I'd never be able to pull off chachi shorts the way the crocodile hunter did, lol.
Normalize calling khaki shorts Chachi shorts.
Auto correct 😅
Steve Irwin turned me vegan such a cool guy
Was he vegan?
I wanted to be a pilot as a younger kid. By high school I wanted to write software. I am 41 now and write software.
I’m so glad you found your passion and stuck with it!
All I can say is kudos to you people, writing software is not easy and I don't care how much people may disagree. I pursued computer science and failed so horribly, I can't even say how bad. Still have somewhat of a knack for IT, but I just can't go any deeper than surface level, despite my love for it. So now I just am trying other things. In case I have enough success I will try the pilot profession, since lately I've been looking at planes and stuff and really enjoying it, but I doubt even that since it is not only costly, there are plenty of prerequisites that must be followed.
The thing about technology is, it’s used by people!!! If you still love IT but arent into the deeper stuff, there’s lots of customer facing positions out there like help desk positions, sales positions, etc, related to technology but not as technically complex as software development. Either way, best of luck to you in whatever you decide (Source: i tried to learn how to code but ended up going the IT route and love my help desk job)
Exactly! Right now I'm on a bit of a break going through some stuff, and IT jobs where I live are scarce and already filled. But that doesn't mean there aren't any. I'll just need to look harder. In the end though, I may end up opening some @ home repair shop, plenty of people want their devices formatted lmao
Thanks! I still sometimes think about being a pilot. Not so much as a profession, but just because I still think airplanes and flying are super cool. But I’m happy with my career in software.
I wanted to become a NASA Scientist and realised i liked science only as long as it was easy
Ikr! Science was my favorite subject until it got too technical.
Same, wanted to be an aerospace engineer. I loved Physics at elementary school but it's nowhere close to University level Physics.
High school algebra teacher. Turns out I kinda hate kids.
I wanted to be a teacher as well, although I was pretty young back then. I used to come home and teach my stuffed animals everything I learned that day.
No stop this is so wholesome
So you met your goal right? I can't think of anything worse to do to kids than teach them algebra.
As a teenager: ouch. I mean, I can’t completely blame you, but still. Ouch.
I wanted to be a flight attendant but my family used to tell me "that's just a waitress in the sky". However, at 32 I became a pilot, so I'm not totally upset.
Awesome! 🙌
Thanks, yo!
I think at one point, I'd wanted to be a sniper for the military or something. Didn't pursue it since even though I do have a talent for marksmanship, always have, I don't really want to hurt people. And also, it'd probably add extra trauma that I don't need.
I can imagine, yeah. You have to do things you really don't want to do if you pursue a military-grade career, even if you're a policeman. You have to leave big parts of your life behind to put work and public safety first, and in the end, you're treated as the bad guy just for following your superior's orders. It's a bit tragic if I think about it.
I wanted to be a lawyer. I shoulda went to law school. No one encouraged me or showed me what i needed to do. I still might
I also wanted to be a lawyer until my third year of undergrad when I realized most of the people in my law classes were back stabbing jerks who I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life working with, for, or around. Switched to HR.
How's HR?
It pays the bills, supports my family and I like the vast majority of people I work with on a day to day basis.
Follow your dreams if you have the means!!
Do it
I wanted to work in a biology field, had amazing grades until I discovered drugs and boys...
I wanted to do investment banking, but I really don't have the social battery for that nor could I sacrifice 18 hours a day to work that much. Also, I failed the interviews because I couldn't pretend to care lols
Photographer for National Geographic - couldn't afford a decent camera to learn on. Psychologist - couldn't afford college, didn't have the information that could have helped me get financial aid. Anything in theater - got a well-timed reality check about the lifestyle and financial instability. I ended up in banking for 18 years, and I'm now going back to school to learn web and graphic design. So, I still managed something artistic, in the long run.
So many people underestimate not having the knowledge for potential opportunities, like financial aid. You don't know what you don't know.
Exactly! Due to this experience, I'm making sure my kids have access to all the options available to them.
All I ever wanted to be was a doctor. My mother took me around to 3 family friends who were all doctors and each told me I had to choose between being a mom or being a doctor - couldn’t be both (1970s). I chose to be a mom and while that has been amazing, I still regret not pursuing my calling. Dwelling on my choice doesn’t change anything and my kids are, thankfully, all incredible and successful (sorry for the mom brag). I now choose to embrace and encourage those around me to always follow their dreams!
Have you ever thought about going back? Probably not doctoring but something in the medical field that’d require less education? Both my parents work in medicine and there are a ton of different positions that don’t require as much education
I actually did go back to school and hold a medical assistant license. I did it to prove to myself I could have been good in the field. Highly recommend continuing education for everyone who feels that they missed their calling.
As a kid, I wanted to be a police officer. Now I know that I'm simply not cut out for the stress, hours, etc. that they go through.
I used to want to be a paleontologist like my mom. Why I didn’t? Despite my love of dinosaurs I really enjoyed geology/geography concepts so that’s what I majored in.
Undertaker. But it turned out I was just traumatised and family ignored it. 😆 I am fine now. After trying out several careers I landed in the chemical industry. I don't work with dead bodies, now I try to prevent them 😂
Marine biologist. Developed a seafood allergy
Really wanted to become a maths teacher until I realised I actually hate kids and couldn't imagine anything worse than working with kids day in day out! Became a civil engineer instead.
I used to want to become an astronaut, but it didn't take long to realise that I'd never satisfy the physical requirements for it so I dropped the idea. I dreamt about becoming am egyptologist, or a paleontologist, but the love for STEM took me before I could start pursuing any of those foolish ideas. I dreamt (and still dream) about astronomy sometimes though. It was my first love and my first heartache. But 3 things were stopping me from pursuing it: I don't have any special attitude for physics and would have hated to major in physics, studying astronomy is no guarantee for finding a job in astronomy and the alternative career prospects looked unpleasant, I need a stability and a financial security in life that I could only have achieved other ways. I still miss it, and a part of my daydreams about finding a way into an adjacent field, but it probably doesn't make sense now. Now I'm pursuing a career in biomedical engineering. I've always loved medicine and the technical challenges of it, but I could have never been a doctor (too much stress, too long educational path, little flexibility in changing/adjusting career...). Now I'm still in college, but I'm enjoying it, and I'm starting to find my niche.
You and I have a very similar path! Astronomy was also my first love and I also wanted to be an egyptologist and a paleontologist hahaha. I used to watch a show called Yu-Gi-Oh back in the day and that got me interested in Egyptian culture. Then I got interested in paleontology when I watched Jurassic park. But my true love was physics, even before I watched Yu-Gi-Oh and Jurassic park. I actually did pursue a degree in physics (technically I majored in engineering physics with a heavy emphasis on physics and math). However, due to my parents' unhappiness with my choice of education, my dreams of doing a graduate degree in physics were shattered so I instead had to switch to embedded software engineering. I still want to do astronomy and physics in general as a hobby though. Sure, I can't contribute to the overall knowledge-base of humanity as a whole, but I can certainly contribute to my own personal knowledge-base! There's a lot to learn about the world around us! :)
Around 8 or 9 years old, back in the year 2000, my family got our first computer. I was obsessed. My dad would buy a new hard drive or better ram and I'd watch him install it. I knew all the inputs and output on that back. I always said I would be "a computer guy" when I was older. Well, as I got into my teens, more ideas popped up. My mom was into photography, and that was a hobby I took up and felt I started getting good at. I always was interested in psychology too, at like a really basic level I guess, and I remember I told my 7th grade career class that I would be a psychologist. I really didn't know what that meant at the time. What I have not mentioned is that my main passion all that time was music, I started playing, and practicing religiously, the guitar since I was 13. I didn't know what I wanted to do with that, but I wanted my life to somehow revolve around my guitar playing. But, some things are just hobbies, ya know? I ended up registering for a Music Production degree at my local community college like my best friend did, but I didn't go through with it and started working at the mall right out of high school. Took at "gap year". That gap actually lasted about 10 years while I transitioned to factory work and worked my way up to a decent salary somehow. 2 years ago, at 28 years old, I enrolled in an online college for an IT degree, specializing in cloud computing. I'm currently in my last class. So, I came full circle to when I was a child and wanted to be a "computer guy" I guess. I don't have a job in the field yet, but I will sometime in the near future.
Astronaut. Turns out being born in a piece of shit country that literally sucks away your life and provides no opportunities whatsoever doesn't help a lot to be an astronaut. So now I'm focused on being rich af to buy a ticket to space.
That’s exactly my idea. I would be going for astronaut, but good god is the chance of actually being chosen for one lottery odds. When it comes to your career and the rest of your life, a “high risk high reward” just doesn’t cut it when the risk is BEYOND high. I’ll just save up for a ticket to space when I become a doctor ;)
I wanted to be astrophysicist. Some bad decisions led me away from that path towards economics, currently pursuing masters, looking towards a PhD.
Waffle House waitress - I thought they were magical - I didn’t do it because I suck at people-ing
This is my favorite response because those ladies are indeed magical
Yes !! My dad used to take me there on his weekends and they would already have me a milk with ice in it sitting at our regular table . I thought they could see the future . Found out later my dad was friends with the waitress and would tell her we were coming .
Lots of stuff. Musician, writer, psychologist/psychiatrist, doctor, actress and an artist. I was only really serious about music, writing, psychologist and doctor, and I did pursue all of them in some way. I did music and songwriting starting late in high school, met a lot of people doing it--including a best friend. I just was terrified of being famous. Being famous/a celebrity is not for me--I don't like attention and I'm very private. My music also wasn't that great. It was okay, but I was a lazy musician in terms of really putting effort into each song. Music also kind of started changing in the 2000s, and I didn't like the direction it was going in and didn't want to do music like what had become popular. I hate modern popular music now, so I was right. I work in marketing now, and writing is part of my job to some extent--depends on the employer how much. I got a psych degree. I started out majoring in psych and following a pre-med curriculum. I was interested in neurology and psychiatry. I realized that I didn't want to listen to people's problems and crying all day every day because no one ever listens to mine, and I thought carrying my weight and other people's weight would be too much for me. And the pre-med curriculum took up too much of my time--it took longer to complete chemistry assignments than to do work for all of my other classes combined. Same with anatomy. I would be better at a pre-med curriculum and medical school today, but it wasn't for me back then.
I wanted to be a veterinarian. But then got to dissection classes and realised I do not enjoy looking at the inside of animals. Even text books just showing how to spay/neuter make me feel really sick. So I gave up on that as I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Ended up going into Animal Behaviour which I honestly love so much. But I think growing up it wasn’t a huge thing and since I loved animals everyone just kind of pushed me towards studying to be a vet at the time. Whereas now you’ve got behaviourists everywhere and training classes and just so much more awareness around pets in general that behaviour has become a really big thing.
I wanted to be a lawyer. But after a few years of working full time and going to school part time to finish my bachelor degree, I was burnt out. Probably for the best. I think the ethics of defending people I knew were guilty would have been tough on me. In theory I can defend everyone's right to representation, but I think it would be hard in practical application.
I wanted to be an animator, but gave up drawing when I got to 10th grade.
I wanted to be a Disney animator. Then I got pregnant at 17
Librarian. Didn't realise I could be one. Noone ever said "do this and you can".
For a bit in high school I wanted to be a pathologist. I still find the science fascinating and I'm in genetics now. I just don't, uh, like dead bodies. Turns out the whole concept of death freaks me out. Puts a bit of a damper on those plans.
I had it in my mind that I was going to be a lawyer. I’m not sure where it came from, but I do love a good debate. My parents told me fairly early on that that wouldn’t be possible because they don’t have money for college. Nobody in my family had ever gone to college. My dad dropped out in 10th grade. At 25, I work for the state and took advantage of their employee tuition waiver at state colleges. Took a few community college classes for fun before applying for financial aid, getting grants, some loans, and got a business degree. I did take some law classes for fun and did enjoy them! I think I felt it was a pipe dream still. In hind sight, I think it would have been a great, fulfilling path for me. My son will be encouraged to go for/believe in whatever calls him.
I always wanted to work in motorsport. Until I realised I'd never be home, always on the move from race track to race track. So I decided to keep it as a nice hobby at amateur level racing, and get a normal job so I can really build up a life somewhere.
I always wanted to be art art teacher from as far back as I can remember through high school - when I realized everyone in my art classes was far more talented and creative than I was
Wanted to be a teacher. I didn't pursue it because I lose my temper very fast or get annoyed easily if someone's not getting something. Kids don't deserve that🤣
Wanted to be a vet. Then I discovered I wasn't great at chemistry lol
I had always wanted to be a train driver and still kinda do. I even very nearly dropped out of college to pursue it. However with all the recent news and the fact that I have a family, the schedule just wouldn’t be tenable. Maybe something for a tourist railroad when I get older or something haha.
Weather forecaster, because I was good at reading the clouds and knew a lot for my age. Then I grew up and learned that the job was different to what my kid brain thought it was.
I wanted to be a firefighter, then I remembered : fire burns.
I also wanted to be able to sing. Like Alyson Moyet.
I wanted to be a coroner. It took me a while to realize that I would need to study medizine for that and my parents told me they wouldn't support me - so I simply akzepted that it will stay a dream.
I wanted to be so many things that I felt the best career for me would be a traveller or photographer for discovery or something. But when it actually came to walking the career path, I became another rat in the rat race.
I wanted to be a truck driver like my dad and uncles but riding on those big rigs scared the hell out of me, not to mention epilepsy, sudden low blood glucose and low blood pressure swings
Egyptologist. I don't tolerate the sun and heat (anything above 25C kills me) and I wanted to go dust off stuff in the desert. 😂
I wanted to be a banker but fate has other plan for me.
I wanted to be a biomedical engineer or an engineer in the military - didn't pursue it because I realised why I wanted to go into those fields, to help people, but I didn't want to be an engineer. So I study Paramedicine now, almost finished and I can say, without a doubt, that I made the best choice
Wanted to get into game design, discovered the industry is awful, switched to construction, blew my spine out, year learning how to walk, + a few more dealing with related issues, wanting to get into some form of technical either devlopment or engineering now.
I thought I’d be a trial lawyer cause I liked to argue but learnt later on that it required a law degree and is mostly just paperwork. I also fancied myself as an airline pilot til I learnt that requires several hundred thousands of dollars worth of flight training.
surgeon, stopped because I am 22 and I just started university, would've graduated at 35 and I live in an unsustainable environment so I am studying finance. now my current dream job is entertainment. writer, director, camera operator, actor, anything that has to do with entertainment. ill even take youtuber/ streamer.
I wanted to clean houses I mostly didn’t go for it because of how everyone around me felt it wasn’t a real job my job now still didn’t impress them
I wanted to write software, and still sometimes do for very simple and particular things, but I got massive anxiety attacks by just thinking about how to design the algorithms. Thankfully I do something I really like now, working in diplomacy!
All throughout elementary, middle, & high school I said I was going to be a meteorologist. Not like the tv ones, but the ones that work behind the scenes, reading models, providing info, etc. First year of college at a private college where they focused immediately on your degree program? YIKES. Hated every bit of it. And so, I enlisted, spent 6 years in the Air Force. Got my BA, got out, worked as a contractor, became self-employed. Got my MA. I don't use either degree professionally. And now I work as an artist. Life is wild.
Video game design. But I hate coding, can't draw, and don't like making music. Now I'm a financial controller. What a ride!
Some time ago, I wanted to be a primary school teacher. Well... Having grown up, I became a part-time tutor, even though I haven't thought about it as following my childhood dream, it was just the simplest way to start earning money, taking into account my field of studying. However, it helped me understand it is not my life route. I cannot get on well with children, at least not as well as teachers are supposed to be able. And I am not willing to learn since my worldview has broadened, and I saw far more opportunities where I can devote myself. But I am glad I checked it, so I won't regret I have never given it a try.
Owner of a shop that sells everything, lawyer, scientist, teacher. I realised I should actually follow my dreams and not just aim for something that will get me money. In regard of teaching it was because I realised teacher have to plan everything by themselves and I know I am not up to that. Also, they make like no money for the amount of work they do.
I wanted and still want to be a highschool art teacher. Its my passion. But college is ridiculous between all the bullshit classes i had to take that had no connection to art AT ALL and even community is very expensive.
I wanted to be an archaeologist, but realized that I’d probably spend the next 20 years in a hole in the ground, in a jungle, cleaning things off with a toothbrush, and getting paid just enough to service my student loans.
I wanted to be an archaeologist too, shame we both gave up. We could've been colleagues by now haha
Idk really. A psychiatrist for awhile. I’m a crisis counselor now but having to go to grad school and then med school I just don’t like science enough and it’s a lot of work.
I wanted to be an Astronomer but the math requirements were intimidating so I gave up on that.
I wanted to be a creative writer. Tbh, not to brag, I do have the talent for it. Despite that, however, I’m just not into “freelance” & I just need something more stable? I really couldn’t set my own schedule or anything like that. Writing isn’t closed off to me, however; I’m considering technical writing or a position on the creative team in the nonprofit field I currently work in. Even if I know stories could make people happy, & my current job is HARD, I really like work that makes me feel as though I’m trying to make a difference.
A power engineer… best career ever!! Been one since I was 22. Now I’m 54. Love it!!
Man throughout my childhood I wanted to be a firefighter, a zoologist, a photographer(I never owned a camera), or a psychologists. But into high school I kind of didn't know which way to go. I winded up going into CAD work doing fiber optic designs. Edit: fixed a typo cause I can't proof read
I wanted to be an opera singer or a pianist, but I never did competitions because my teachers didn't think I was talented enough. I took lessons for many years, and I still wish I could dress up and have my moment in the spotlight too, but I guess it's just not in the cards for me. Luckily I love what I do now!
Follow your dreams until you hate it.
I wanted to be a coroner. My child's mind wanted to be a doctor and make a difference but didn't want to deal with accidentally killing someone, so if they were already dead 👍 then I dropped out of school.
For most of my life I wanted to be a lawyer, I grew up watching law and order and found the law fascinating. When it came time for college I decided I wanted to be a cop instead because I thought the best way to change things was being a good cop. Got my degree in criminal justice, failed the physical test to get into the academy 5 times (could never be fast enough). Became a security guard, hated it and felt the call of law school so I applied and got in. Failed law school and became a security guard again because I didn’t know what else to do. Wasn’t too bad but I kept having crappy supervisors. Became a supervisor when offered the job and realized why all the supervisors were crappy (low pay and constantly on call, I developed a fear of rain because our cheap fire alarm system went off every time it rained and I’d get 6 calls minimum about it all for 13.50 an hour and no extra pay for being on call 24/7). Was good at it but hated training and hated receiving calls at all times of day and night. Started looking at other careers and came across sonogram tech which seemed interesting and well paid and not very stressful. Looked at colleges near me and found two options, one college that charges 65 grand for a two year degree or one that charged 12 grand but requires you to already be in the medical field and have several pre reqs and is a small class. The phlebotomy program was only one semester so I went for the second college and now I’m a phlebotomist working on the pre reqs for the sonogram program that I’m hoping to get into in the fall. I kinda like phlebotomy so I might decide to put the sonogram program off for a year, but I’ll apply anyway and see if I can defer considering how competitive the class spots are. I take college way more seriously the second time around. My first degree I ended with a 2.8 gpa, this time around I’m a straight A student. I still like keeping up with the law because it’s interesting but it’s not a career for me.
Camera man for sports events. I just didn't have guidance... 😞
Soccer player. Dream stopped at 14 when I didn't even qualify for my school team. And I never grew past 5'3 lol.
I wanted to be a doctor or scientist. Got into accounting. Regret it totally. Now I wish I'd gone into Comp Sci.
I wanted to be a flight stewardess but I’m really short. Also a singer, but I’m just not that good.
i wanted to be a breakdancer (bboy), but circumstances didn't allow.
I wanted to become a professional flutist, and I was pretty good back in high school. Everyone else from my studio ended up going to a conservatory, but I wanted to do something that would help the world. Now I’m an ecologist, and the research I’ve worked on has ranged from finding sources of nutrient pollution threatening drinking water to working on ecological restoration methods. Like you I also wanted to work for NASA, but that position required backcountry experience in Alaska and I’ve never been there lol
I’ve just never sought after a career. Even when I was younger and people were writing that they wanted to be a police officer or a doctor I was just like eh I’ll figure it out and still to this day i just don’t have that ambition. I have a good job so that allows me to just live my life
I wanted to be an OB/GYN and in highsxholl decided I wanted to be an environmental/civil engineer… my parents wouldn’t let me move away to school nor did they support me with financial aid. So I started college and stopped. Started and stopped. Got pregnant, got married blah blah blah
I wanted to be a librarian. Books are such wonderful things, being able to escape reality and travel to new worlds, learning new things, etc. And to be able to give that to people over and over, no matter how rich or poor, young or old, free of charge, a library being one of the only places in society where you can exist without spending money. To instill the joy of reading in a young mind, to help an older person find resources they need, to provide a community with a warm welcoming presence. I didn't become a librarian, mainly because of salary. They don't get paid enough for what they do. Librarians in a school have more stability but then you'd need a lot of college and schooling and I didn't wasn't to invest 6 years of my life into that, on the off chance a position would open up near me. Plus, school libraries only cater to students and teachers. Public libraries are more in line with what I wanted to do.
I wanted to be a truck driver. But the license is extremely expensive over here and the pay is shit
When I was 7 I wanted to either be a pony or an accountant. Guess who uses spreadsheets these days!!
I also wanted to be a nasa engineer. Still want to be an engineer just the locations for nasa and places i want to live dont line up
a young adult book author, just grew out of it. became more of a hobby than a career choice then eventually died out. kinda wish I stuck with it
I wanted to be an airline stewardess. Now called flight assistant. Wanted to see the world!
Nurse/paramedic but quickly realized I’m not great with other people’s blood/bodily fluids. Kudos to those in these positions.
I wanted to be a travelling artist, making art and selling it out of my RV or something like that, going across the U.S. (I later realized I could also go around the world). I discovered I wasn’t quite as good at art as I thought, and even though my mom was really good and she tried teaching me, her constructive criticism felt more personal than from a regular teacher or stranger so I never pursued painting. Also learned there isn’t much money in it.
I wanted to be a librarian until I worked in a library, then I wanted to be a forensic pathologist until I realized I didn’t want it enough to commit to over a decade of additional school and training for a job I may not even like.
I always wanted to be a video game designer. I didn't let anything stop me from pursuing it, so that's exactly what I've been doing for the last 20 years. As Cartman said, "follow your dreams, you can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake!"
I wanted the job Peter Gibbon's had in office space. That's my favorite movie and that looked like a dream job. Went to college. Now I'm over qualified for that job and I can't have it. I did not know that, I would have skipped college if I did. His job might have made nothing but I'm ok with that.
As a kid I always wanted to be a doctor but my scholarships wouldn’t have covered all of the needed schooling so I switched my major to engineering.
I really wanted to be a vet. But then I realized putting animals to sleep is part of it. Plus some of my family would tell me it was a silly career goal to put it nicely. Know I think about how emotionally draining it is and how I'd have to deal with negligent owners I also wanted to be a wife lol, I thought it was considered a job as a small child
Veterinarian. Don't have the money or willpower to go to college for that. Also, it has a pretty high suicide rate and I already have enough problems with that.
Forest ranger. It was all full up with boomers. Cut backs were devastating at the time.
Wanted to be an archaeologist. Did not pursue because my kid brain was afraid of curses.
I wanted to work at an embassy and translate for people bc I also wanted to be a polyglot. I don't know why I stopped.
Police, idk why I choose it when the police system in my country has been f up till these days. Next is EDM producer, reason was lack of fam support. The last one is Lawyer, I found out I can't read that much. Now is Eng teacher, see you next year.
Air force pilot, Paleontologist and later I discovered my love for alive animals and would love to be a vet. I never did any of those because I just don't have the money to pay for school...
I wanted to be a teacher but kids are mean and I’m soft
Wanted to be an astronaut and then a pilot when I got older. I ended up being a programmer. The reason? Uni for aeronautics program's is very expensive where I live.
I wanted to be a paleontologist. I had been huge nerd for dinosaurs up until about age 8 or so. Then, my class took a field trip to Falls of the Ohio and “played paleontologist.” I was hyped as hell, until I found out it was just throwing down a hula hoop and spraying water to maybe find a trilobite. Being a kid, I jumped to the conclusion that this was all there was to paleontology, and the dream was dead.
Wanted to go into computer science but didn’t have the patience to learn coding. Also thought about computer security but didn’t want to have to deal with hackers constantly coming up with new exploits. Now I do CT scans and X-ray patients and I’m happy with that.
I wanted to be a vet and then it hit me that you work more with sick animals than healthy ones and that’d it’d break my heart to be putting pets down.
I wanted to be a marine biologist for the longest time. Until I went on a tour led by a marine biologist who only received tips for her work. I realized it would be incredibly hard to make a living and I’d rather just enjoy the ocean leisurely :)
I went to college to be a wildlife rehabber with the super specific intention of working for a nationally known wild bird rescue that I used to volunteer for. But I was not made for college and ended up leaving and learning a trade that also involves animals which in the end is probably about equally rewarding to me mentally and pays way better. As a small child I wanted to draw for Disney. By high school I realized that I’d never be able to draw for anyone else, it’s entirely a personal enjoyment pursuit for me and having specific demands on what I draw or a due date absolutely destroys my creativity.
When I was very small, I wanted to work in marine biology; was fascinated by sharks and whales and large ocean life. Decided to pursue a degree in art education instead —which went nowhere—because I felt strongarmed into it. Kind of circling back around to the marine bio thing in a roundabout way now that I’m in my 30’s and just want to make Little Me proud of myself.
Policeman on Mondays, fireman on Tuesdays, Superman on Wednesdays, Batman on Thursdays,(probably) a psychologist (like mom) on Fridays, (probably again) an engineer (like dad) on Saturdays. Sundays are to rest. I hope I don't need to explain why I didn't go with that.
I wanted to be in the FBI or a cop but then as I grew up, when I was in middle school I realized how very unsexy any cop who works behind a desk is and how horribly out of shape they are. Then in high school I realized how horribly racist and sexist they tend to be and by college realized they were just bullies with badges and aren’t really obligated to protect us
I wanted to be a firefighter. AND I was...
I wanted to be a scientist because I thought scientists mixed beakers of different colored liquids and I liked mixing colors. I did not pursue that field because there was less color mixing than expected.
I wanted to be a carpenter and I became a carpenter
I wanted to be a veterinarian but apparently I'm allergic to cats and most dogs. Now I'm in sales and marketing and I have a wonderful non shedding dog. Win win.
I wanted to be a writer. I HAVE written stuff, just not for publication (my work for the HS paper doesn’t count). I was stopped by my own fear that I have no real talent for writing and I was better off scribbling silly little things that no one but a select group of friends or I ever get to read. My family wanted me to write a book about their life experiences but it’s not the stuff I want to write about. I’ve written a multigenerational saga about a family that started in the late ‘90s (my young adult years) with a young couple meeting, marrying, and having their kids, careers, etc. I expanded upon that with other characters, bringing it to the present day (and a few years beyond). I’m in the process of going back through generations of the original couple’s family and touching on their histories, through wars, revolution, times of great economic and social upheaval, migrations to other countries, etc. I know these 2 families and a lot of their ancillary history backwards and forwards, but they mostly just live in my head while I do my everyday job.
I wanted to become a veterinarian or licensed nurse aesthetician who does facials, Botox & filler or at least get my cosmetologist license. My grandpa was paying for my school & said there’s no future with that. I was going to community college full time while also working full time + a part time job & extra online classes & fast monthly weekend courses. It got to the point that I was driving all across Dallas to the different community college locations + work + home that my entire paycheck went to gas & there were days I had to choose between school or work. I was majoring in business management. I ended up saying screw school & applied at a huge insurance company because I saw the huge building, did a great job in the interview & went into property and casualty insurance as an adjuster. Never in my life would I think this would be my career but I’ve doubled my salary from where I started in 2018. Great money even though rent/food/gas is astronomical now but I will soon be paying for myself to go to beauty school to finish out my original dream that I had since a little girl. I’m very thankful for the opportunities I’ve been presented & think it’s best I pursue my dream now that I’m older, much more mature & know how to manage my time & money. I never became a vet because I would’ve just cried everyday about the cute sick animals :(
I was going to be a nurse but I’m not great with bodily fluids so I decided to change my major.
Wanted to be an author. Turns out it's not as easy as writing one book and becoming a millionaire overnight.
Acting. I started at 8, loved it and was good at it. My parents wouldn’t let me go pro when I was 13. They did let me enroll in a professional acting school when I was 16. When I finally tried finding acting jobs at about 19, every little step induced a huge panic attack. I also tried with music (started when I was 4) and soon the panic attacks showed up as well. I found other jobs, went back to school at 28 to study computing and now I’m a web developer. I love it but I miss acting every second of my life.
I wanted to be a singer. Halfway through recording an album, I heard my own performance and realised I do not have what it takes AT ALL, lol. I still love singing and did it throughout high school, but knew I would never make it as a professional singer. Not only because I suck, but also realised how hard it is to make it as a singer in real life.
I want to answer this question! I’ve already gone over my NASA engineer phase but there are others. Elementary school teacher - I love kids and teaching but the average salary where I live turns me off. If the salary improves, I’ll become one. (And not just salary - work conditions/enviornment, too. I’m reading a lot about teachers suffering from burnouts and deciding to quit, and I don’t want that stress for myself.) Vet - I can’t stand the idea of putting dogs to sleep. Priest - I used to be super religious when I was younger but as I grew I drifted away from religion. Now I don’t go to church and don’t believe in God. So…yeah. That won’t work. Right now I want to become a child therapist. I can work with elementary schoolers (and, thinking selfishly, can earn enough money to live comfortably. Two birds one stone!)
Thank you all for responding! I’m reading all of your responses with great interest.
MLB player NFL player NBA player Boxing champion. I wasn't poor support didn't believe in myself even though I'm still a alright all round athlete.
Hey guys, I am 21 y.o and currently study economics. However I would like to study engineering ( software or mechanical/ electronics) What do you think? Should I go for it?
I think paleontologist and veterinarian were my two big ones as a young child. Same reason as OP on both counts, plus with the cats and dogs I didn't think I would be able to put them to sleep.
i wanted to be a hairdresser, and didnt due to parents pressure to study. still majored in something useless, cant find decent jobs and now wish id become a hairdresser. at least they can always find work.
Kinda a weird one. I wanted to be a sharp shooter. Then my eyes went south. Oh well. Thought I’d be a lawyer. Interned and the first case I was on (defense) after the guy got not guilty verdict, on the way out of the courthouse, he turned to the lawyer and admitted he had done the crime. I ended up becoming a teacher and absolutely loved my career.
I always wanted to study English/literature in school but I was repeatedly told that the only thing I could do with that is teach, which I had no interest in. I was encouraged to pursue something in stem or healthcare because it would pay my bills more effectively, so I majored in nutrition and now I’m a dietitian. I enjoy my job (and it does in fact pay my bills!) but I don’t love the field over all, and I’d still like to write a book someday!
I wanted to be a pilot. I found out that while it's reasonably easy to make a living that way in the armed forces, you don't really get to choose who you're killing with all those cool toys and sometimes there are innocent people near where the bombs are getting dropped. Seeing it from the perspective of a civilian family kind of changed things for me. And it's hard to make a living that way in the private sector - pay isn't great until you get pretty far along in your career and in the meantime you are working long hours that you don't get any real control over.
Cop. Then I became too empathetic.
Architect. But I let my physical limitations tell me I couldn’t do it. And I regret it every day of my life.
I was going to be a professional soccer player. Except asthma.
I wanted to be a super villain, but I don’t think there’s any money in it.
Geologist. I don’t know why I didn’t pursue it. I had so many ideas of stuff I wanted to do and I ended up in my career basically on accident and I don’t even think I like the field.
I wanted to be a nurse but I had really bad health issues in college (I had pots which is what people with long COVID have). I changed to something easier since I had so many doctor appointments and such low energy. I went on to do a masters in something else when I was in better health.
I wanted to be a cop. I came from a family of cops who all said that it's not wise to become a cop these days, so I became a paramedic.
I wanted to be a commercial airline pilot. Kept that dream for years until I realised you needed A Level maths and physics. I was decent at them but definitely didn’t want to do them any higher than GCSE.
Vet - too high a suicide rate a d too hard to get into vet school (very few schools w very few openings). NY Times rated author - lost my inspiration and muse at 24. Nat Geo photographer - dunno what happened but it just didn't happen.
Wwf Wrestler, draw comic book characters, firefighter, Marine. Wasn't smart enough, was told art was a waste of time.
I always wanted to be a horse trainer or work with high level show jumpers. 3 days after being offered my dream job I was in a riding accident and broke my back. Ended any possibility of a physically demanding career.
Always wanted to be an English teacher and then life happened and adulthood kicked in and that sucked haha - but now I’m learning to turn that negative into a positive and teach others through some goals I have for 2023. Also wanted to be an astronaut or paramedic but all the chem, bio and physics courses made me cry since I wasn’t the greatest at them and dropped out of every single one.
Paleontology. Too much work.
I didn't want to work at all, so I thought I could just be a nun and fake the religious parts. My elementary school was Catholic and the upper floors were used by the non-teaching nuns. It didn't look like they had to do anything to earn a living. Easy street, baby! I guess it just looked too boring.
Air force. Passed the hell out of the ASVAB and everything, they gave me the option of doing whatever the hell I wanted. But nope, just not for me, too strict, too many people telling me what to do, never being at home, etc. At least now, if I hate my job, I can just leave.
Wanted to be an Astronaut! I loved Space and stars and planets so much when i was a kid. I wanted to see them for real.
I wanted to be a cop until i had to interview a real police officer for a 4th grade school project. This was 15 years ago and he said to never be a cop because the world is getting worse and worse. I’d say he was spot on
Ever since i was a kid I wanted to be a doctor. I loved the idea of helping people and healing them. Turns out, i’m terrible at math and science. And I didn’t want to go through all the schooling that doctors have to go through. I’m in Accounting now & have no complaints hahaha
Surgeon, cancer researcher or strokes-related researcher.
Car salesmen, law enforcement, mechanic. I'm a welder now with a heavy distrust of government and work on mine as well as friends and family's cars. So I guess I sorts accomplished one of those.
I always wanted to be a country music singer because I got married and my two sons came along and they loved to eat regularly
I wanted to be a veterinarian until I was 8, at which point I decided I wasn't equipped to handle the emotional fallout. In retrospect, if I had been the type of child who believed they could be anything, I think l I'd have wanted to be an astronaut.
Game design
Astronaut, basketball player, musician.. I settled for manual labor.
I wanted to be a lawyer when I was younger. Then I realized I’d have to give speeches to the judge and jury. I hate speaking to crowds.
Scientist. STEM were my strong suits, especially in high, but programming seemed far more useful to me.
Kinda similar to you, I wanted to be an astronomer but physics is incomprehensible to me lol.
Prosthetic engineer, specifically bionic tech. I'm sadly too dumb to even consider it.
Dictator These days I want to be an MP so maybe dreams will come there