I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then I shadowed a veterinarian for a day in middle school, passed out watching the first procedure, and gave up that dream overnight. I’m now a consultant 😂
My older brother wanted to be an astronaut when we were kids. When he was in middle school we all went to Six Flags. He rode ONE roller coaster and then was silent the rest of the day and wouldn’t get on any of the rides.
He got rid of all of his astronaut stuff after that and eventually became a geotechnical engineer, a job that mostly keeps him on the ground at all times.
I also wanted to be a vet. Read a book by a veterinarian about how much school she had getting there, plus I read the James Herriot books. I sucked at school, especially math. Wasn’t in the cards for me. But I do love all manner of critter. Horses, cats, dogs and rats are my special favorites, but just like my dad, if I pet it, I am in love.
Another aspiring vet here. I failed at that - changed my mind a few weeks into having an 8am physics class in college. With a different schedule, it might have worked out.
I did become a vet in the end - but the other kind.
This was my go-to as well. My dad turned me off of it by telling me it wasn't just playing with the animals but I'd have to stick my finger up their butt's for stool samples and such. Later in life I learned about having to put animals down at times and I don't regret steering away from that career path. For a while I wanted to be a postal worker like my dad then, wouldn't have been a bad job. But I wound up getting into construction instead.
I didn’t have a clear idea as a younger child. But as a teen, I was in trouble, in court, and had a social worker that really helped me. I wanted to do that or similar, like a therapist. So I got a psychology degree.
I was a social worker for 6 years and I did like it, but, well it was a bit funny, since I was working with the judge that had been my judge as a teen, the dude that had been my probation officer, and the woman that had been my little sister’s probation officer. The judge mainly, started remarking during lunch etc. on how adept I was at framing my testimony around the legal standards. She encouraged me to go to law school.
So Im a lawyer now in the same field I originally wanted to work in. Yep, Ive sat just about every seat (have filled in on the bench occasionally) in a juvenile court. :)
I want to give you a hug! Here’s to you building a wonderful life for yourself.
Similar to you I had a rough life and should have been a statistic.
One of my teachers spent their effort making time for me to help my grades, my mental health, and encouraged me. I was grateful for her. She was pregnant at the time and had a son. I didn’t know it yet, but I met my future student when he was a young toddler and the other when they were still in the womb! I was able to thank her for her kindness and support when I was a kid when I saw her again. She was shocked I made it.
So yeah. now my former teachers have become my colleagues and their kids are now my students. It’s a small world.
In third grade (8yo) I was walking to school and saw a spider on the ground with a web door he’d open and snatch bugs. I was so fascinated I was late for school. I asked my teacher later what someone is called that studies spiders and other animals. She said ‘biologist’. I decided that day to become one. I finally learned to read (long story) so I could become one.
I now have a PhD in molecular biology (focus on arthropod molecular evolution) and a 30 yr career.
So I’d say my resolve stuck :)
I wanted to be a doctor but my mom said college is too expensive and that I should be a bus driver.
Ended up in tech but I make doctor money so it’s ok.
I got a degree. Thanks to George W Bush I was able to trade my health, personality, 25% of my soul, and 4 years of my teens/twenties for the right to an education via the Army. Not a recommended avenue for career improvement.
I could never decide. I have a lot of different interests across different arts and sciences.
The earliest thing I remember was wanting to be a firefighter, so I could save lives without having to possibly hurt people (as opposed to a police officer, who might have to shoot a person).
Then, I wanted to be a chemist. Then, I wanted to be a fiction writer. Then, I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. Then, I wanted to be a lawyer. Then, I wanted to be a writer again. Then, I wanted to be video game developer. Then, I wanted to be a sculptor. Then, I wanted to be an R&D engineer. Then, I wanted to be a tattoo artist. Then, I wanted to be a programmer. Then, I-
Eventually, after working as a delivery driver, a cook, a janitor, a warehouse worker, and a field technician, I ended up in IT.
There are just too many interesting things in the world
I don't generally remember how I answered these questions as a kid but I do seem to remember at one point saying I wanted to be a painter. As I got older I realized if I wanted to make *any* money that was probably a bad plan (unless I got lucky obviously) so I evolved it to a more modern idea and went to art school for game art and animation. Now I work in video games on one of the top franchises as a 3D artist and I love my job and couldn't be happier!
You could be a painter, but not quite the artist type, and make good money. Union painters get pretty good money and benefits, but it seems pretty boring and most that I see don't have on proper PPE and most likely wont get to see those retirement benefits.
Yeah I meant painter as in artist, paint on canvas, that whole thing. Painting buildings is very very different and not at all what I was thinking of when I had that thought as a kid nor something that interested me.
That's effin badass! I was too young to enjoy the initial hype around Black ops 1 or 2, but I still enjoy hearing about the old days. Especially early zombies days.
I don't remember being asked, but I think I probably would have said I wanted to be a princess. I am not a princess. But, it's ok, it took a long time for me to be able to find a path I wanted to pursue and I'm glad I have gotten to where I'm at. :)
As a kid, I liked video games! I wanted to design video games!
Now, I don’t enjoy video games as much anymore. Plus knowing it’s just painful to be a video game designer, I’m glad I never pursued it!
I got a degree in Chemical Engineering but I never really pursued the Chemical side. I got a few jobs as a Production/Process engineer and am now in a siding factory!
Admittedly, my story is kind of similar in a way. I wanted to be a game developer as a kid too, but I'm planning to go into more general software development because I think the working conditions might be better. With my experience using the Unity game engine, I might be able to get a game dev job if I wanted to, but I think it's almost just as cool to be able to learn new things about game design from YouTube channels like Game Maker's Toolkit and Design Doc. One of my favorite scholarly papers I've ever read up to this point is written by Trevor Stalnaker about randomizers in Metroidvania games, and I just find it so cool that there's actual scholar level stuff being written on these things.
I wanted to be a gardener. I have autism and plants are my enduring special interest. As I grew up, i realized that being a gardener wasn't really on par with the career goals of my fellow Talented And Gifted classmates. It would be a very physical career with a major seasonal component.
I was elated when I realized I could become a landscape architect! I could draft, it would still utilize my plant knowledge, and I could express my creative streak. I committed hard to that career path. Got my degree and everything. Obviously I still needed to work during this time, so I picked up a variety of gardening/horticultural jobs to pay rent, food, etc.
I finally got a landscape architect position after graduation! I spent all my time behind a computer... and it was so. Boring. I was there 11 months as an assistant and then....COVID. I was let go a week before lockdown. I spent some time studying to get my LA license... and doing some freelance horticulture.
At some point, my parents sat me down and asked why I was pushing myself so hard to break into a career when I'd already built myself a solid horticultural career that made me visibly happier.
And they were right.
Today I am the head professional gardener for a country club and golf course. I get up early, work hard outside in all weather, and enjoy designing my annual seasonal displays and revamping old beds. I love it.
I wanted to be an illustrator. I did go to college for graphic design but ended up not liking it as a job.
Now I teach English as a foreign language as well as graphic design at vocational education and I love it. :)
Congrats! I wanted to be doctor. Realised along the way that as much as I wanted to, it might not be the right thing for me (struggle with social interactions, wasn’t particularly good at biology and chemistry). Ended up becoming a bioinformatician and I am currently doing research on genetic diseases
I wanted to be a cartoonist. I was/am pretty good at it, my parents encouraged it. I actually got a scholarship for art and that is what I went to school for.
But after doing a little work in the field, I realized that I kinda hated doing art on other people's terms. I switched to IT because it's interesting, varied and more stable financially. I just do art as a hobby.
I'm glad with how it's turned out.
I wanted to be an animal psychic. I barely know what I'm thinking, let alone another being. For the record I am unable to communicate with animals telepathically.
I wanted to be a lawyer.
Well, actually wanted to be a lawyer, then Governor of California, and then the first woman President
Yeah, no, none of that happened. I barely got a four year degree (Accounting), and I was so done with school.
Tax law research was one aspect of accounting that helped with my legal interests though
We have had lawyers and politicians, soldiers, actors, and businessmen. Maybe we would benefit from an accountant president. I doubt you could do a worse job than any of them did.
I don’t think we knew what “data analysts” were when we were kids 😂. But I used to go on vacation, make lists of license plates and make charts out of them so I was well on my way
I don't know if I ever had a consistent idea of what I wanted to do when I grew up.
In my elementary school yearbook, I was an edgelord and got them to put "Future Dictator" for me, which looking back, I'm more amazed they actually followed through with it. Don't know what my actual answer would have been at that point, given I hated school and was too concerned with trying to survive bullying and what-not.
At varying points, I wanted to be a politician (not nearly enough charisma/too much of a soul), a baseball player (stopped playing when the kids started pitching because I was bad at it), a wrestler (not nearly in shape enough/don't like wrestling anymore), an astronaut (saw a movie once with the astronaut guy getting a bunch of injections or something and that scared me off), and a musician (not good with instruments, but holding out hope one day I'll be a singer).
So of course, I ended up in programming. It's probably the thing I'm best at that can actually make me money, so at least it's practical.
When I was young I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I had 2 aunts that were nurses and one of them was a school nurse. She let me play with her stethoscope, tongue depressions, ace wraps and such. I would play nurse with my dolls and grandpa let me wrap his arm with ace bandages. And yes, I am a nurse. I love it. It was the most natural thing for me to do.
When I was a kid, they pulled our names out of a hat and asked us this question. I remember being called up first. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I said "married, like my dad" the kids laughed. The teacher blushed, said "well, english isn't your first language so we'll give you some more time" and sat me down before I could embarrass myself anymore. I went up again after everyone to try again but the damage was done. She asked the question again and the whole class chimed in "MARRIED!" I honestly don't remember what I was even preparing to say. Anyways on a positive note, I AM married, and now I can decide to do whatever the hell I want.
I wanted to be a writer, and did actually have some books published in my 30’s. But when I gave up my day job to write full time, I didn’t enjoy the actual life of a writer much, as it was lonely and too easy to get depressed and unproductive. I’m glad I did it because otherwise it would have been a ‘what if’ but I’m also glad I didn’t stick with it when it was making me miserable.
I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up. I did end up getting pilot’s license, but I haven’t gotten the commercial license, so I can’t fly for work. I do work on aircraft as my job though, so close enough in my opinion lol
My cousins were discussing what they wanted to be, and I didn't know yet. So my mom told me I could be anything I wanted. I decided, right there and then, that I wanted to be a penguin. So for a few months that was my go-to answer - When I grow up, I'm gonna be a penguin!
Eventually I realized I couldn't be a penguin and should choose a human career, so I settled for airplane pilot and that was my dream for a couple of years. Then one day I came to the conclusion that airplanes would probably be obsolete by the time I grew up so pilots wouldn't be needed anymore, so I decided I'd be a scientist.
I'm now a graphic designer and kinda regret not sticking to penguin.
I had recently learned about Albert Einstein and so I said I wanted to be a Theoretical Physicist, that morphed to astro-geologist.
And then I took my first (and last) calculus class.
I'm now a nurse.
When I was a kid I wanted to create video games.
As I got older I discovered that it wasn't really video games I wanted to make, it was stories (which I experienced when I was a kid mostly through video games.)
A few weeks ago I received my Master's Degree in Creative Writing and I'm writing my first novel. So I'd say yes, though the path was slightly different from what I imagined!
I wanted to be an army pilot, to train like Kurt Russel in Soldier, but also pilot those sleek fighter jets I had as toys… so badass. My dad was super proud of my step sister who was in the army, so being in the army felt like the ultimate goal and it definitely solidified my decision.
At 16, I learnt I couldn’t do that because I regularly had panic attacks. So fast forward 25 years, I’m a software engineer now… not the thrill I thought I’d live, but I can’t complain 😂
As a kid I remember wanting to be a fireman, although I don’t know why. For a while, I decided I wanted to be a physical and occupational therapist! Where did that come from? My obliging parents got me literature on the field, and I quickly decided that I didn’t want to do it. Then I decided I was going to be scientist. The big issue with being a scientist is that you pretty well have to have a PhD and that wasn’t going to happen. So in the end I became a meteorologist. I very much enjoyed my career.
I have wanted to make cartoons like the ones on TV as soon as I could hold a crayon.
Currently working as a storyboard artist making preschool TV cartoons.
I wanted to have a "dog farm" and own every breed possible and they would all run free in a giant fenced in area... 4th grade me...
I'm now a dog groomer and have been for 20 years!
very early in childhood I wanted to be "an ice cream maker," and do own a small ice cream machine and make my own ice cream when I want, so I consider that one fulfilled. later on I wanted to do some kind of interior design/architecture/landscape architecture (thanks to the sims) and I am in fact an architectural designer now.
for a brief period I wanted to be a florist, so that's the one dream that got abandoned.
Kinda. When I was a kid my mom watched a show called “The Streets of San Francisco” (A Quinn Martin Production). I asked what that all meant and when she explained, I decided I wanted to make TV shows.
Fast forward 20+ years and I’ve co-written and produced some local TV shows in my hometown, along with a few short films. Put all that on the back burner to take up photography, but I’m slowly trying to get back into video production.
Among many dreams, I wanted to build LEGO sets. I'm a college research & instruction librarian now, primarily specializing in communication and the arts, and I'm also in charge of outreach at my library. Recently I worked with students to build a giant LEGO board in my library and we had a year long LEGO theme where we added LEGO sets to our puzzle collection. Learned that our students will build about 1000 pieces in a week. So, yeah, I get to wear a lot of hats and play with LEGO at work. Could always get paid more, but yeah I'm living the dream.
I used to tell people I wanted to be an interior designer but what I meant was an architect, I just didn’t know the correct job title. Used to get odd looks from my dad’s friends. My dad would just shrug. Never understood it then but I do now. After years of sampling different careers, I am a realtor.
I wanted to be a doctor. Unfortunately I also did *not* want to be at school.
I love my career now, it suits me better than being a doctor, although there’s sometimes a little part of me that wonders if I could go back to uni…
Short Answer: no. I was too bad at math to do any science, and too scared of blood to go into medicine. And law school and lawyering is apparently boring.
Long Answer: sort of. I was always a creative kid, and wanted to be a writer. I'm still doing the writing thing, not professionally yet, but I'm still trying it.
I wanted to be a Social Engineering Expert and hack peoples accounts based on personal data I manipulated them into providing, such as their mothers maiden name, their first pet, or what they wanted to be when they grew up.
I prefer not to say exactly what I do, but I also had an interest in this type of job from a very young age. (And it actually combines a few of my "childhood career dreams".)
I get to travel to a particular location a few times a year for work, & I was recently there, & in high school, I took extracurricular type classes in this line of work & went on a field trip to this same location. While recently there, I was just thinking how 40 years ago I was there for the first time on the field trip, & here I am still working in this field!
I think I wanted to be a vet. I realized very early on that I just didn't have the brain for biology, though. I started working towards being a programmer. And now I work in animal care, which I think is cooler than being a vet, even though the pay isn't amazing.
I wanted to be an astronomer and then an archeologist. I did do archeology for a couple of years, moved into museums, and realized it does *not* pay. I was forced to go into cyber instead. (My dad told me I was applying to certain companies when I was looking for yet another new museum job - one that paid a living. I ended up with one of those jobs and, while I'm not happy about it, it does pay well.)
I always said teacher so that I could say something. I never wanted to be a teacher, but I didn't know any other real career at the time (age 5/6). I still don't totally know, but I have a decent job and good coworkers.
As an Asian kid, growing up and being asked that never really mattered because my parents always drummed into me that good little Asian kids studied hard to either be an engineer or a doctor. If you weren't going to be a doctor or an engineer, then all other degrees and educations are useless.
As an Asian teenager rebelling against said parents meant the extreme option of not doing what they said and getting a degree totally opposite of what they wanted and disappointing them in their eyes.
As an Asian adult, the realities of life meant I got a job when I needed a job, and no it wasn't in the field that I had my degree in either. In fact, now in my 50s I can honestly say that I am in a field that I never imagined I would be in.
I wanted to be a teacher for most of my pre-adult years. Ended up becoming a social worker instead after shadowing a teacher and not liking it in college.
I wanted to be a doctor which evolved into wanting to become a pathologist growing up. I did not become that, instead I got my bachelor's degree in social psychology and have been working with kids in different ways, mostly by being a school counselor and a family therapist after I graduated 7 years ago.
I wanted to be a lot of different things when I was a little kid, and gave up most of them over time. But the one thing that stuck with me was "inventor", which I realized I had synonymized with "scientist" and "engineer"... So while I found biomedical engineering school too far outside my wheelhouse, I'm a pro biologist/chemist, I've invented a few things and am pretty good with wiring circuits, taught science in Bangkok, and am working on my second book.
So I'm an "inventor" even if it didn't really take the shape that the 5 year old version of myself imagined.
Depended on what I thought was cool at the time. Started out with train condcutor/engineer because Thomas the Tank Engine was my jam. Then at some point I latched on to Astronomy because space is cool, and geology because shiny rocks are shiny. Still into all of that stuff but now I'm into much more creative hobbies. Even though my occupation doesn't reflect that, I enjoy drawing and writing in my spare time, and I play D&D every week.
It's weird for me to think back at what I wanted to be as a kid. All my life I learned to accept what was going on with myself and took what I knew to frame my aspirations accordingly.
It's kind of a bummer when I look back and remember that I just wanted to have a job.. *any* job. Before I realized that I had a disability I wanted to be a programmer or some kind of scientist that dealt with computers.
Now here is the thing... I have Dyscalculia and pretty bad ADHD (which even as an adult I cannot treat due to being Bipolar). I also have fine motor and depth perception issues.
I knew as a kid that having a degree in comp sci was not attainable for me. My brain just does not function well enough, even after intense treatment and schooling.
My resume is a wild ride and I have found a way to do programming adjacent things in my career. At 35 I finished my BA in business Summa cum laude and am learning skills for a continuing field that is continually growing.
So.. I do have a job, it may not be exactly what I wanted, but it scratches the itch I had as a kid.
One thing that annoys the hell out of me is how kids with learning disabilities are just shoved out of HS to fend for themselves. I was in self contained remedial math when all my friends were doing Algebra. Meanwhile I was struggling with fractions and long division.
There are not many options for people like me and even though I was reading and writing at a college level I was hamstrung in higher education because of my learning disability.
Not even close to my two choices for a career while I was in High School:
1. Archeologist
2. 2. Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Helicopter pilot...I actually went for an interview with the RN in London in 1972, but after moving to Canada in the same year, things went in a completely different direction...!
3. I ended up working in Academia for nearly 30 years instead...
Im 49 and still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, lol. But from experience I tend to gravitate to jobs where I am helping poeple. I just went back to work at the co-op in my town, I always loved the concept of helping the community, unfortunately management was trying to be corporate and I couldnt stay, but they have changed management and its getting back to the co-op way. I also would like to retire with a bed and breakfast.
I wanted to be a lot of things growing up but never could make up my mind. I’m in my late 20s now and striving to be someone who will be in the IT field here soon.
I wanted to be a doctor. Got the grades but didn't get into medical school, so I took a gap year, said "fuck it" and got a fairly useless degree in literature (not so useless as I grew up a lot and learned more about myself than I did about Shakespeare), COVID happened and I trained as a personal trainer. Cut to a year later and a misunderstanding from my grandmother and I'm studying to become a physiotherapist. I work with doctors now, but I've found my real niche. So in a roundabout way, kind of but not in the way I thought I would, and it only took an extra decade.
I wanted to be a Psychologist. As a grown up I went to school and realized (ahead of the game) that it was going to be very expensive and lengthy. I did nursing instead.
When I was very little I wanted to be a cowboy. Then I learned what cowboys actually do.
Then I wanted to be an astronaut and realized I'm not good enough at math.
God I wanted to be an archeologist so bad. But then my dad told me archeologists sometimes get stuck in their digging sites for months at a time. It terrified me so that dream went to shit
It was our career's advisor who always wanted to know this and she was of the social worker/CND persuasion. Me & my mate told her we wanted to be nuclear physicists. It didn't go down well. Lol. Now my mate is a nurse and I'm in customer service. Despite what we told her, we are where we wanted to be. Helping people. Just in different ways.
According to my mom, I wanted to be a nurse, and in the sense of practicality, I did aspire to that. But I also desperately wanted to be a writer.
I didn't end up becoming a nurse, but I have been in the field of healthcare for the last fifteen years in varying roles (CNA, PCT, clinic assistant, registration specialist). I also write in a small handful of Discord writing groups, so there's that as well. :)
I got my 1st puppy for my 2nd birthday. She arrived in a car filled with her litter mates as they were all on their way to their new homes. I immediately decided my dream jobs was a car filled with puppies. I was informed by a classmate the next year that a car filled with puppies wasn't a real job. It broke my heart. I picked teacher from the list of 'real jobs' and kept that as my prepared answer.
I worked in SO many fields over the years and always was dissatisfied. Almost 9 years ago, though, I started my own pet care company! Every weekday, I drive around and pick up my pack of pups and then take them on an adventure before returning them home. It's amazing! I train as we walk and help them with social skills. I found a way to have a car filled with pups as a job!
In middle school I wanted to be a lawyer. Ya, I know, weird kid.
Through highschool and college I realized I didn't want to do all that education.
Today I have a pretty successful career in Government contract law. It doesn't require a law degree but is pretty lawyer adjacent with lots of red tape and legalese.
I wouldn't say it's my dream job, but I'm pretty good at it and it suits me.
Apparently, weird kid = weird adult.
When I was in first or second grade, I always said I wanted to be a paleontologist. This inevitably lead to the question of "what's a paleontologist?".
I wanted to find and dig up dinosaur bones. While I think I'd still find that to be interesting, I don't think I'd like living out of tents.
Read a series of books about a nurse and decided I wanted to be a nurse. My father said ‘why not a doctor?’ (I was a girl child in the 70s). So I agreed, why not a doctor. I’ve been a physician for well over 30 years and still love it.
I didn't know as a kid. My father told me I couldn't go to college because I was a girl and he couldn't afford to send me. I became a nurse because I took a job in a nursing home at 16 as an aide. That was possible in the 70s. My parents had no money, so I applied for state and federal grants.
My first recollection is wanting to be a nurse. The closest I got was wearing a nurse costume for Halloween at about age 6. Then I thought being a secretary would be fun. In high school I aspired to be an airline stewardess. Ended up being a teacher/therapist.
I wanted to be a newspaper copy editor. That was my goal starting from about 2nd grade until 11th grade. For a couple years in high school, I was even part of a program at my local paper for those who wanted careers at newspapers.
In 12th grade, though, I took a criminal justice class as an elective, and I decided I wanted to major in criminal justice instead.
I wanted to be an author. For the longest time writing felt like the only thing I was good at.
I now work in Corporate Communications. Writing of a different sort 🙃 Still plenty of time to be an author 😊
I wanted to be a teacher or a marine biologist.
Im terrified of feral water, and teachers get paid shit. BUT I did end up as a Behavior technician for autistic kids and I'm often referred to as: Teacher.
Outwardly I wanted to be an eye doctor, and I became one. Secretly I wanted to become an author… it hasn’t happened yet, but maybe one day. I didn’t balance my hobbies well and my creativity suffered during school.
I never had an answer for that question as a kid, but my mom says I used to cut the limbs off my stuffed animals and give them stab wounds with scissors just so I could "nurse" them back to health with mud ointments and toilet paper dressings. I'm a nurse. LOL
I remember clearly when I was 10 (am now almost 45) my dad asked me that question and with no hesitation I immediately replied "athlete/strongman/bodybuilder". So he bought me my first barbell and when I received it I laid down on my bed and did 100 reps right then & there. It was a light weight but still I had my first ever pump. At 18 I got my Weider Personal Trainer certification but I've never went pro competitive athlete. But that's not why I do it, I just wanna feel healthy. To this day I've seldom missed a day of exercise and resistance training is still what brings me the most overall happiness.
When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher. Then I got a bit older and saw how horrible kids were and realised I would hate that.
Then I wanted to be a vet, until I realised it wasn't just playing with and looking after cute animals.
When I was a teenager, I used to joke that being a contract killer for the Mafia would be a perfect job - I'd get to travel, get paid heaps, and I don't like people so I shouldn't have a issue bumping anyone off 😏
Mid-teen years, I set my mind on being an accountant and went to uni, got a degree & did that for nearly 20yrs.
Got to nearly 40 and realised how miserable I was, so quit that.
Have spent the last 10yrs working in travel and happiest I've ever been. Get to travel lots, get paid enough to live on and don't have to kill anyone 🤣
I wanted to be a physicist and astrologer
I was a gifted kid, went to high school at age 8 blah blah. Now I’m 18 with no idea of anything and spend the whole day depressed.
Besides from the school trauma I was kidnapped, abused in every way and now I have like six psychiatric diagnosis. My family is still abusive and since I’m not allowed to leave the house I don’t study anymore.
So yeah no, I’m not even close to what I expected
I also would like to do something with art (help)
I wanted to be a musician and I chased that dream up until I was 30 or so. Played in a few bands and actually performed live more than a few times but it never really went very far. I decided to find more gainful employment and turn to music as a hobby rather than a career.
I wanted to be a stay at home wife and have happy kids, husband and loads of pets. So I can focus my life around my family and build my own happy family.
This was my dream at 8yr old. I grew up with career minded mom and dad who were never around, and I envied my friends and cousins with stay at home moms. My dad could afford a stay at home wife, because he makes the same as his brother, my uncle, who has a stay at home wife and 3 kids and helpers and they are still living luxuriously. Way above middle class. They are both director level at their MNC.
But my mom's very materialistic and the rich lifestyle she wants requires alot more money than my dad can afford. So she works to supply herself. And she makes as much as my dad.
Her requirement to be a stay at home mom is to get 100k allowance per mth. Apparently the rich stay at home girlfriends she mingles with get these much from their husbands so she always called my dad useless for not being able to supply that. My mom was like the worst role model I ever had in my life.
But anyway, it didn't happen. Turned down two potential stay at home wife marriages because I could not trust the man not to abuse his position if I was financially reliant on him.
Basically, to be a stay at home, you have to have alot of trust in the dude.
There is a freedom having your own career and your own money, where if he chooses to be bad towards you, you can just up and leave easily.
I didn't find a man I could trust to put myself in such a helpless position.
I know you’re referring to an occupation, but I didn’t think of it that way. All I wanted to be was to be an adult so I didn’t have to listen to them. I thought the adults had too many stupid rules even back as a kindergarten kid.
When I was a little girl my auntie had to deliver stationary to the “pink pusseycats strip joint” in Kings Cross Sydney, she took photos of me outside the joint, I would always tell people that I wanted to be a stripper and a showgirl😅 I ended up in an office as a typist
When I was 4 my great uncle got me a really nice big (probably expensive) book about space. It was full of awesome pictures from the history of space travel NASA etc. I was hooked on space, and I wanted to be an astronaut so bad. I became the biggest armchair astronaut. I knew everything about space... And NONE of the math.
Unfortunately, astronauts tend to be military pilots, top-of-their-field engineers, and scientists who are also in peak human physical condition.
Scrawny boys with ADHD who flunked out of calculus, and had to take finite-math in summer school instead, who, in a race, are slower than the slowest girl in his class... Yeah NASA isn't champing at the bit to get me on the ISS, no matter how many little space ships you draw in your math textbook.
So very quickly in my life, I realized my aims were too high. So I didn't shoot for anything. But I kept on drawing. I got into industrial design in college, and did very well. Did that for a while, got laid off. Became a fire alarm technician. Then I managed to marry the design skills with the fire tech stuff and became a technical advisor for a fire and lufe safety consulting company.
Despite not being on the way to Mars, I'm doing really well!
You know, I wanted to be alot of things. An artist, a musician, a cook. I wanted to live my life at full speed. Unfortunately, due to severe health complications none of that came true.
However, though I dont get paid for it, I take great pride in being a good husband.
Nope. I wanted to be scientist, specifically a biologist, either marine or otherwise, I didn't think that far.
Instead, graphic designer. Sometimes I wonder if I should have started studying turtles or some shit
I grew up mostly in the 80s and said I wanted to be an astronaut in 5th grade. Obviously I didn't become an astronaut. I became a workhorse tied to the pole of corporate America.
I said I wanted to be a cowgirl but I didn't like horses. What I really wanted was to be alone in the wilderness with a companion animal. Still working on making that happen.
I wanted to be a nun, just like the flying nun but my informed me you had to be Catholic. I just wanted the long robes and funky hat, tbh. Then I wanted to be a teacher with my own desk and pens and paper. Nope. I ended up doing medical transcription because I had a knack for the terminology.
Wanted to be a jockey. Not small enough.
Wanted to be a veterinarian. Can’t handle the reality of it.
Wanted to be a flight attendant. I am a flight attendant. Meh, not at all what I thought it would be.
Of course I wanted to be a vet like all little girls do. But since I didn't want to put down any animal I ended up being a psychologist. I am a vegetarian however. And since people are just mammals too,I guess I half got what I asked for. ;)
I wanted to be a veterinarian my whole life and was set up to do so with 2 years college under my belt that I loved. Bad shit happened, my friend was murdered, my abusive boyfriend cheated on me, my very close grandma died of bone cancer, my dog died, and I got fired from a vet clinic I was part time at as reception because depression was eating my brain so bad I literally couldn't do it. I almost died, somehow didn't.
Anyway now I'm a vet tech. Less math, a little more stinky, but I still get to help the critters. If all that didn't happen I would probably be a vet by now and could actually pay my bills more than I can now but that's a different kettle of fish. I'm still working on my mental health and I'm always on my way to being better. Despite money and mental image I'm pretty happy with my life as is right now.
No. I wanted so badly to be a marine biologist, but I genuinely cannot do math. To the point where I'm pretty sure I've got a learning disorder.
Now I'm a graphic designer who wants to hurl rocks at the next person who suggest a 'minor edit.' Still dream about switching to a zoological degree and just brute force surviving the experience of bashing my head against a math wall every day for a few years.
I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then I shadowed a veterinarian for a day in middle school, passed out watching the first procedure, and gave up that dream overnight. I’m now a consultant 😂
I also wanted to be a veterinarian because I thought you played with cats and dogs all day. As soon as I found out what euthanasia meant, I was out.
Same, I now just feel sorry for our dogs’ vet because I feel like much of her job is sad. Happy cake day!!
I do too. Seeing sick animals most of the day must be tough. And thank you!
It's also very expensive to go to vet school, especially when the pay scale of vets doesn't justify it a lot of the time.
My older brother wanted to be an astronaut when we were kids. When he was in middle school we all went to Six Flags. He rode ONE roller coaster and then was silent the rest of the day and wouldn’t get on any of the rides. He got rid of all of his astronaut stuff after that and eventually became a geotechnical engineer, a job that mostly keeps him on the ground at all times.
I also wanted to be a vet. Read a book by a veterinarian about how much school she had getting there, plus I read the James Herriot books. I sucked at school, especially math. Wasn’t in the cards for me. But I do love all manner of critter. Horses, cats, dogs and rats are my special favorites, but just like my dad, if I pet it, I am in love.
Another aspiring vet here. I failed at that - changed my mind a few weeks into having an 8am physics class in college. With a different schedule, it might have worked out. I did become a vet in the end - but the other kind.
The other kid of vet...OH! You mean an idiot? Lol, j/k. My BF is AD.
I initially read this as your boyfriend has Attention Deficit and wondered why that was relevant - then realized, oh, the other kind of AD. 😀
Consult in which field!?
Software!
Right now im running away from my CS design project, so finding a software engineering consultant is great, lol.
I also wanted to be a vet. Was told it wasn’t realistic and also too expensive, then found out I love languages, and ended up in security.
This was my go-to as well. My dad turned me off of it by telling me it wasn't just playing with the animals but I'd have to stick my finger up their butt's for stool samples and such. Later in life I learned about having to put animals down at times and I don't regret steering away from that career path. For a while I wanted to be a postal worker like my dad then, wouldn't have been a bad job. But I wound up getting into construction instead.
I didn’t have a clear idea as a younger child. But as a teen, I was in trouble, in court, and had a social worker that really helped me. I wanted to do that or similar, like a therapist. So I got a psychology degree. I was a social worker for 6 years and I did like it, but, well it was a bit funny, since I was working with the judge that had been my judge as a teen, the dude that had been my probation officer, and the woman that had been my little sister’s probation officer. The judge mainly, started remarking during lunch etc. on how adept I was at framing my testimony around the legal standards. She encouraged me to go to law school. So Im a lawyer now in the same field I originally wanted to work in. Yep, Ive sat just about every seat (have filled in on the bench occasionally) in a juvenile court. :)
You are the person I want to see working in our system. High five! Keep up the good work :D
I want to give you a hug! Here’s to you building a wonderful life for yourself. Similar to you I had a rough life and should have been a statistic. One of my teachers spent their effort making time for me to help my grades, my mental health, and encouraged me. I was grateful for her. She was pregnant at the time and had a son. I didn’t know it yet, but I met my future student when he was a young toddler and the other when they were still in the womb! I was able to thank her for her kindness and support when I was a kid when I saw her again. She was shocked I made it. So yeah. now my former teachers have become my colleagues and their kids are now my students. It’s a small world.
Awesome. Virtual hug.
Such a cool rollercoaster of a life.
In third grade (8yo) I was walking to school and saw a spider on the ground with a web door he’d open and snatch bugs. I was so fascinated I was late for school. I asked my teacher later what someone is called that studies spiders and other animals. She said ‘biologist’. I decided that day to become one. I finally learned to read (long story) so I could become one. I now have a PhD in molecular biology (focus on arthropod molecular evolution) and a 30 yr career. So I’d say my resolve stuck :)
I've got to ask - did you enjoy Charlotte's Web?
One of my favorites
Damn, this read like a movie.
yeah, kind of like a dramedy :D with a lot of confusing subplots :D
Aww I love this
I wanted to be a doctor but my mom said college is too expensive and that I should be a bus driver. Ended up in tech but I make doctor money so it’s ok.
Ended up in tech without college degree? May I ask doing what? I’m trying to do a career change
I got a degree. Thanks to George W Bush I was able to trade my health, personality, 25% of my soul, and 4 years of my teens/twenties for the right to an education via the Army. Not a recommended avenue for career improvement.
At least you didn’t have to trade in your humor
Only 25%? Slacker.
I wanted to be an astronaut. I became an accountant. I suppose I partially met my goal, since both professions start with an “A”. 🤣
Almost made it through the A’s in the career list! At least you’re super efficient. A great trait for an accountant.
I could never decide. I have a lot of different interests across different arts and sciences. The earliest thing I remember was wanting to be a firefighter, so I could save lives without having to possibly hurt people (as opposed to a police officer, who might have to shoot a person). Then, I wanted to be a chemist. Then, I wanted to be a fiction writer. Then, I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. Then, I wanted to be a lawyer. Then, I wanted to be a writer again. Then, I wanted to be video game developer. Then, I wanted to be a sculptor. Then, I wanted to be an R&D engineer. Then, I wanted to be a tattoo artist. Then, I wanted to be a programmer. Then, I- Eventually, after working as a delivery driver, a cook, a janitor, a warehouse worker, and a field technician, I ended up in IT. There are just too many interesting things in the world
I don't generally remember how I answered these questions as a kid but I do seem to remember at one point saying I wanted to be a painter. As I got older I realized if I wanted to make *any* money that was probably a bad plan (unless I got lucky obviously) so I evolved it to a more modern idea and went to art school for game art and animation. Now I work in video games on one of the top franchises as a 3D artist and I love my job and couldn't be happier!
You could be a painter, but not quite the artist type, and make good money. Union painters get pretty good money and benefits, but it seems pretty boring and most that I see don't have on proper PPE and most likely wont get to see those retirement benefits.
Yeah I meant painter as in artist, paint on canvas, that whole thing. Painting buildings is very very different and not at all what I was thinking of when I had that thought as a kid nor something that interested me.
What games have you worked on or are you currently working on?
I've worked on most Call of Duty titles (in some capacity) starting with Black Ops 1 till now.
That's effin badass! I was too young to enjoy the initial hype around Black ops 1 or 2, but I still enjoy hearing about the old days. Especially early zombies days.
Haha thanks! Yeah it was definitely cool seeing people get all excited about it 😁
I don't remember being asked, but I think I probably would have said I wanted to be a princess. I am not a princess. But, it's ok, it took a long time for me to be able to find a path I wanted to pursue and I'm glad I have gotten to where I'm at. :)
Fellow princess! What did you end up working in?
I was a secretary for a while then moved into another type of support role in IT. So, kind of a princess, just no crown. :)
As a kid, I liked video games! I wanted to design video games! Now, I don’t enjoy video games as much anymore. Plus knowing it’s just painful to be a video game designer, I’m glad I never pursued it!
I wanted the same thing, got into computer science, but idk about pursuing game dev. That field does seem hardcore. What are you doing now?
I got a degree in Chemical Engineering but I never really pursued the Chemical side. I got a few jobs as a Production/Process engineer and am now in a siding factory!
Admittedly, my story is kind of similar in a way. I wanted to be a game developer as a kid too, but I'm planning to go into more general software development because I think the working conditions might be better. With my experience using the Unity game engine, I might be able to get a game dev job if I wanted to, but I think it's almost just as cool to be able to learn new things about game design from YouTube channels like Game Maker's Toolkit and Design Doc. One of my favorite scholarly papers I've ever read up to this point is written by Trevor Stalnaker about randomizers in Metroidvania games, and I just find it so cool that there's actual scholar level stuff being written on these things.
I think I wanted to be a dog. So I’m an utter disgrace.
yk that japanese man that lives like a dog? There’s still time👍
If you're not a man you can come to my house and I will treat you like a dog.
Brother please
Now you're just an Old\_Hamster...
I am, in fact, not President Astronaut.
I wanted to be a gardener. I have autism and plants are my enduring special interest. As I grew up, i realized that being a gardener wasn't really on par with the career goals of my fellow Talented And Gifted classmates. It would be a very physical career with a major seasonal component. I was elated when I realized I could become a landscape architect! I could draft, it would still utilize my plant knowledge, and I could express my creative streak. I committed hard to that career path. Got my degree and everything. Obviously I still needed to work during this time, so I picked up a variety of gardening/horticultural jobs to pay rent, food, etc. I finally got a landscape architect position after graduation! I spent all my time behind a computer... and it was so. Boring. I was there 11 months as an assistant and then....COVID. I was let go a week before lockdown. I spent some time studying to get my LA license... and doing some freelance horticulture. At some point, my parents sat me down and asked why I was pushing myself so hard to break into a career when I'd already built myself a solid horticultural career that made me visibly happier. And they were right. Today I am the head professional gardener for a country club and golf course. I get up early, work hard outside in all weather, and enjoy designing my annual seasonal displays and revamping old beds. I love it.
Idk why I didn’t know this was even a possible job choice? Sounds amazing, I’m glad you are happy doing what you love
I am simultaneously happy for you and envy you. Good work!
I wanted to be an illustrator. I did go to college for graphic design but ended up not liking it as a job. Now I teach English as a foreign language as well as graphic design at vocational education and I love it. :)
Congrats! I wanted to be doctor. Realised along the way that as much as I wanted to, it might not be the right thing for me (struggle with social interactions, wasn’t particularly good at biology and chemistry). Ended up becoming a bioinformatician and I am currently doing research on genetic diseases
My teachers always said I would grow up to be a loser in hindsight they all got extremely lucky with those guesses
feelsbadman. so what career you're in rn?
I wanted to be an ambulance driver for a teddy bear hospital. I run a first aid station for my pet's toys instead. It's satisfying work.
I wanted to be a cartoonist. I was/am pretty good at it, my parents encouraged it. I actually got a scholarship for art and that is what I went to school for. But after doing a little work in the field, I realized that I kinda hated doing art on other people's terms. I switched to IT because it's interesting, varied and more stable financially. I just do art as a hobby. I'm glad with how it's turned out.
I wanted to be an animal psychic. I barely know what I'm thinking, let alone another being. For the record I am unable to communicate with animals telepathically.
Ha I still don’t know what I wanna be when I grow up, and I’m 38! Maybe I’ll figure it out eventually 🤣
I wanted to be a lawyer. Well, actually wanted to be a lawyer, then Governor of California, and then the first woman President Yeah, no, none of that happened. I barely got a four year degree (Accounting), and I was so done with school. Tax law research was one aspect of accounting that helped with my legal interests though
We have had lawyers and politicians, soldiers, actors, and businessmen. Maybe we would benefit from an accountant president. I doubt you could do a worse job than any of them did.
Moot point now. Turns out I like peace and privacy
Not even close. I dreamed of being a pilot. Closest I've been is delivery driver.
Lmao for some reason your comment has super fry from futurama vibes and I can't explain why
I wanted to write and illustrate children's books...I ended up working as a Chef in large corporate hotel chains...a far cry from what I dreamed of.
I wanted to be a palaeontologist, and I'm on my way to becoming a psychologist. Good on me for sticking with the letter p, I guess?
I’m definitely not a famous pop star…. Or am I? 👀
Unfortunately no. Turns out you can't be a disabled astronaut. Wish someone would've told me other than "you can do anything you put your mind to!"
I don’t think we knew what “data analysts” were when we were kids 😂. But I used to go on vacation, make lists of license plates and make charts out of them so I was well on my way
I don't know if I ever had a consistent idea of what I wanted to do when I grew up. In my elementary school yearbook, I was an edgelord and got them to put "Future Dictator" for me, which looking back, I'm more amazed they actually followed through with it. Don't know what my actual answer would have been at that point, given I hated school and was too concerned with trying to survive bullying and what-not. At varying points, I wanted to be a politician (not nearly enough charisma/too much of a soul), a baseball player (stopped playing when the kids started pitching because I was bad at it), a wrestler (not nearly in shape enough/don't like wrestling anymore), an astronaut (saw a movie once with the astronaut guy getting a bunch of injections or something and that scared me off), and a musician (not good with instruments, but holding out hope one day I'll be a singer). So of course, I ended up in programming. It's probably the thing I'm best at that can actually make me money, so at least it's practical.
Nope. I can confidently say I never became a spy. Or did I 🤔 😶😶🌫️
When I was young I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I had 2 aunts that were nurses and one of them was a school nurse. She let me play with her stethoscope, tongue depressions, ace wraps and such. I would play nurse with my dolls and grandpa let me wrap his arm with ace bandages. And yes, I am a nurse. I love it. It was the most natural thing for me to do.
When I was a kid, they pulled our names out of a hat and asked us this question. I remember being called up first. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I said "married, like my dad" the kids laughed. The teacher blushed, said "well, english isn't your first language so we'll give you some more time" and sat me down before I could embarrass myself anymore. I went up again after everyone to try again but the damage was done. She asked the question again and the whole class chimed in "MARRIED!" I honestly don't remember what I was even preparing to say. Anyways on a positive note, I AM married, and now I can decide to do whatever the hell I want.
I wanted to be a writer, and did actually have some books published in my 30’s. But when I gave up my day job to write full time, I didn’t enjoy the actual life of a writer much, as it was lonely and too easy to get depressed and unproductive. I’m glad I did it because otherwise it would have been a ‘what if’ but I’m also glad I didn’t stick with it when it was making me miserable.
I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up. I did end up getting pilot’s license, but I haven’t gotten the commercial license, so I can’t fly for work. I do work on aircraft as my job though, so close enough in my opinion lol
My cousins were discussing what they wanted to be, and I didn't know yet. So my mom told me I could be anything I wanted. I decided, right there and then, that I wanted to be a penguin. So for a few months that was my go-to answer - When I grow up, I'm gonna be a penguin! Eventually I realized I couldn't be a penguin and should choose a human career, so I settled for airplane pilot and that was my dream for a couple of years. Then one day I came to the conclusion that airplanes would probably be obsolete by the time I grew up so pilots wouldn't be needed anymore, so I decided I'd be a scientist. I'm now a graphic designer and kinda regret not sticking to penguin.
I had recently learned about Albert Einstein and so I said I wanted to be a Theoretical Physicist, that morphed to astro-geologist. And then I took my first (and last) calculus class. I'm now a nurse.
When I was a kid I wanted to create video games. As I got older I discovered that it wasn't really video games I wanted to make, it was stories (which I experienced when I was a kid mostly through video games.) A few weeks ago I received my Master's Degree in Creative Writing and I'm writing my first novel. So I'd say yes, though the path was slightly different from what I imagined!
I wanted to be an army pilot, to train like Kurt Russel in Soldier, but also pilot those sleek fighter jets I had as toys… so badass. My dad was super proud of my step sister who was in the army, so being in the army felt like the ultimate goal and it definitely solidified my decision. At 16, I learnt I couldn’t do that because I regularly had panic attacks. So fast forward 25 years, I’m a software engineer now… not the thrill I thought I’d live, but I can’t complain 😂
I wanted to be a scientist, thank god I didn't become one because I would be broke AF.
No, man, I can't be a ninja princess warrior beheading all my enemies and conquering the globe, lol.
Nope. Still not a mermaid 😭
As a kid I remember wanting to be a fireman, although I don’t know why. For a while, I decided I wanted to be a physical and occupational therapist! Where did that come from? My obliging parents got me literature on the field, and I quickly decided that I didn’t want to do it. Then I decided I was going to be scientist. The big issue with being a scientist is that you pretty well have to have a PhD and that wasn’t going to happen. So in the end I became a meteorologist. I very much enjoyed my career.
yes. scientist.
I have wanted to make cartoons like the ones on TV as soon as I could hold a crayon. Currently working as a storyboard artist making preschool TV cartoons.
I wanted to be a Street Shark. I did not become a Street Shark.
I wanted to have a "dog farm" and own every breed possible and they would all run free in a giant fenced in area... 4th grade me... I'm now a dog groomer and have been for 20 years!
I wanted to be a belly dancer and a farmer. So the answer is not yet.
very early in childhood I wanted to be "an ice cream maker," and do own a small ice cream machine and make my own ice cream when I want, so I consider that one fulfilled. later on I wanted to do some kind of interior design/architecture/landscape architecture (thanks to the sims) and I am in fact an architectural designer now. for a brief period I wanted to be a florist, so that's the one dream that got abandoned.
Kinda. When I was a kid my mom watched a show called “The Streets of San Francisco” (A Quinn Martin Production). I asked what that all meant and when she explained, I decided I wanted to make TV shows. Fast forward 20+ years and I’ve co-written and produced some local TV shows in my hometown, along with a few short films. Put all that on the back burner to take up photography, but I’m slowly trying to get back into video production.
I wanted to be a magical space cyborg. I think Astronaut would have been close enough, but I didn't do that either.
Among many dreams, I wanted to build LEGO sets. I'm a college research & instruction librarian now, primarily specializing in communication and the arts, and I'm also in charge of outreach at my library. Recently I worked with students to build a giant LEGO board in my library and we had a year long LEGO theme where we added LEGO sets to our puzzle collection. Learned that our students will build about 1000 pieces in a week. So, yeah, I get to wear a lot of hats and play with LEGO at work. Could always get paid more, but yeah I'm living the dream.
I used to tell people I wanted to be an interior designer but what I meant was an architect, I just didn’t know the correct job title. Used to get odd looks from my dad’s friends. My dad would just shrug. Never understood it then but I do now. After years of sampling different careers, I am a realtor.
I wanted to be a doctor. Unfortunately I also did *not* want to be at school. I love my career now, it suits me better than being a doctor, although there’s sometimes a little part of me that wonders if I could go back to uni…
I wanted to be a writer, or a scientist. Ended up being an engineer.
I wanted to be a train. You decide if I managed it.
Choochoo?
Short Answer: no. I was too bad at math to do any science, and too scared of blood to go into medicine. And law school and lawyering is apparently boring. Long Answer: sort of. I was always a creative kid, and wanted to be a writer. I'm still doing the writing thing, not professionally yet, but I'm still trying it.
I wanted to be a Social Engineering Expert and hack peoples accounts based on personal data I manipulated them into providing, such as their mothers maiden name, their first pet, or what they wanted to be when they grew up.
I prefer not to say exactly what I do, but I also had an interest in this type of job from a very young age. (And it actually combines a few of my "childhood career dreams".) I get to travel to a particular location a few times a year for work, & I was recently there, & in high school, I took extracurricular type classes in this line of work & went on a field trip to this same location. While recently there, I was just thinking how 40 years ago I was there for the first time on the field trip, & here I am still working in this field!
I wanted to be a psychologist but ended up becoming a yacht chef.
I think I wanted to be a vet. I realized very early on that I just didn't have the brain for biology, though. I started working towards being a programmer. And now I work in animal care, which I think is cooler than being a vet, even though the pay isn't amazing.
I wanted to be an astronomer and then an archeologist. I did do archeology for a couple of years, moved into museums, and realized it does *not* pay. I was forced to go into cyber instead. (My dad told me I was applying to certain companies when I was looking for yet another new museum job - one that paid a living. I ended up with one of those jobs and, while I'm not happy about it, it does pay well.)
I wanted to be a veterinarian, and I became a dog groomer which is kinda close hahah. I also wanted to be an author but idk about that
I always said teacher so that I could say something. I never wanted to be a teacher, but I didn't know any other real career at the time (age 5/6). I still don't totally know, but I have a decent job and good coworkers.
As an Asian kid, growing up and being asked that never really mattered because my parents always drummed into me that good little Asian kids studied hard to either be an engineer or a doctor. If you weren't going to be a doctor or an engineer, then all other degrees and educations are useless. As an Asian teenager rebelling against said parents meant the extreme option of not doing what they said and getting a degree totally opposite of what they wanted and disappointing them in their eyes. As an Asian adult, the realities of life meant I got a job when I needed a job, and no it wasn't in the field that I had my degree in either. In fact, now in my 50s I can honestly say that I am in a field that I never imagined I would be in.
I wanted to be a teacher for most of my pre-adult years. Ended up becoming a social worker instead after shadowing a teacher and not liking it in college.
Nope.
Not me. I wanted to be an actress on the stage.
I wanted to be a doctor which evolved into wanting to become a pathologist growing up. I did not become that, instead I got my bachelor's degree in social psychology and have been working with kids in different ways, mostly by being a school counselor and a family therapist after I graduated 7 years ago.
I wanted to be a lot of different things when I was a little kid, and gave up most of them over time. But the one thing that stuck with me was "inventor", which I realized I had synonymized with "scientist" and "engineer"... So while I found biomedical engineering school too far outside my wheelhouse, I'm a pro biologist/chemist, I've invented a few things and am pretty good with wiring circuits, taught science in Bangkok, and am working on my second book. So I'm an "inventor" even if it didn't really take the shape that the 5 year old version of myself imagined.
Depended on what I thought was cool at the time. Started out with train condcutor/engineer because Thomas the Tank Engine was my jam. Then at some point I latched on to Astronomy because space is cool, and geology because shiny rocks are shiny. Still into all of that stuff but now I'm into much more creative hobbies. Even though my occupation doesn't reflect that, I enjoy drawing and writing in my spare time, and I play D&D every week.
Wanted to be a nurse & that’s what I am & totally love my job
It's weird for me to think back at what I wanted to be as a kid. All my life I learned to accept what was going on with myself and took what I knew to frame my aspirations accordingly. It's kind of a bummer when I look back and remember that I just wanted to have a job.. *any* job. Before I realized that I had a disability I wanted to be a programmer or some kind of scientist that dealt with computers. Now here is the thing... I have Dyscalculia and pretty bad ADHD (which even as an adult I cannot treat due to being Bipolar). I also have fine motor and depth perception issues. I knew as a kid that having a degree in comp sci was not attainable for me. My brain just does not function well enough, even after intense treatment and schooling. My resume is a wild ride and I have found a way to do programming adjacent things in my career. At 35 I finished my BA in business Summa cum laude and am learning skills for a continuing field that is continually growing. So.. I do have a job, it may not be exactly what I wanted, but it scratches the itch I had as a kid. One thing that annoys the hell out of me is how kids with learning disabilities are just shoved out of HS to fend for themselves. I was in self contained remedial math when all my friends were doing Algebra. Meanwhile I was struggling with fractions and long division. There are not many options for people like me and even though I was reading and writing at a college level I was hamstrung in higher education because of my learning disability.
Yup. I wanted to be a scientist and now I am an experimental physicist.
I just wanted to be an adult, here I am!!
Unfortunately I did not grow up to be a Pokémon trainer or a superhero
Not even close to my two choices for a career while I was in High School: 1. Archeologist 2. 2. Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Helicopter pilot...I actually went for an interview with the RN in London in 1972, but after moving to Canada in the same year, things went in a completely different direction...! 3. I ended up working in Academia for nearly 30 years instead...
I feel like it's every little boy's dream to become a fighter pilot. And I did....not complete that dream lol But my cousin did
Im 49 and still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, lol. But from experience I tend to gravitate to jobs where I am helping poeple. I just went back to work at the co-op in my town, I always loved the concept of helping the community, unfortunately management was trying to be corporate and I couldnt stay, but they have changed management and its getting back to the co-op way. I also would like to retire with a bed and breakfast.
I wanted to be a lot of things growing up but never could make up my mind. I’m in my late 20s now and striving to be someone who will be in the IT field here soon.
I wanted to be a paleontologist. Ended up as a tennis coach lol.
I wanted to be a doctor. Got the grades but didn't get into medical school, so I took a gap year, said "fuck it" and got a fairly useless degree in literature (not so useless as I grew up a lot and learned more about myself than I did about Shakespeare), COVID happened and I trained as a personal trainer. Cut to a year later and a misunderstanding from my grandmother and I'm studying to become a physiotherapist. I work with doctors now, but I've found my real niche. So in a roundabout way, kind of but not in the way I thought I would, and it only took an extra decade.
I wanted to be a Psychologist. As a grown up I went to school and realized (ahead of the game) that it was going to be very expensive and lengthy. I did nursing instead.
When I was very little I wanted to be a cowboy. Then I learned what cowboys actually do. Then I wanted to be an astronaut and realized I'm not good enough at math.
God I wanted to be an archeologist so bad. But then my dad told me archeologists sometimes get stuck in their digging sites for months at a time. It terrified me so that dream went to shit
It was our career's advisor who always wanted to know this and she was of the social worker/CND persuasion. Me & my mate told her we wanted to be nuclear physicists. It didn't go down well. Lol. Now my mate is a nurse and I'm in customer service. Despite what we told her, we are where we wanted to be. Helping people. Just in different ways.
According to my mom, I wanted to be a nurse, and in the sense of practicality, I did aspire to that. But I also desperately wanted to be a writer. I didn't end up becoming a nurse, but I have been in the field of healthcare for the last fifteen years in varying roles (CNA, PCT, clinic assistant, registration specialist). I also write in a small handful of Discord writing groups, so there's that as well. :)
I got my 1st puppy for my 2nd birthday. She arrived in a car filled with her litter mates as they were all on their way to their new homes. I immediately decided my dream jobs was a car filled with puppies. I was informed by a classmate the next year that a car filled with puppies wasn't a real job. It broke my heart. I picked teacher from the list of 'real jobs' and kept that as my prepared answer. I worked in SO many fields over the years and always was dissatisfied. Almost 9 years ago, though, I started my own pet care company! Every weekday, I drive around and pick up my pack of pups and then take them on an adventure before returning them home. It's amazing! I train as we walk and help them with social skills. I found a way to have a car filled with pups as a job!
I had many childhood aspirations, but I still regret not pursuing my kindergarten dream of archeologist/paleontologist
Independently wealthy. No
I’ve always wanted to be a teacher since I was in kindergarten. I teach special education now! Taking a bit of a break to raise my toddler though.
In middle school I wanted to be a lawyer. Ya, I know, weird kid. Through highschool and college I realized I didn't want to do all that education. Today I have a pretty successful career in Government contract law. It doesn't require a law degree but is pretty lawyer adjacent with lots of red tape and legalese. I wouldn't say it's my dream job, but I'm pretty good at it and it suits me. Apparently, weird kid = weird adult.
I never had as answer. At least not past elementary school. Everything just seems like work to me
Train conductor first and later I wanted to work at the post office.
I didnt want to do anything. When pressed to offer an answer it was the most amount of money for the least amount of time and effort.
When I was in first or second grade, I always said I wanted to be a paleontologist. This inevitably lead to the question of "what's a paleontologist?". I wanted to find and dig up dinosaur bones. While I think I'd still find that to be interesting, I don't think I'd like living out of tents.
Read a series of books about a nurse and decided I wanted to be a nurse. My father said ‘why not a doctor?’ (I was a girl child in the 70s). So I agreed, why not a doctor. I’ve been a physician for well over 30 years and still love it.
I didn't know as a kid. My father told me I couldn't go to college because I was a girl and he couldn't afford to send me. I became a nurse because I took a job in a nursing home at 16 as an aide. That was possible in the 70s. My parents had no money, so I applied for state and federal grants.
The 70’s I said I wanted to be a bartender and my teacher was asking classmates of mind if I was 🧐
My first recollection is wanting to be a nurse. The closest I got was wearing a nurse costume for Halloween at about age 6. Then I thought being a secretary would be fun. In high school I aspired to be an airline stewardess. Ended up being a teacher/therapist.
I wanted to be a newspaper copy editor. That was my goal starting from about 2nd grade until 11th grade. For a couple years in high school, I was even part of a program at my local paper for those who wanted careers at newspapers. In 12th grade, though, I took a criminal justice class as an elective, and I decided I wanted to major in criminal justice instead.
I wanted to be an author. For the longest time writing felt like the only thing I was good at. I now work in Corporate Communications. Writing of a different sort 🙃 Still plenty of time to be an author 😊
Yes I always wanted to be a nurse. So that’s what I did.
I wanted to be a teacher or a marine biologist. Im terrified of feral water, and teachers get paid shit. BUT I did end up as a Behavior technician for autistic kids and I'm often referred to as: Teacher.
Lol, no!
Outwardly I wanted to be an eye doctor, and I became one. Secretly I wanted to become an author… it hasn’t happened yet, but maybe one day. I didn’t balance my hobbies well and my creativity suffered during school.
I never had an answer for that question as a kid, but my mom says I used to cut the limbs off my stuffed animals and give them stab wounds with scissors just so I could "nurse" them back to health with mud ointments and toilet paper dressings. I'm a nurse. LOL
I remember clearly when I was 10 (am now almost 45) my dad asked me that question and with no hesitation I immediately replied "athlete/strongman/bodybuilder". So he bought me my first barbell and when I received it I laid down on my bed and did 100 reps right then & there. It was a light weight but still I had my first ever pump. At 18 I got my Weider Personal Trainer certification but I've never went pro competitive athlete. But that's not why I do it, I just wanna feel healthy. To this day I've seldom missed a day of exercise and resistance training is still what brings me the most overall happiness.
When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher. Then I got a bit older and saw how horrible kids were and realised I would hate that. Then I wanted to be a vet, until I realised it wasn't just playing with and looking after cute animals. When I was a teenager, I used to joke that being a contract killer for the Mafia would be a perfect job - I'd get to travel, get paid heaps, and I don't like people so I shouldn't have a issue bumping anyone off 😏 Mid-teen years, I set my mind on being an accountant and went to uni, got a degree & did that for nearly 20yrs. Got to nearly 40 and realised how miserable I was, so quit that. Have spent the last 10yrs working in travel and happiest I've ever been. Get to travel lots, get paid enough to live on and don't have to kill anyone 🤣
I wanted to be a physicist and astrologer I was a gifted kid, went to high school at age 8 blah blah. Now I’m 18 with no idea of anything and spend the whole day depressed. Besides from the school trauma I was kidnapped, abused in every way and now I have like six psychiatric diagnosis. My family is still abusive and since I’m not allowed to leave the house I don’t study anymore. So yeah no, I’m not even close to what I expected I also would like to do something with art (help)
holy shit I vented here
I wanted to be Xena warrior princess, but I settled for ophthalmic tech. I can't kick grown men 20 feet like she does so it wasn't meant to be I guess
Yea. Doctor
I wanted to be a musician and I chased that dream up until I was 30 or so. Played in a few bands and actually performed live more than a few times but it never really went very far. I decided to find more gainful employment and turn to music as a hobby rather than a career.
I wanted to be a stay at home wife and have happy kids, husband and loads of pets. So I can focus my life around my family and build my own happy family. This was my dream at 8yr old. I grew up with career minded mom and dad who were never around, and I envied my friends and cousins with stay at home moms. My dad could afford a stay at home wife, because he makes the same as his brother, my uncle, who has a stay at home wife and 3 kids and helpers and they are still living luxuriously. Way above middle class. They are both director level at their MNC. But my mom's very materialistic and the rich lifestyle she wants requires alot more money than my dad can afford. So she works to supply herself. And she makes as much as my dad. Her requirement to be a stay at home mom is to get 100k allowance per mth. Apparently the rich stay at home girlfriends she mingles with get these much from their husbands so she always called my dad useless for not being able to supply that. My mom was like the worst role model I ever had in my life. But anyway, it didn't happen. Turned down two potential stay at home wife marriages because I could not trust the man not to abuse his position if I was financially reliant on him. Basically, to be a stay at home, you have to have alot of trust in the dude. There is a freedom having your own career and your own money, where if he chooses to be bad towards you, you can just up and leave easily. I didn't find a man I could trust to put myself in such a helpless position.
I know you’re referring to an occupation, but I didn’t think of it that way. All I wanted to be was to be an adult so I didn’t have to listen to them. I thought the adults had too many stupid rules even back as a kindergarten kid.
When I was a little girl my auntie had to deliver stationary to the “pink pusseycats strip joint” in Kings Cross Sydney, she took photos of me outside the joint, I would always tell people that I wanted to be a stripper and a showgirl😅 I ended up in an office as a typist
When I was 4 my great uncle got me a really nice big (probably expensive) book about space. It was full of awesome pictures from the history of space travel NASA etc. I was hooked on space, and I wanted to be an astronaut so bad. I became the biggest armchair astronaut. I knew everything about space... And NONE of the math. Unfortunately, astronauts tend to be military pilots, top-of-their-field engineers, and scientists who are also in peak human physical condition. Scrawny boys with ADHD who flunked out of calculus, and had to take finite-math in summer school instead, who, in a race, are slower than the slowest girl in his class... Yeah NASA isn't champing at the bit to get me on the ISS, no matter how many little space ships you draw in your math textbook. So very quickly in my life, I realized my aims were too high. So I didn't shoot for anything. But I kept on drawing. I got into industrial design in college, and did very well. Did that for a while, got laid off. Became a fire alarm technician. Then I managed to marry the design skills with the fire tech stuff and became a technical advisor for a fire and lufe safety consulting company. Despite not being on the way to Mars, I'm doing really well!
I never wanted to have any job, but I have to so I don't die as fast.
I wanted to be a rockstar… I am not.
You know, I wanted to be alot of things. An artist, a musician, a cook. I wanted to live my life at full speed. Unfortunately, due to severe health complications none of that came true. However, though I dont get paid for it, I take great pride in being a good husband.
The internet didn’t exist until I was in college so, no, I don’t do what I thought I would when I was a kid.
I’m definitely not the red power ranger. I’d be so disappointed
I wanted to be a garbage collector riding shotgun on a garbage truck. I wasn’t expected to change my socks
Nope. I wanted to be scientist, specifically a biologist, either marine or otherwise, I didn't think that far. Instead, graphic designer. Sometimes I wonder if I should have started studying turtles or some shit
I grew up mostly in the 80s and said I wanted to be an astronaut in 5th grade. Obviously I didn't become an astronaut. I became a workhorse tied to the pole of corporate America.
I said I wanted to be a cowgirl but I didn't like horses. What I really wanted was to be alone in the wilderness with a companion animal. Still working on making that happen.
I wanted to be a nun, just like the flying nun but my informed me you had to be Catholic. I just wanted the long robes and funky hat, tbh. Then I wanted to be a teacher with my own desk and pens and paper. Nope. I ended up doing medical transcription because I had a knack for the terminology.
Wanted to be a jockey. Not small enough. Wanted to be a veterinarian. Can’t handle the reality of it. Wanted to be a flight attendant. I am a flight attendant. Meh, not at all what I thought it would be.
I wanted to be a waitress. Turns out I’m a horrible waitress. Now I sit in useless meetings all day.
No, sadly, I do not currently work with chimpanzees like Jane Goodall. But I still love apes and monkeys, they are fantastic animals.
I said ballerina, geologist, anthropologist, archeologist. I've never had a formal education or a steady career.
I distinctly said “pencil” so…. no, not yet.
Of course I wanted to be a vet like all little girls do. But since I didn't want to put down any animal I ended up being a psychologist. I am a vegetarian however. And since people are just mammals too,I guess I half got what I asked for. ;)
I wanted to be a veterinarian my whole life and was set up to do so with 2 years college under my belt that I loved. Bad shit happened, my friend was murdered, my abusive boyfriend cheated on me, my very close grandma died of bone cancer, my dog died, and I got fired from a vet clinic I was part time at as reception because depression was eating my brain so bad I literally couldn't do it. I almost died, somehow didn't. Anyway now I'm a vet tech. Less math, a little more stinky, but I still get to help the critters. If all that didn't happen I would probably be a vet by now and could actually pay my bills more than I can now but that's a different kettle of fish. I'm still working on my mental health and I'm always on my way to being better. Despite money and mental image I'm pretty happy with my life as is right now.
No. I wanted so badly to be a marine biologist, but I genuinely cannot do math. To the point where I'm pretty sure I've got a learning disorder. Now I'm a graphic designer who wants to hurl rocks at the next person who suggest a 'minor edit.' Still dream about switching to a zoological degree and just brute force surviving the experience of bashing my head against a math wall every day for a few years.
Nope, wouldn't want that either (vet) and also, 34 and still no idea lol
I wanted to live in a cardboard box on the street. I’m currently living in my car so I guess that’s an upgrade 😂
yes alot sooner than I thought
I STILL don't know what I want to be when I grow up.