View Full Version : What was the very first thing you wanted to be when you grew up?
Inspired by something ApatheticNoMore said in another thread:
but then as a child did you think that being sucessful meant having more money than everyone else?
That got me thinking about this commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myG8hq1Mk00
What was your very first aspiration in life? Did it happen? If not, why not?
I wanted to be a scientist because I loved to be out in nature observing things. As I got older, I was horrified at killing and dissecting things, and I didn't get along well with chemistry and physics in high school. That's when I started wanting to be a writer. I'm still working on that one, though I still see myself as the type of person who would be happy sitting in a blind in a swamp somewhere counting ducks. I love the book, (and the movie), *My Family and Other Animals* by Gerald Durrell, (Laurence Durrell's lesser famous brother). I would still like to have that out-in-nature type of life.
IshbelRobertson
1-30-14, 6:07pm
I wanted to be an archaeologist. History is still my passion.
Re. gerald Durell... We holiday most years on the island of Corfu, the base for three or four of his books. The White House, which he writes about, is now a taverna with rooms to rent above!
A Veterinarian. No did not happen. I did and do have a big heart for adoptive dogs. Why did it not happen, I did not have the drive:|(
I wanted to be a doctor, but my father said I wasn't smart enough. I became an R.N. I could have been a doctor. My father was full of %#&$!
I could have been a doctor. My father was full of %#&$!
Forgive me, but yes he was.
ToomuchStuff
1-30-14, 7:11pm
Easy one and I have NEVER met anyone else who wanted to. I wanted to work at the funeral home, with my grandfather. (get paid to spend time with him and have a key to the pop machine) I was two at the time.
Easy one and I have NEVER met anyone else who wanted to. I wanted to work at the funeral home, with my grandfather. (get paid to spend time with him and have a key to the pop machine) I was two at the time.
Did you ever get to work with him?
As a little girl, I was fascinated by cowboys and Indians so I wanted to be one or the other. As i grew up, I was always praised by others for my artistic talents but conversely told it was not a good career.
new2oregon
1-30-14, 7:35pm
Too much stuff, For a person that can handle that it can be a real good job in this day and age. I have met some people that were doing very well. When I was growing up I wanted to do 4 things, Be a cook, logger, a farmer, and have a bait shop. I still love to cook, cut wood, grow food and fish. My cousin had a bait shop and I use to help him. Since I am starting over in my life I am working on a simple Healthy Lifestyle and will do what ever I have to do to survive. My simple life is so easy now and still working on it. I want to be able to help other people as I figure this all out.
When I was growing up I wanted to do 4 things, Be a cook, logger, a farmer, and have a bait shop. I still love to cook, cut wood, grow food and fish. My cousin had a bait shop and I use to help him. Since I am starting over in my life I am working on a simple Healthy Lifestyle and will do what ever I have to do to survive. My simple life is so easy now and still working on it. I want to be able to help other people as I figure this all out.
Wow, it seems your early aspirations and today's aspirations are really well-aligned!
A stripper. Or a marine biologist. Although I drunkenly volunteered once to take it all off at amateur night, my horrified friends whisked me away before I could humiliate myself, thank God. The closest I ever got to Marine biology was exploring tide pools.
They say what compels you as a child very strongly suggests what you should do as an adult. I enjoyed exploring nature, drawing, reading, and dressing and redressing my dolls. I still do.
ToomuchStuff
1-30-14, 7:48pm
Catherine, no. He had COPD and started deteriorating soon after and died when I was six.
new2: For a good chunk of my life, I still looked at that business location, as a second home. Years later, a semi relative told me the reason I was taken to work with him the day I remember; it was my age. I was the same age as one of the two bodies that he had to go help pick up, where the biggest piece was the childs arm (child ran out onto train tracks and the mother tried to get to them). Took a happy memory for me (of a historical even, the reason I know I was two), and made it a questionable one and made me learn that a happy experience for someone can be a horrible one for someone else. Still makes me wonder if it would be a good fit as a "retirement" type of job.
A stripper. Or a marine biologist.
They say what compels you as a child very strongly suggests what you should do as an adult. I enjoyed exploring nature, drawing, reading, and dressing and redressing my dolls. I still do.
Wow, talk about two different disciplines..
Regarding following what compels you to do as a child.. do you think you can become a nun at 62? (I suppose I'd have to get a divorce first, and then they probably wouldn't want me.)
ToomuchStuff
1-30-14, 8:10pm
A stripper. Or a marine biologist. Although I drunkenly volunteered once to take it all off at amateur night, my horrified friends whisked me away before I could humiliate myself, thank God.
Wow, talk about two different disciplines..
A drunken night by a marine base and both could have been accomplished.:laff:
I wanted to be either a chemist or a landscape architect. As a adult I get to do one in my kitchen and the other out in the yard. I didn't want to be an engineer (what I would up doing for money) until much later when I discovered that a chemist would really have to get a PhD to make decent money.
Sad Eyed Lady
1-30-14, 9:02pm
My first love was writing. I wrote my first "book" when I was in the 4th grade. Wrote poetry through Elementary and High School, and dreamed of someday living in NYC and being a writer. Well, it didn't happen. But for a period of time, I wrote stories for some of the romance magazines. (I had a good friend who was a writer and wrote for some pretty prestigious magazines, and she told me once that where she made her steady income was writing for romance magazines. i.e. True Story, Modern Romance etc.), so she encouraged me to give it a try. My first story sold and for about 5 years I wrote on a fairly regular basis for them. So one day I noted that although my dream of living in New York City and being a writer hadn't come to fruition, I was writing and the stories were going to and being published in NYC. So, a bit of the dream, although on the low end of the spectrum I guess.
From probably kindergarten to 7th grade I wanted to be a large animal vet. Then I wanted to own a backpacking/whitewater rafting company (had not been whitewater rafting at the time). Then I wanted to own a camp.
In my defense, I was very young...
Hahaha! Marine base! :D
I believe it was 3rd grade when I said I thought I'd become a nun, specifically attracted to the Poor Clares. geez, what a somber little kid I was.
I wanted to be Dave Barry. I don't recall if I ever had another serious career idea. When I was 18 it was clear that it would be hard to make any money as a writer, and I also had no idea of how to do so. So I went into a regular job.
But humour writing keeps coming up in my life and I really enjoy it. I'm moving more in that direction recently, with a new website I'm developing, and just yesterday signed up for a 3 hour session about humour writing through the Writer's Guild. Just 10 people, and we'll read and critique each other's work and learn more about the humour writing craft.
I also wanted to be a hockey player (1980s Edmonton Oilers kid) and an actor, and I still kind of want to do so. Have done some tiny dabbling in the acting thing, but haven't managed any hockey yet, but DH and I were going to give it a go if the weather ever improves.
ApatheticNoMore
1-30-14, 10:31pm
I have a thing from preschool that says "When I grow up I want to do what my mommy does". Of course I had no idea what that EVEN was (and turns out it requires too much math :)). But I knew nothing of nothing and wanted to do "what my mommy does". I'm actually not that far from what she did - progress eh? Sigh, man life .... excuse me I need more therapy ....
I also wanted to be an actress later on as a kid (so that's the second thing but the first real thing), I wanted the fame, pure and simple, I wanted to be famous and performing on stage so crazy badly, I dreamed about it. I had some times of wanting to be a teacher as a kid (well I didn't have that much exposure to jobs - it's a world very far apart from childhood - the actress thing was just media exposure plus being taken to plays - but just about every kid sees teachers!). I gardened as a kid to create beauty but never once considered such a thing as being something one could do for a living. I wanted to be a musician later on as a teenager - I practiced quite a lot but of course I'm not one. I also thought I might be a journalist briefly then.
The thing is the kind of professions you fantasize about when young, really have nothing whatsoever to do with what most people ACTUALLY do. Not many grow up thinking: "I want to work at Walmart" even if their family shops there. Yet they're actually the biggest employer in the U.S. :\. So there is what you think the world is in childhood and what it actually is and we wonder why young people have such problems adjusting :~)
Gardenarian
1-30-14, 11:23pm
I wanted to be a forest ranger. That's the first thing I can remember, but I'm not sure it's the first thing I wanted to be.
Edited to add: I think the very first thing I wanted to be was a cowgirl.
I wanted to be an archaeologist and a vet. Maybe I thought that I would travel around the world and take care of small animals in my spare time. I helped create a couple of private animal organization, small stuff really, and was lucky to be part of a team that scored the contract for a municipal shelter, animal care and farm animal and wildlife rescue.
It was great building the shelter from the ground up and I eventually became a vet tech and served in health care and surgery for shelter animals and as part of a low-cost clinic for alters and vaccinations. Best job ever.
I never got any further with digging around for old stuff, but I am still grooving on all things historical and have become a physics junkie, especially the quantum stuff. I understand very little of it, but it is so much fun.
A meteorologist. Seriously. I'm a weather geek. I was somewhat sad in 7th grade when I realized how much math and science I would need (I'm bad at both). But then I got into the writing and being a journalist held all the way through high school and college, until I actually WAS one. And discovered how badly you get paid ($12,500 in 1991 right out of school) and how much time you have to spend in small towns (which I didn't like, might be different now with the internet).
Regarding following what compels you to do as a child.. do you think you can become a nun at 62? (I suppose I'd have to get a divorce first, and then they probably wouldn't want me.)
Actually, yes, at least in Orthodox tradition. It's pretty common, or was anyway, for widowed women with grown children to become nuns.
I wanted to be a carpenter. My daddy was a carpenter at one time. Never had any desire to be a "wife" -- I didn't know the term, and didn't know what my mother "did" anyway. My first "real" career desire was to study languages (Spanish in particular) and go to Spain or Latin America and teach English as a foreign language. I grew up in California's Central Valley where there were a lot of Spanish speakers, and was "fluent" in a way. When I was nineteen I met my future DH (we've been together 51 years) and my career became putting him through college and raising our two sons. And even though I worked most of my life, I guess my career has always been "wife" and "wife and mother". Now retired. No regrets.
As an aside, my DH is as handy as they come, and he can build anything (and has, including our own home 35 years ago). I have no interest in being a carpenter now :D
My first memory of wanting to be some role was to be a farmer, then to become a lawyer and rescue all the abused children in the world. At one point, I do remember thinking that it would be fun to be a flight attendant and travel the world but that was a fleeting idea.
Marine Archeologist.
When I was 8 I was sitting in my living room reading a book about a famous woman Marine Archeologist who spent her life aboard a ship diving all the great underwater ruins and ship wrecks (and searching for Atlantis of course). I was hooked after that and knew that I wanted a life at sea doing fun and interesting things rather than a traditional life like my Mom (and most women of that generation) had - or were expected to have. Never did become an archeologist but did have at least 10 years at sea doing fun and interesting things (er...sort of). But still am fascinated with all that stuff. Love archeology. Love ancient history. Love to dive old wrecks. Love a life at sea.
A drunken night by a marine base and both could have been accomplished.:laff:Or at a Navy base in Subic Bay in the Philippines, but I won't go into details :devil:
A stripper. Or a marine biologist. Although I drunkenly volunteered once to take it all off at amateur night, my horrified friends whisked me away before I could humiliate myself, thank God. The closest I ever got to Marine biology was exploring tide pools.
They say what compels you as a child very strongly suggests what you should do as an adult. I enjoyed exploring nature, drawing, reading, and dressing and redressing my dolls. I still do.Hey you could have joined me in the Coast Guard as they have Marine Science Technician as a job specialty. I was actually originally going to do that but once I realized they meant "ocean" science and not "US Marine Corp men" science I went for another job specialty :-)!
By the time I was in fourth grade I knew I wanted to be an artist ~ I loved art classes in elementary school, and I loved the art teacher! Her name was Mr. Kolasses and she was a hippie (this was the mid-sixties). She wore bright colorful flow-y clothing and had wild red hair and she had us create all sorts of fun things (back when art in public school really mattered).
Being an artist was all I ever wanted to be, never mind that you can't make much of a living doing it. I have two art degrees (jewelry design, metalworking and photography) though while I was in school I declined doing something practical like getting a teaching certificate, or learning graphics (pre-computer era). I do kind of regret my stubbornness now; I was so sure I was going to make it as a gallery artist somehow. Real life intruded and I needed to pay my bills. I have only ever worked in retail my entire working life, with the exception of coaching figure skating for awhile back in the '90's.
It has taken me until the last year or two to actually start taking myself seriously as an artist and working on things. I have been mildly successful this past year with the jewelry I'm doing and am currently thinking about how to take the next steps. I would love to someday transition into having to work part-time at a day job and spending more time creating my business. In baby steps, though...
If you are interested in seeing my work, go to Taliswoman@SiouxStudio on FaceBook :)
iris lilies
1-31-14, 9:12pm
I don't remember, it was vague. I wanted to be a "career woman" and live in New York City or at least in a real city and have a townhouse and do city things. Never wanted to live in the country or god forbid the burbs. I wanted to do anything that would take me out of small town Iowa.
Nurse teacher and/or mom depending on the day. 2/3 came true
Hey you could have joined me in the Coast Guard as they have Marine Science Technician as a job specialty. I was actually originally going to do that but once I realized they meant "ocean" science and not "US Marine Corp men" science I went for another job specialty :-)!
I was living on the coast at the time. Childhood field trips involved trudging a few blocks to the beach and examining an occasional dead shark that had washed ashore. I never fancied men in uniform. Except Sven, of course...
ToomuchStuff
2-1-14, 1:37am
Nurse teacher and/or mom depending on the day. 2/3 came true
From the picture in your post, I would think it means all three came true. (or the kid never had a boo boo)
Teacher Terry
2-1-14, 3:22pm
I wanted to write for soap operas. When I was in JR HIgh & HS I won some writing contests. However, by the time I went to college at age 31 I knew that writing did not pay well and there were very few jobs so changed my goals.
Writer. Always a writer. Until it was musician. And then I am not all that sure how I got into my current line of work.
I did figure out that I am a READER of fiction not a writer of fiction. Writing other things is still possible, even though I have to work hard to eschew the kind of language you learn to use as a PhD student. But I am a great appreciator of well-written fiction and increasingly aware that there are not enough lifetimes for me to learn how to do THAT.
I was living on the coast at the time. Childhood field trips involved trudging a few blocks to the beach and examining an occasional dead shark that had washed ashore. I never fancied men in uniform. Except Sven, of course...
And don't forget that unforgettable Navy Fly boy "Rat" in Subic bay :-)!
I was signed up for the Marine Science Tech school when I first went to boot camp, but after realizing that it would take two years to get in to the school (dear recruiter forgot to mention that) I changed job specialties. Probably a good thing too as several years later I learned the Marine Sci Tech job involved spending about 6 to 8 months a year on an Ice Breaker in Antarctic fixing and hoisting equipment for all the mad civilian scientist's on board so they could count polar bear or penguin poop! Too much excitement for me - not!
Actually it was more exciting than that and something you (or any oceanographer wanna-be)would probably have liked:
MSTs conduct marine-safety activities such as investigating pollution incidents, monitoring pollution cleanups, conducting foreign-vessel boardings to enforce pollution and navigation safety laws, conducting harbor patrols for port safety and security, inspecting waterfront facilities and supervising the loading of explosives on vessels. They may be assigned to the National Strike Force for oil and hazardous-material response. MSTs are also the Coast Guard’s safety and environmental health experts ashore.
At sea, MSTs are assigned to the Coast Guard icebreaking fleet, and receive advanced training in weather and oceanography to provide support to scientists conducting research from CG icebreakers. A few MSTs can be found ashore conducting weather and oceanography-related duties, such as providing weather forecaster support for Air Station Kodiak, or acting as ice observers and forecasters for the International Ice Patrol.
It sound pretty interesting except for monitoring pollution cleanups. I'd want to make the polluters walk the plank.
It sound pretty interesting except for monitoring pollution cleanups. I'd want to make the polluters walk the plank.Keel hull those evil polluters! Or you could just shoot all that massive amount of polar bear and penguin poop you collected at them with the .50 caliber machine gun :-)! Guess that would just make MORE pollution. Job security?
Nurse and mom. Teacher not really although I did homeschool the kids in the early years.
Writer/journalist for me. I loved the cartoon strip, Brenda Starr, Reporter, popular at the time. Ms Starr was one of the few positive role models for young women back then. My father told me the only possible careers for women were secretary, teacher or nurse.
As a quite young child, I once confided to my mother, , "When I grow up I want to have a book in the library with my name on it.." Mom replied, "Oh, big shot, huh?"
Despite the lack of parental support, I majored n English, worked for PR and advertising firms as writer/copywriter/account exec, then formed my own marketing communications firm. That was my career.
When we moved from No CA to NC, I left that career behind and became a full-time writer. My writing has spanned a fictional story for the anthology collection Love on a Harley to a non-fiction anthology essay for the book Nobody's Mother, Life Without Kids.
On the journalism side, I write business articles about changing trends and demographics for various trade publications. And about lifestyle trends for some other publications. I've become a quasi Brenda Starr!
Two years ago, a dream came true when I published a Kindle/Nook novel, Falling Through Time, a woman's journey to the future. The narrator and primary character is a nice-so-nice materialistic advertising executive who undergoes a major life change when she finds herself in the future--and falls into a simple living future scenario...so sometimes life does imitate art--or vice versa.
I'm having a ball!
few positive role models for young women back then
This is so true for those of us who grew up in the 50s-60s. Looking back, it seemed like the ideals were becoming a Stepford wife or Barbie. No wonder I liked Pippi Longstocking as a kid. At least she had a spirit of adventure. The irony is that I had the perfect role model in my mother who often said she had to get out of the mountains and so went to college in Boulder and got a pharmacy degree. One of the only women in her class. However, she did not work as a hospital pharmacist until she had to when my parents divorced. I do remember her telling me how important it was not to depend on a man financially...way back then.
Two years ago, a dream came true when I published a Kindle/Nook novel, Falling Through Time, a woman's journey to the future. The narrator and primary character is a nice-so-nice materialistic advertising executive who undergoes a major life change when she finds herself in the future--and falls into a simple living future scenario...so sometimes life does imitate art--or vice versa.
I'm having a ball!
Your book sounds very interesting. I just went and bought it.
Simply Divine
2-3-14, 11:12pm
I wanted to be a surgeon, but my hands aren't that steady, so it was probably a good thing I chose business instead.
I wanted to be a soldier. I spent hours and hours pooring over books of D-day and whatnot.
So I became one, was sent on deployment and that was that.
Nowadays, I am a dad, a hubby, a student and a 40-50 hrs per week-slave.
Blackdog Lin
2-22-14, 10:08pm
A librarian. I was a heavy reader from a very young age - and always thought that working in one of those wonderful buildings just chock full of.....you know, books!.....would be an awesome thing.
A mother and a musician/singer. I am both, so I guess you could say I've lived my dreams. :)
My first ambition was to be an old man (liked my grandfather a lot). Second was just to live all the ages a person can, through old age, so I'd know what each one was like.
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