11 June 2008

What do you want to be when you grow up?

In our family, taking photos and videos was a very rare occasion. Therefore, the few videos that have survived the past few decades are a real treasure. Perhaps one of the most enlightening moments for me on these videos is when my dad was interviewing each of us individually. I was probably 6 years old at the time. And when my dad asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I answered, "A fireman." !!! I don't recall ever having a burning desire to be a fireman, no pun intended. But it's an appropriate example of something I've just recently realized: I can't make up my mind what I want to be when I grow up.

Over the course of the past decade, I have changed my mind almost a dozen times about what I was going to study and eventually become. Some of the mind changes came about because of necessity, some because of fear or doubt, some because of being fed up, and some because, well, I think I'm wishy-washy.

Here's a quick overview of what I've wanted to be at certain ages, and why I changed my mind:

age 6--Fireman (grew up?)

14--Composer (self-doubt)

16--Architect (wasn't offered at BYU, where I wanted to go to school)

17--Singer (wasn't accepted to program, then desire went away)

19--Linguist (more of a passing thought)

22--Accountant (grew to hate it)

23--Web Developer (scared of computer programming classes)

23--Russian (Thought I wanted to live abroad, but now I'm not so sure)

24--Pastry Chef (Culinary school, as it turns out, is super expensive, and life as a chef is crappy)

24--Technical Writer (I considered this last summer, but the fire was rekindled recently)

What have you wanted to be at various stages in your life?

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I don't ever remember being decided on what I wanted to be throughout my life. I remember in elementary school all the other girls wanted to be teachers, and i thought that was stupid. So I guess I always have wanted to be...unique? I guess that's why I got a degree in German Linguistics and am now applying for full time positions at IS while being a mary kay consultant on the side.

David said...

good post. maybe i should do the same. i don't know all the ages, but it includes mailman, game show host, airport gate agent, and airline pilot.

Lemonzest said...

hahaha. very nice, d.manning. I wasn't aware of either the mailman or the airport gate agent. Game show host still takes the cake, though.

Patricia said...

my little lemon.

i never really imagined myself working. if someone had asked me what i wanted to be when i grew up, i probably would have said taller. my freshman year i started out as a dietics major until i realized it was a science. i changed to english and never looked back. but that's just because i love it. not because i actually had a plan. but i am recently deciding more and more that working as a glass blower at chihuly's studio in seatle is looking really good.

MackAck said...

When I was little, I wanted to be a marine biologist. At some point in my teens, that childhood desire was sharply reversed after I visited a marine aquarium in eastern Oregon featuring live underwater views of fresh water sturgeon. I developed a crippling fear of those creatures. Did you know that they have been around since the dinosaurs and can grow to be like 12 feet long? Terrifying. I would rather make my career in the world's most volatile region and take my chances with terrorists than get anywhere near those horrible creatures. Ever. Again.

(PS loved loved loved this post)

Unknown said...

Hmmm, I remember wanting to be a doctor when I was little, but the desire didn't last, especially since I disliked going to the doctor myself. I wanted to be a teacher, too...I liked drawing on the chalkboards that are no longer in use. I used to play school with my younger bro. Now, I am realizing the dream... I'm not sure it's as glamorous as I pictured it, though.