As a child, did you think you’d “grow up” to be a firefighter? Doctor? Ice cream maker? Construction worker? Veterinarian? Princess? What was it that you thought you’d “grow up” to be?
We’re curious to learn how many of you ended up working in a career that you dreamed of as a child. If we had to guess, we’d guess not that many of you actually did. But, we’ve been pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion! Please tell us by voting in the poll below. If you want to make our day, leave a comment saying what you thought your career would be when you were a kid.
I always dreamed of becoming a vet and taking care of animals. I became a corrections officer and took care of different animals.
Sorta the same thing: wanted to be a doctor, ended up a lawyer!
The career have didn’t exist when I was a child. I am a cyber security specialist.
Same here, I ended up working as an email and security systems analyst before I retired.
I wanted to be in medicine either human or animal but couldn’t do the needed math so ended up in social work. It was only as a much older adult, retired, that what I really should have been was a librarian.
Since the last job I was a computer tech, only main frame computers where know. I do miss those punch cards, use to get confetti by the truck load for next to nothing.
youngster thought doctor. Ended up a chemical engineer. Better choice. Loved it
Wanted to be a nurse. Started out as an nurses Aide too earn money for school. Went to school became a L.P.N. an worked 52 Years. Miss contact with patients. Medical Field change over the years so you kept on learning.
Computers, as we know them, did not exist. Made the transition from Apple II to a mass of Intel stuff. Built them, serviced them, loved them.
Similar story here. There were no computers to ‘dream’ of as a child. But I got hooked in tech school and spent my career in them, literally INSIDE the early mainframes and then on to desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. Had a ball. And our phones now have MUCH more speed and computing power than those giant mainframes ever came close to.
When I was a kid I wanted to be a cowboy and have a gun. I found out when I got older that wasn’t going to work so I went in the Navy and worked on electronics in airplanes. When I got out of the Navy went to work for Southwestern Bell Telephone and worked on electronics and later AC and DC power.
I sure wish I could have been a cowboy!
Thank you for your service!
Had dreams after graduating from college of following several relatives into professional baseball but that dream fell a tad short cuz of guys like Bench, Munson, Carter and Fisk. But anyway had a very enjoyable 25 year teaching & coaching career.
Dreamed of English teacher but couldn’t afford 4 yrs college, so got loan for business school and worked in law. Loved it.
I went to a 2-year forestry college in upstate NY after high school and left after the first semester. My goal was to manage millions of acres of forest used for lumber. Came home & got a job with Kodak in Rochester. Worked there for 31 years, then was offered a job in Hollywood to work for CFI a post-production film laboratory. After spending 7 years there CFI was purchased by Technicolor and worked for them 3 more years. The final 5 years of my career I managed a film preservation & restoration lab for UCLA & David Packard of Hewitt/Packard. David owns a restored old theater in Palo Alto CA called the Stanford Theatre. https://stanfordtheatre.org/
As a kid in the early 70’s, my dad tooks us to the air show at Pratt & Whitney in CT. The 1st 747-100 was on display. Long story short, I just retired after 34 years. A great career working in development test and on the Space Shuttle fuel cell.
Wow!
Since Jr. High wanted to join the Navy… did so at 17 and served 24 years & 10 months. Amazing times with great people and doing things that mattered.
I don’t remember having any dream aspirations as a kid. Somewhere along the way I learned to drive trucks, loved it, and went on to do it for over 30 years (accident free, I might add).
oh heck no!! once computers came around i dream of being a troubleshooter (systems analyst). once reality set in i dreamed of being retired. i did end up becoming a troubleshooter for computers (not the way i imagined) and i did end up becoming retired, so it is all good!!
I was five when I decided to be an artist and maintained that dream throughout my life, much to the consternation of my father. After several years selling my paintings and then going to art school decided didn’t want to be a starving artist so went into commercial photography. Had a successful career as a food photographer and was able to mentor the many others that came behind me. Loved my job and was excited to go to work every day. Grateful.
I answered yes, I was ridiculed one day in school when the teacher asked all the kids what they wanted to become when they grew up. I was proud of the job my Dad had in the factory, our family income was better than it had ever been in my life so I said I wanted to be a factory worker like my Dad. I was laughed at by all the wannabe Drs, lawyers, rocket scientists, etc., 30 years later at the 30 year class reunion I ran into several of those wannabes, I only ran into 1 lawyer and 1 Dr. the rest were warehouse workers, Walmart stockers, etc. some were semi-successful carpenters who was only able to work 8 months out of the year due to weather. At the time I was working 7 days a week pulling down 6 figure wages. I guess my dream wasn’t so far fetched after all. The entire education system is geared toward a college education, in the first factory I worked in we had three college educated janitors, their education was really helping them.
I’m in my 50’s & I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up! Sounds crazy, but I never was a kid who even thought about it; but I really didn’t think I’d live to be older than my early 20’s. My life has been good & my job ended up being so fulfilling & I know I’ve helped many throughout my career, but I’ve never had a conventional life………but, I was born to/ raised by teenage hippies, so that may explain a lot (God bless them, they did their best for what they had to work with, lol).
Since a small girl, wanted to be a nurse. Used to care for my dolls in my playhouse (hospital). When I received the original Barbie Doll, the 1st outfit I got for her was the nurses uniform. Went to nursing school, added additional pharmacology and infusion and retired as a pharmacy nurse consultant for a Rx company. A great career and enjoyed it every day…. but retirement is better than working!
I don’t recall having a dream job as a child. While in college I did develop a desire to teach at that particular school and I did, briefly (2 academic years).
I wanted to be a truck driver but ended up working in logistics for a computer company start-up (Datapoint, created the first terminal to terminal video phone). Company went bankrupt, I moved to Mexico, studied another career and became a teacher working for 35 years here. Wouldn’t change a thing. I do miss the computer company as it was my first professional job. The greatest group of people ever.
As a child, I dreamed of being a teacher, played “school” all the time. I think what I really loved was being a student! Lifelong learning has been a gift. P.S. Most of my career was in sales.
As a kid I was always fascinated watching airplanes taking off and landing at our local airport and I wanted to be a pilot. After high school I took a few flying lessons but I just could not afford to continue. A couple of years later I joined the National Guard and after a few more years I got them to send me to flight school. After that I went on full time active duty as a pilot in the US Army. After a 30 year career of flying airplanes and helicopters I would have to say I got my dream job.
Thank you for your service!
Started with taking Dad’s lawnmower engine apart when I was a kid. Ended up a mechanic for life. Always was a good paying trade.
Always had the longing to be a teacher in my heart, but tried to convince myself of other “higher paying” endeavors. Just retired from 24 years as an elementary teacher and I loved (mostly) every moment of my job.
Like most young boys I dreamed of being a military man. From infantry to frogman.[Now known as UDT or a variation) I joined and served in the Navy for 22 years. Not as a frog man but on the water anyway. After Navy retirement I remained in the Navy environment as a Defense Contractor in ship design and survivability.
Thank you for your service!
When I was a kid, mechanical stuff and battery powered toys fascinated me. As I got older, I started tinkering with lawnmowers and hanging out at the local gas station. My father did most of the maintenance and repairs on our vehicles and I was always right there with him. My first job after high school was pumping gas and eventually being put in the shop to do light repair work on cars. Then in my 20s, I had the opportunity to buy what had been a small town gas station and with the help from a partner for the first 6 years, set up my own repair shop. I retired after 35 years, 20 of those I was also a used car dealer. I still work on older vehicles, which I feel are well made and simpler to work on. Even my motorhome is 44 years old, purchased for $300, and have enjoyed for the past 6+ years.
Like Renee, I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up — still don’t! The fields I worked in during most of my career didn’t even exist when I was a kid: compensation specialist and human resources system specialist.
30 years as an engineer in commercial nuclear power is not something that was possible to dream of when growing up. The jobs were difficult, but payed the bills and provided a pension. Retired to a 3-day a week remote job in 2017; retiring full-time on April Fools Day. I will be 64. I lost two bosses who were younger than me to heart attacks.
Early HS decided I wanted to be a Spanish teacher. Looked at no alternatives. During student teaching realized carrying all those kids in my head 24/7 for 9 months was not what I wanted. Worked Social Security for 4 years and it was soul crushing. Discovered national parks, went to school again, then worked state & national parks almost 35 years, with a few off to raise a kid. Got to fill the teaching need by doing nature walk, later by teaching other employees to use computers to document maintenance needs.
Yes my career began where I wanted in the oil industry.
My “Working Career” ended in the chemical plastics industry at age 44. I was able to retire at age 44, stay home with my wife, my 2 girls and enjoy the life of raising two young ladies.
Yes I forgave the opportunity to make a lot “Mo Money” by not going back to work. I figured out real early in my working career that my TIME was worth a lot more than my MONEY!
It was never my plan not to go back to work as I “thought” I would take off for 6 months and then accept one of the many offers coming my way. Never going back to a JOB is just how it worked out and I would not change a thing! Fortunately I made enough money by age 44 to quit working a JOB.
All a JOB does is screw up your day so you can’t do what you want to do!
I would not trade all the money in the world for the past for the past 19 years that I spent with my wife and my family. Rarely does a man in today’s modern world get that opportunity in life.
For me the dream was transportation,always liked trains,planes and anything with wheels,been driving a bus for 34 years,32 years for the city of Ottawa and still going,like with everything one tries to keep up with the technology,however the people i have met over the years have been something that will be a life long memory,both customers and co-workers.In closing poll was very interesting reading other careers,well done rv travel!
My degree was in radio/tv broadcasting, but after a few odd jobs I got in on the ground floor at a land title company and had a 31 year career. Then in my fifties I went back to school and got my masters in communication theory. That allowed me to put in a very rewarding nine years teaching at a community college.
Got back from Vietnam. Was offered a job managing a Peggy Kellog restaurant at Sears..anyone remember them ?? also applied for a computer operator position at a local insurance company. It paid $5 more a week so that’s where I ended up for 25 years made it up to officer level…first computer I was an operator on was a 4K that’s a K machine that filled a room….no regrets…here
Thank you for your service!
Grew up in strict Italian family, never thought about it. Also couldn’t imagine being 21. However in high school when space program was in it’s infancy & graduating 2 years before we made it to the moon, dreamed about being an astronaut. Never thought about the fact I was a female, I wore glasses & figured that would be a non starter! Took an aptitude test with Air Force in senior yr. Tried to recruit me. Little did I know I could have had an in road to maybe not an astronaut, but maybe working in space program. Did however end up working in heydays of Silicon Valley which was wild & fun. First company made mil-spec computers used by military & oil & gas cos. Company developed a card that could detect a nuclear event & shut down the computer until safe to start up. Glad we never got to test in real life. Loved working there until we were bought out. Next was the company that invented voice mail. Was eventually acquired by ATT. Retired at 50.
At 3 years old, I told my mom I wanted to be a Navy pilot (flying off aircraft carriers) — and that’s what I did. Retired with 22 years of service. What a rush!
Wow! Thanks for your service.
I didn’t think that far ahead as a child. I was, however, fascinated by aircraft flying over our home. McDonnell test flew there so sonic booms always got my attention. There were also TWA Constellations streaming from Lambert Field. Only later did I learn we were directly under airway Victor 4.
Studied electrical engineering but lost interest. Was a mechanic, electronics technician, sold high-performance auto parts & even returned to the same grocery I worked at in high school. In between I got interested in history & got that degree just because. Joined a local aviation museum and decided I really could do whatever I put my mind to.
With a masters in museum work and 27 years at the EAA Air Museum, I’m now retired, living next door to the local airport (ATW) and once again watching aircraft fly over my home. The extra perk is during EAA’s Airventure, I get to watch the B-17, B-29s and P-51s that fly from here to Oshkosh.
I did not have the career I thought I would have, I had better. In high school I was a “gearhead”. Internal combustion fascinated me. All I wanted to do was drive & wrench. Little did I know I could wrench & fly. This was 1969. The draft lottery was in effect. I had a line number of 2. Glad I tested high enough to have a choice in military enlistment. And a career in aviation was born.
When I was graduating high school, I wanted to go to college but we didn’t have the money for college. I went to a 2 year technical school for computer technology. I always wanted to work for IBM but didn’t have a 4 year degree. Later in my career I was a specialist in software technology and IBM offer me a career change. I retired as a IBM senior software engineer. A dream well beyond my imagination.
The wife was an RN for 45 plus years mostly in the emergency room. I worked the the general aviation industry.
I had no specific plan, life just seemed to happen for me. However, my career path began to evolve in my twenties, it was shaped by my personality as well my empathy for others. In the end my career was fulfilling, I am grateful for it.
My only thought was to be my own boss, and I am/was.
I started playing with electronics when I was about 12. I built my first radio kit and was hooked on 2-way communications. I worked at a Motorola service center for 42 years, starting with tube radios and ending with computer operated radios.
Went to college for engineering but always admired the law enforcement field.After school I started taking civil service tests for Police Officer. Finished up 39 years in 2013.
I always felt I had a front row seat to the greatest show on earth.
Lots of job satisfaction and many great memories. Wouldn’t trade it for anything else!
Thank you for your service!
All I ever wanted to be was a wife and mother. I’ve been a wife for 44 years, mother of 3, and grandmother of 4. The monetary pay is lousy but the perks are great!
You have my respect. Being faithful to your spouse, and raising young children to be responsible and productive adults is indeed a noble calling! Maybe this country wouldn’t be so messed up if there were more like you. Blessings to you!
The hardest career any individual can hold and probably the most stressful is running a house. Can be a thankless career task but if managed correctly the outcome can be amazing. You’re 1 in a million, hats off to you Mrs. Snead!
❤️
I wanted to be a person with a dog. Mission accomplished.
The career that I ended up in (computer software support) didn’t exist when I was a child!
Oh my goodness no. Never even had a concept of a career in any field. Just by dumb luck and hard work I “clawed my way to middle management” (that is my humorous way of saying it). The only concept in my head was to put my head down and work hard. I learned I could outwork those exceptionally smart people who seemed to look for ways to get out of work. It was my only competitive advantage. Well that and surrounding myself with people who thought differently than myself. That has a high level of frustration when to be sure, but their brilliance helped us all succeed.
As a child I wanted to grow up, go to Ohio State University and be a farmer, but I lived in a small town. After 1 quarter in college I realized I could not be a farmer so I went into Agricultural Education. I was required to take a Rural Sociology Course and liked it so much I got a PHD in Sociology, with an emphasis in Rural Sociology. I taught at a Land Grant University for many years but then wanted to apply the information in my job so I became a socioeconomic specialist at the Department of the Interior and retired as a Fed after 24 years. I was a socioeconomic specialist managing studies of native peoples in Alaska. I also was a manager of a computer center and dealt with computer budgets and served as a project manager. I also spent about a year working on a committee on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C. I did not even know what any of those jobs were when I was as a kid. I jumped at opportunities when they presented themselves and had a great and exciting career.
i answered ‘yes’ but it really should be ‘sort of’. always wanted to serve as a police officer or work in broadcasting. i worked at a small town AM/FM outlet for a year during college and made several PD hiring lists but never got the call. i ended up having a long (30-yrs) career in public safety communications…police/fire/EMS/9-1-1. started as a dispatcher and ended up as deputy director of the largest consolidated 9-1-1 comm center (27-police and fire depts) in Illinois. the dispatcher position was the best job i’ve ever had.
Thank you for your service…worked with public safety dispatchers for 17 years…that’s a tough job.
I wanted to be a nurse when I was young, took care of every sick thing around, human or animal. Parents said doctor, but I didn’t want that level of responsibility. Ended up in mortgages out of college, but went back for a master’s in Occupational Therapy in my 30’s. Spent 27 happy years in home health and acute hospital care. Now retired and don’t even think about work anymore!!
I came home from school on the second day of first grade and told my mother that I was going to be a teacher. I never changed my mind and after 40 years of teaching now I am going to be a happy camper!
I answered No, but there is an asterisk. When I was young I thought I would become a minister. I didn’t dream of going into film making, but I did occasionally have fantasies of operating a camera on a big camera boom. I never became a preacher, instead I ended up as a film maker (but not in a Hollywood studio with big camera booms).
At a very young age I had a cousin about 10 to 15 years older that was in the USAF. I could hardly wait until he would come home on leave. 3 days after HS I enlisted and stayed for a career. After retirement I worked for 3 aircraft manufacturers and a commercial airline. Jet fumes and engine whine in my blood til death. Got hooked on travel, my wife and I lived full time in 2 TT’s and a 5th wheel. We would volunteer at National Parks/Forests with cruises (2-3 x a year) between volunteering. Health necessitated getting out of the RV COVID-19 stopped the cruising “temporarily”. We have 3 cruises booked. We’ll see
Wow…lots of service members here. Thank you for your your service. My daughter and son-in-law served in the USAF.
From some of my earliest memories I wanted to become a locomotive engineer. One day after my 26 birthday I was hired by the Santa Fe railway. Two years later I achieved my childhood dream and was promoted engineer. Now 26 years later I still love my job
My Dad was an engineer for Union Pacific for 45 years!
I always wanted to be an electrician, I guess I wanted to know why I got shocked when I put a paper clip in the receptacle. Instead of being an electrician I went a few steps further and became an electrical engineer and then a second degree in electronic engineering.
From a fourth generation family run Guild Jewelry store-103 years- to self employed Master Plumber. Only consistent thread is self employed.
From the time I was 4 years old, I wanted to be a pilot. I was blessed to be an Air Force pilot for over 33 years, and flew every year that I was in the Air Force. Very rare accomplishment!
Thank you for your service!
Didn’t have a clue upon graduation. Bummed around in a small town. Decided I wanted to travel. Joined the Air Force traveled Europe and Australia. Retired, tried to settle back into the civilian world and ended up in the education field and readying to retire very soon and nothing but RVing/happy camper. Wouldn’t trade my military years for anything.
Thank you for your service!
I wanted to be a firefighter when I was young but my dad wanted me to follow his path and become a home builder. I did become a builder and for the first 8 years of my marriage I never got a vacation. One day our drywaller’s son in law was helping him on his day off from being a firefighter. He told me all the perks of the job. Without telling my dad, I applied to 2 different fire departments and got hired right away because of my construction background. Then I had to tell my dad. He didn’t talk to me for 2 months but when he saw how much time I had off, he came around to my thinking. I did 31 years and also became a fire investigator which was interesting. I was involved with the theater shooting in Aurora Colorado and it was no longer fun going to work so I retired. We’re now FT and winter in Tucson.
Thank you for your service. I remember the Aurora shooting vividly…my daughter had friends who were there that night. Tragic day! Enjoy your retirement.
I played “hospital” with my dolls, lined them up and dressed them etc as their nurse. At 14, I spent a year at the local hospital as a volunteer “candystriper”, after which I decided nursing wasn’t for me. At the age of 20, I changed my mind, became an RN and never considered another career.
I loved being a nurse and spent 30+ years working as one.
My family tent camped as I grew up. I was impressed with those that manned the fire lookouts and decided that’s what I want to do. I never did it but I received a dual degree in forestry and hydrology; I retired after 35 years with the US Forest Service and feel blessed to have had a challenging – rewarding career in our national forests alongside dedicated folks who really believed in “Serving the People, Caring for the Land”.