npr 25 Aug 05

I don’t want to be anything specific for rest of my life. I want to be someone different everyday. Because it’s human nature to dislike things that repeat in your life, such as food, toys, job. Repetition can get boring, that’s why people try to discover different aspects of life.

One day I want to be a fireman to save hundreds of lives, the next day I want to break Pedro Lopez’s record. Haha, just kidding, but you get the point…

Drew 25 Aug 05

That wasn’t a very funny joke.

ML 25 Aug 05

Nope…I was way off. Wanted to be a baseball player. I had every trophy, was an all-star my entire life in little league. Got to high school and thought damn, these other guys are good. Couldn’t hit a 88mph fast ball. In college though, I turned to my second love, graphic design. I’m pretty close with that one.

ml.

Ethan 25 Aug 05

Kind of. I’ve wanted to work in the music industry since I was little, and I loved working with computers and online communities and sociology. I originally thought I was going to be a professor, but I’m happy where I’m at now.

So to answer: the specific job: no. The actual tasks on a day-to-day: yes.

Rob Walling 25 Aug 05

Good question. I was spot on, at least for the first 2 years of my career.

Ever since I was 12 I wanted to work with my father in electrical construction. I went to college at and got a degree in Electrical Engineering with an “after-thought” degree in Computer engineering. And, sure enough, two years after graduation I switched from electrical contracting to writing software - which I love and blog about at:

www.softwarebyrob.com

jm 25 Aug 05

When I was 10 I wanted to be a production designer with intimate, intricate knowledge of double-byte, pre-press logistics and the ability to typeset 25 languages in 6 publishing applications.

Spot on.

Oscar Duignan 25 Aug 05

hmmm, I wonder am I old enough to really answer this question because I’m still in that part of my life where im growing but I really wanted to be an archeologist when I was younger and then it moved on to become an architect and now at the ripe ol’ age of 15 I find myself a web designer but I have a bigger ambition to become an entrepreneur (stinkin rich), I know I will get there in the end and I always wanted to be remembered so whatever I end up doing it will be big im sure.

I also know a girl who dreams of becoming a critique of fine historical art and to one day own her own gallery in france which probably seems strange to some. (not sure if this answers your question but I was just going with the flow)

David Barrett 25 Aug 05

I wanted to be a test pilot for the US Airforce for new aircraft, because fighter jets are cool. Standing in my way where:

1. I am Irish, not American
2. I am six-foot-five (not likely to fit in those cockpits)
3. I am blind without my glasses or contacts

Now I’m a freelance web designer and developer. Slightly different career path.

Gentle Nova 25 Aug 05

Oscar Wilde: “One’s real life is so often the life one does not lead.”

pd 25 Aug 05

When Knievel was huge - I wanted to be a “stuntman”. This was an occupation my older brothers eagerly encouraged. For many months, I became a fixture at the local hospital and still sport many scars on my face from my career.

Then I used to say “bachelor”. Not knowing what it really meant. But I thought it was something I could be make money at.

Then it was “Christian scientist”. “Scientist” because I loved astronomy and chemistry. “Christian” because my parents were pretty religious and it pleased them that I was trying to be. I never knew there was a Christian Scientist religion until I was a young teenager.

Sorry for dooce-ing up your blog. But I don’t have my own and I was in the mood to share…

Oh, I ended up becoming a graphic designer. Go figure.

Tommy 25 Aug 05

I wanted to be an astronaut/scientist. I guess designing websites is a science?

Don Schenck 25 Aug 05

I wanted to be a race car driver.

Considering the ticket I got while in the Spyder on Sunday … I guess I’m not too far off! :-)

(The officer cut me a huge break, and I wonder if it’s because my brother is the Chairman of the Township Supervisors? Dunno.)

FineJames 25 Aug 05

I aspired to be a middle manager…..15 years in, and I’m almost there

Troy 25 Aug 05

Yep, when I was 12 my parents bought a home computer (a TI-99/4A) for my big brother, but I learned to program it in BASIC, then assembly and I was hooked. I knew then I wanted to be a programmer and then own my own software company. That’s exactly what I did and I couldn’t be happier. :)

To Oscar, the surest way to not be rich is to try to be rich. When you chase money, the likelihood that you’ll catch it is small because everyone else is too and someone will be faster than you. Do what you truly love, you’ll be great at it and the money will come.

pd 25 Aug 05

Welcome back Don.

Marc Hedlund 25 Aug 05

Wanted to be a gumball factory owner. For the free gum.

That’s pretty much how I wound up, I think.

COD 25 Aug 05

I wanted to play for the Boston Red Sox.

Unfotunately, I lacked actual talent for the game.

I went to college in EE, graduated in Production Mgmt, and I’ve been in tech sales for the last 10 years.

So no, I wasn’t even close.

Peat Bakke 25 Aug 05

I wanted to be a bear when I grew up.

It hasn’t worked out, but it turns out I’ve been able to make a living out of twiddling with software, something I’ve enjoyed doing since I was about 6 years old.

Ben Askins 25 Aug 05

I first aspired to be an architect, but later flunked tech drawing at high school. I was brilliant at maths though so thought I should probably try accounting. I failed to get the accounting cadetship I applied for, but was doing well in computer studies so went for a computer science cadetship. I’m now 33, have been cutting code and designing software for the last 15 1/2 years and I still love it. My aspirations now are to either work for myself or move into a pure research position once I finish my post-graduate degree.

George C. 25 Aug 05

I always wanted to be an architect, or at least pretend to be one. In the meantime, I’ve put in time with the Yankees and as a marine biologist, with a short stint at Vandaley Industries, where I was a latex salesman.

Piers Morgan 25 Aug 05

When I was 10, I decided I would be an architect, and didn’t really spend much time thinking about it for a long time after that. I just got the idea in my head and stuck with it.

I got into architecture at the uni I wanted to go to and really enjoyed it, getting good marks when I wanted to. I loved it, but this year I left the course, moved out of home and across the country. I decided that architecture involved projects that were too expensive.

I’m going to study industrial design next year, because I think I’d be more suited to a profession where the clients are allowed to me more courageous, because the projects don’t necessarily cost six-figure sums.

It’s funny how for nearly all of my life I was so certain and didn’t even consider other possibilities, then suddenly everything changed.

Piers Morgan 25 Aug 05

“… clients are allowed to be more courageous…”

Will proof-read next time.

Mike 25 Aug 05

When I was younger I knew that I wanted to work on the web.

Fortunately I’m only 22, so I’m still “growing up” and trying to do what I always envisioned :)

Greg Hoy 25 Aug 05

When I was in 6th grade we had these ‘career cards’ that we would choose and then post on a big bulletin boards next to our names. I chose ‘Ramp Serviceperson’ for an airport, as well as ‘Elevator Repair’. Who knows where that came from.

I ended up as a sales rep and then backdooring my way into design (always an interest) via database work to manage my sales territory. Then I went to full time interactive design, and now, funny enough, back into sales as I work to keep the boat floating at Pixelworthy.

PHL - need a ramp serviceperson? Just in case?

Rob 25 Aug 05

I wanted to be a “business man” whatever that means? But now I manage web sites and resources, etc..When your growing up you have aspirations to be something without having a complete understanding of what it entails..you have this picture in your head and sometimes it does not come to fruition. Instead, what matters is that your passionate and love what you do!

Sara White 25 Aug 05

I’m still not exactly sure what I want to be, but I have a pretty solid idea (I’m about to enter my second year of university, pre-business). Right now I’m thinking that I probably want to be the CEO of some kind of groundbreaking, high-tech company, but that’s drastically different than what I wanted throughout my childhood. I went through an extended stage where I wanted to be a geologist, until I got tired of examining rocks gathered off the school playground in hopes of finding a gemstone. Then I wanted to be a horse trainer/rider/owner, and shortly after that, a police detective. And then I became obsessed with computers and business. So no, I haven’t always known what I wanted to become.

Dave Simon 25 Aug 05

Well, growing up I wanted to be one of two things: number one was professional baseball player. Number two was fireman. I’m neither.

I, unlike ML, could hit the 88 mph fastball. Hell, I could hit anything. Just didn’t hit for much power and stunk with the glove at first base (always wanted to play catcher.)

Initially, I went to school studying international relations/business. Changed to CS. Changed back to business marketing. Discovered a talent for pretty pictures on the Mac.

What I do combines marketing, pretty pictures and code. So tell mom and dad that I am getting my money’s worth out of my education, k?

Benjy 25 Aug 05

When I was little I wanted to be a policeman, a fireman, pretty much any job that had cool vehicles involved. Later on, I wanted to be an architect. In high school, a cousin who was one talked me out of that by telling me of the amount of math involved, the long hours spent in studio rather than out on the weekends, the low paychecks, etc. I majored in international studies and econ, but somehow ended up a web designer. Sometimes, I still wonder if I should have gone the architecture route…

Anonymous Coward 25 Aug 05

I just wanted to be a classy broad.

dm 25 Aug 05

Astronaut.

23. There still may be time.

Andrew 25 Aug 05

For years I asked myself the question; “What do I want to be when I grow up?” For years I couldn’t find an answer. I saw people who wanted to become doctors, become doctors. I saw people who wanted to become teachers, become teachers and so forth. But there were, and are, a whole bunch of us who either won’t grow up or can’t answer the question. When I hit 40 and still had no answer I figured that, for me at any rate, it’s just the wrong question.

SP 25 Aug 05

I wanted to work at a service station, but they all turned into quickie marts before I got the chance. Oh well.

Justin Perkins 25 Aug 05

re: npr’s comment:

Pedro Lopez, AKA ‘The Monster of the Andes’ killed more than three hundred girls in Peru, Ecuador and Columbia in the late seventies and early eighties until he was caught.

You’re a f’kin wacko dude, you need to get your head checked.

Robert Hoekman Jr 25 Aug 05

“I always wanted to be an architect, or at least pretend to be one. In the meantime, I�ve put in time with the Yankees and as a marine biologist, with a short stint at Vandaley Industries, where I was a latex salesman.”

Fantastic reference!

I wanted to be a rock star. Came pretty close. Got hooked on Flash and UX, and ended up just as happy. I do what I love, and I don’t do anything I hate. Simple as that.

Brad 25 Aug 05

I like what Bob Dylan said, “I was born in the wrong place and I’m just trying to find my way home”.

I did what I dreamed of doing, then 4 years later completely changed directions. Now my dream is unimaginable wealth. I’ll let you know how I make out.

Glen Murphy 25 Aug 05

When I was four, I announced to the world that I wanted to be a scientist/engineer or artist.

Now (20 years on) I make installation artwork and work as a UI Engineer. They’re a long way off the pictures I had in my head when I was young, yet I suppose they’re just modernised versions of the same.

Academically it worked in highschool, but I ended up dropping out of uni (Eng/Comp Sci) because I hated it. Now I’m a few months off getting my Masters in Design, so the whole thing is kind of back in line (ish) with my professional career, too.

I can’t say I really aimed for any of this - the original statement of what I wanted to be was a reflection of what I liked at the time, and for the rest of my life I just did whatever I liked doing at the time, and it worked out. New things for me to like appeared because of that.

Tom 25 Aug 05

When I was 12, I wanted to become an electrical engineer who designs chips and that’s exactly what I became and still am at 34. Not too bad! :-)

Mr. Kahn 26 Aug 05

I wanted to be garbage truck driver. If I actually had filled my ambition, maybe I could drive way with this whole damn discussion.

Arcanum XIII 26 Aug 05

Allways want to draw. Never really stop - but well, I’ve lost one year learning computer science in high school before going back on track… Life is allways full of unexpected things ;)
Now I’m studying fine art, second year of five and I’m happy :) Still I want to be a rock star too :p

nec 26 Aug 05

i didn’t have a passion for a particular profession. i just wanted to do “cool” things with lots of “wow factor” in what area i chose.

it turned out that programming can give you that without expecting too much.

but if some day, a digger comes and shows me how to build the most of the beautiful, useful hole of the world, i may become a digger; who knows!

Faruk Ates 26 Aug 05

When I was 14 or 15, I realized that I really wanted to become a writer. In a way, I’ve done this, but not yet as a profession. That’s entirely by choice, however. On my 16th I figured out how to create websites and have been hooked ever since. So much that I went straight into this field of work after school. I love it still, so I won’t be dropping this area of work anytime soon, just to become a writer. I have plenty of time for that, still :-)

xman 26 Aug 05

I don’t remember ever wanting to be anything specific, though possibly a “scientist” of some kind, and that’s what I became : academia came naturally to me.

Now, I realise that I really wish I had been a musician and had the opportunity to make musical instruments.

Alan 26 Aug 05

When i was 10 i was designing magazines to sell to my class mates. I didnt actually do a great job in selling because i was already busy designing the next issue.

I am still a designer :)

Stephen 26 Aug 05

I wanted to be in the British Army when I was little. Mostly because I liked the uniforms, and scouts was fun. Now I have army jacket and I’m content to leave it at that.

Paul Robinson 26 Aug 05

I always wanted to work in Software, and that’s what I do now. I also wanted to work for GCHQ (the UK version of the NSA), and I did get sponsored there for a little while during my degree, but for various reasons, it wasn’t for me.

Still, I’m pretty much spot-on where I thought I’d be. The interesting twist is that now I want to get out of IT and I’m thinking about second careers despite only being 27. I hope by 30 to be doing something a bit different where I can make use of my analytical, project management and general communication skills.

Paul Watson 26 Aug 05

An author. Have not got there yet but somewhere in my late teens I realised it is something I’d like to leave till later in life.

Recently I did quit IT for professional photography. It did not last very long though as I realised that unless you become a photo-journalist you aren’t going to have much chance of changing the world or helping the world through photography. Day after day of models, products and pretty landscapes just did not add much to the world I found out. Much more chance of that through IT I realised, and so I am back again.

Greg Wiley 26 Aug 05

My first recollection of what I wanted to do when I was older was to be a long distance lorry driver(!) Then I wanted to be in the Royal Navy (but only because I liked the music from the TV recruitment advert!). Before going into university I had no clue what I wanted to do and ended up studying Physics and Computer Science. Computer Science won out as I had a natural ability for it (and it was easier than Physics!) During my degree I crossed the ‘pond’ to work in Silicon Valley for a year where I was initiated into the world of C and Unix and from that point on I wanted to be a software developer. After graduating I did that for (the now much maligned) SCO before joining an ISP (Demon Internet) as a development manager. Now I just help Account Managers sell fat pipes, which is no fun at all:-(

Jess 26 Aug 05

When I was younger I wanted to be a lot of things, but the thing I remember most was when I wanted to be a journalist. That lasted a long time, and I even got so lucky as to get a weeks practical experience at a major news-paper in Denmark (www.politiken.dk), where I worked at the computer-section. There I developed a great interest in websites, which I have since come to work with.

An hey, I wanna hear YOUR story Jason :)

Rik Abel 26 Aug 05

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be, apart from maybe Evel Knievel, and that job was taken. I liked graphic design at school, but didn’t imagine you could actually get a *job* doing that. Then the web came along and I realised that what I wanted to be just didn’t exist when I was a kid. I decided in 1995 to be a web designer and now I am. Result!

When I grow up more, I want to be a games designer. All sorts of games, but mainly social/alternate reality games. Wish me luck.

Mark Priestap 26 Aug 05

Back in my day we didn’t have the internet. We’d sit outside and stare at the sun.

Danny Hope 26 Aug 05

I used to want to be an architect, now I’m an information architect. Obviously it’s not exactly the same but I do /feel/ the way I thought I would about my craft.

I think it’s pretty rare to find yourself where you imagined you’d be. I feel quite lucky about that.

More importantly, I still have a vision of what and where I want to be ‘when I grow up’, what’s more I’m pretty sure I can make it happen too.

How conceited am I?

Mark Annese 26 Aug 05

Growing up I always played sports and figured I would play for Red Sox. I also always seemed to have a computer around me while growing up, because my Uncle worked for Wang in the 80’s. I used to think how cool would it be to play around with computers all day. Fast forward about 20 years and obviously the Sox are doing ok without me, and I am now running the Interactive department where I work. As a previous comment noted, this job is great until I really figure out what I want to be when I grow up!

Mark 26 Aug 05

I’m still searching but I’m pretty sure that I shouldn’t have to go with computers when I had to choose what to do of my life.

Is there a job that combines computers and nature ?

Joshua Lane 26 Aug 05

I wanted to be an architect (…was always good at math and art). As a kid, I drew my house from a perspective of about 50ft above it and at an angle of about 45�. Friends and family were pretty blown away that I could do such a thing at the age of 10.

For some reason, though, my desire to be an architect faded away while I was in highschool. And then when college came around, the only thing that really interested me was Psychology. Of course, that interest didn’t last and I ended up falling into web design… which, when looking at it, has a lot of similarities to architecture.

Michael Carpentier 26 Aug 05

I don’t know why but this question fit exactly with the little nostalgia i feel this morning. Probably the end of summer…

When i was a little boy, i used to want to be a archeologist, while playing “Epyx Summer Games” on my C64.

Then, i dreamed of being a history teacher, poking with my uncle’s first Mac 128k.

Don’t ask how i’d manage to do this, but 4 years later, i was a K9 handler for the regional fire marshall/police force. I’d even had some mountain bike patrol duties. Probably the “ChiPs” poster hanging on the wall in my little boy’s room. At that times i was working with a Mac 5260.

In 1994, i was struck by a revelation at a friend’s office: it was called Netscape. The world was never the same for me after that sight.

After all these years and diversified experiences, here i am, working as a information architect and interaction designer with my Powerbook. I run my business, far from the shy little boy i used to be, far from archeology, but really happy with it.

All these years i’ve worked/play with computers but never realized how much time i spent on it. Today, i remember these rainy (and yes, sometimes sunny) summer days on my C64 as the genesis of my real career.

Dan Boland 26 Aug 05

I knew I would end up working with computers in some capacity when I was really little (age 4). I had a TRS-80 and I loved writing code on it. Pretty much everyone around me knew I had a knack for computers. Then my interest waned (at least in the sense of it being my number one hobby) until I discovered the web and web design when I was about 15. Even that waned for a while, but now 11 years later, most of what I do at work is web design and development work, and I have a side business doing the same thing.

Jorn 26 Aug 05

When I was young, I saw a movie in which a surgeon doing a heart transplant. I thought it so amazing that I wanted to become a surgeon myself. Instead, I became a musician and recording producer. Still think my first choice would have been better, though.

Jorn 26 Aug 05

When I was young, I saw a movie in which a surgeon was doing a heart transplant. I thought it so amazing that I wanted to become a surgeon myself. Instead, I became a musician and recording producer. Still think my first choice would have been better, though.

Nick Johannsen 26 Aug 05

I wanted to grow up and sue the living hell out of someone and strike it rich, but I haven’t found the prime target yet

Chopper 26 Aug 05

I wanted to be Superman…

Safe to say, life is cruel :(

Bob Aman 26 Aug 05

Well…

Age 3: I wanted to be a garbage man. (But it was really about the truck, not the garbage.)

Age 9: Then I got a computer. Haven’t looked back ever since.

Robert 26 Aug 05

I have no idea. I don’t even remember what I wanted to be when I was younger, I’m moving off to school tomorrow, and I don’t even know if my major is officially delcared as CS or Spanish (looks like I’m headed either way). :-)

Mike 26 Aug 05

I always wanted to be in a creative field since elementary school. That’s most likely because I was always given lots of leeway and encouragement from my teachers- both art and otherwise- to pursue it. I was always the kid others would come to for having something drawn or artistically critiqued and so I just followed that path. I mean, let’s face it, being a designer is one of the most thrilling jobs out there.

Josh Williams 26 Aug 05

First I wanted to be one of the dudes who loaded luggage onto the planes. Not a pilot, mind you… the luggage dude. Then I decided that was too loud.

Then, I wanted to play in the NBA. But I found out I was white. And only destined to be 6’ 1”.

But by the time I was 10, I knew that art classes were so much better than math (even though I was good at math). So I decided to be an artist. And I do consider it a real privilege to do what I’d always dreamed of doing when I was a kid.

Tommy 26 Aug 05

What a great Friday question …

Growing up I wanted to be a professional golfer, from the time my grandfather put a golf club in my hands when I was eight or nine. Golf was my life for many years. In college I started to play on a national level. I quickly learned that the people that do it for a living are playing a game I am not familiar with.

Then went to grad school. Thought it would be “neat” to be a political consultant. Graduated and moved to DC to work on a campaign. That lasted about two weeks. Those people where playing a game I didn’t want to be a part of.

Needed to pay the bills so I took a job at a design firm answering the phones. Next thing I know I end up working as a “suit” at ad agencies for more then a decade, plus throw in an account planning and market research job in the middle.

Then jumped to the corporate side for a small, virtual company. Thought as the VP of marketing it would be more of the same, it isn’t. I now spend more time in Photoshop or looking at HTML/CSS code then planning and project management.

I can only hope things keep changing, since I am 35 and work most days can be a lot of fun.

jena 26 Aug 05

I’m doing what I’m good at versus what I really want. You would think they go hand-in-hand but not in my case. You’re lucky if your desires match your ability. So, to answer the question… am I doing exactly what I wanted? Heck no. Just what I can do.

Kris Browne 26 Aug 05

Oddly enough, when I was about 9 I wanted to be a Unix Guru…

Now I run a prepress dept with Mac OS X. Apple put the two into alignment… :)

Turnip 26 Aug 05

When I was about 9 or 10 I wanted to be a computer games programmer. After a few years I scrapped that and wanted to be a pilot in the RAF. After being in Air Cadets I decided that like the discipline and uniforms and stuff wasn’t really for me… about the same time (I think) I started making websites. Now I’m 16 and I’m a web developer. I still have a lot of my life ahead of me and am still in education, so maybe I don’t really qualify for this question, but anyway, it would not surprise me at all if I wind up programming something or other in some way shape or form.

MrBlank 26 Aug 05

I always hated this question in school. Since they didn’t think I could figure out what I wanted to do on my own, they had me take a test to figure it out. After the little profile test, I’d end up with something lame like “airline pilot.” It annoyed me that there was never a “comic book” artist option.

Eamon 26 Aug 05

Yes. I’ve wanted to be a web developer since 1979.

JDA 26 Aug 05

There’s a This American Life episode about this topic:

This American Life
Plan B
http://thislife.org/pages/descriptions/02/205.html

Kim Siever 26 Aug 05

I wanted to a milkman. There were no web developers back then. Of course, there are no milkmen now, so it balances out.

Dan Berkman 26 Aug 05

I always wanted to be an architect. Now I’m an architect. It’s not exactly as wonderful as I thought it would be. I’ve got years and years of highly specialized training and a burning desire to make buildings, but when I get frusturated I have no idea what else I could do because I’m neck deep in this architecture ridiculousness.

“Architecture students are like virgins with an itch they can’t scratch…” —Stephen Malkmus(The Hexx)

busse 26 Aug 05

As many here have said, I too wanted to be an architect, but I stunk at math. Got an Apple ][ at age 4, an early exposure to business at 17, and the rest as they say, was history.

But, I do sublet my office space from an architect firm in a nifty renovated warehouse.

master luke 26 Aug 05

A Jedi.

Kyle 26 Aug 05

Always wanted to be a video game designer. Still have copies of the storyboards I sent into SEGA when I was kid, as well as the letters they sent back(they were really pretty nice to entertain an 8 years olds dreams).

Nowadays, I’m happy to just be a freelance web consultant, with a bent on usability and i/a. I still dig the opportunity to go in and learn a clients business, or help a non-profit achieve it’s goals.

Alternatively, if I could be anything else, I’m thinking it would be nice to be a journalist/author successful enough to write about whatever interests me. ;-)

Mary-Ann 26 Aug 05

Same field (kart racing, and not the crappy leisure karts either) but a different job. I’m a journalist now, and I never ever wanted to do that but editors keep asking me and more importantly keep paying me. I always wanted to run a team, which I will do once I don’t have to live somewhere obscure for my boyfriends degree.

Trevor 28 Aug 05

Actually, not even close for me. I wanted to be an architect and I thought by now I would be rich and famous!

I used to hate computers, and when I needed a guitar tab I would ask my mom to get me on the “internet” that was 1997, I somehow found myself staying up til 6am chatting on yahoo and started to wonder “How do they control this chat? How do they admin this whole thing?

I then started to read about how it was made, it got technical and I loved it! It all made sense after realizing I was amazed by application and how things were put together. Here I am today with my own business putting things together. :) It was a long, and bumpy road but i wouldnt imagine myself doing anything else.

Elsie 28 Aug 05

Growing up a little girl in the ’80s and ’90s, movies oriented around a woman or women in the workplace inspired me. I would pretend that I was a secretary or a teacher, then I wanted to be a fashion designer. In middle school it changed to advertising. In high school, I wanted to do “computer graphics” only to see how general that term is once I went to college.

As my major is new media, I’ve found my interest less in advertising and more toward web design. Teaching is something that I still enjoy, so it remains a possibility. I love web design, UI for web apps and general usability though, so I’m lucky to be doing what I love.

Dan Berkman 28 Aug 05

So many people who anted to be architects but were scared off by math or some bad tech drawing experience. Let me set the record straight. Go forth and tell your children and your friend’s children and anyone who will listen that you don’t need to be good at math to be an architect. Very few people could be worse at math than me and it hasn’t affected my architecture one way or another. You need the most basic calculus skills and some really basic trig skills. I don’t have a calculator on my desk at work and most of the people in my office probably never took more than 1 or 2 semesters of calc/engineering. Seriously people you don’t need those skills. Seriously. If someone you know wants to make buildings but can’t master advanced math, don’t worry they’ll be fine. There are so many skills more important to being a great architect.

Also, if you took technical drawing and were bad at it. Yeah you need to like that kind of stuff a little and be good at it. But try drafting something you’ve worked on for months, you’ll find that a lot of the skills necessary to making your vision are a lot easier to take when it’s YOUR vision.

Madhu 29 Aug 05

First I wanted to be like Edison or Newton…

then I realized, I can’t be like anyone, I have to find best of myself….

Which led me to search for my passion, calling, etc.

Now I think “WHAT I WANT IS” useless to think.

We form these images of ourselves :

1. What I think I am
2. What I think I want to be
3. What others think of me

But all these are images of self, not real me. Beauty of human brain.

Real me just needs to go on growing (from yesterday) and while enjoying every moment of life. Future and past are just guides for a better plan.

See my blog for few pics on this…

Earln Morgan 30 Aug 05

I had made firm plans to be an architect, but since I didn’t excell in the maths (flunked calculus 3 times) I became a draftsman and ended up becoming a millwork detailer & designer. I am sure I will become many other things too. We evolve.

Sean 30 Aug 05

When I was 7 I decided I wanted to be a computer programmer. At that time my grand father wrote software, as did both of my uncles.

And its exactly what I ended up doing for a living.

Andy Gray 30 Aug 05

I’m a 42 yr old ex-professional musician (my ambition from 16-25yrs old), did a Biology degree in my thirties (my ambition from 13-16 yrs old and it would still be my career of choice), Commercial Software Developer from age 34 - 40 (writing financial software in the City of London!!! Never an ambition), as I said, now 42, earning half a living as a classical musician and hoping to make the rest as a Web Applications provider.
Life IS too short :-)
Keep it varied, it keeps life interesting.

Jay Laney 01 Sep 05

I’m still at the job I got in college, programming my ass off for O’Reilly. I’m good at what I do. I’m a published short fiction writer. I yell a lot.

I’m me and I’m happy with me. Being me is one of the few things I can say I’m good at. But I have a shitload more I want to do. I’ll *always* have a shitload more I want to do.

marissa 18 Sep 05

When I was 13 I wished I would be a english proffeseur in a University when I grew up. I am now exactly what I wished to be. I am a english preffeseur! yay!

Angie 11 May 06

hello my name is angie and i am doing an article based on fucking up

Kathy 24 May 06

We are not realy old enough to know what we want to be.

Octoberoasis 28 Jun 06

Most people may not know what they want to be.
However, it is good to know what you like and use that as a living.

Find out more about your area of interest and talent , which career they can lead you to.

Join the school activities of your interest and develop the skill or sharpen your talent.

Always good to start early and be really good at something. If you find that it is not what you want ,at least you still can change while young.

All the best for your future endeavor. =)

Octoberoasis 28 Jun 06

Most people may not know what they want to be.
However, it is good to know what you like and use that as a living.

Find out more about your area of interest and talent , which career they can lead you to.

Join the school activities of your interest and develop the skill or sharpen your talent.

Always good to start early and be really good at something. If you find that it is not what you want ,at least you still can change while young.

All the best for your future endeavor. =)

Octoberoasis 28 Jun 06

Most people may not know what they want to be.
However, it is good to know what you like and use that as a living.

Find out more about your area of interest and talent , which career they can lead you to.

Join the school activities of your interest and develop the skill or sharpen your talent.

Always good to start early and be really good at something. If you find that it is not what you want ,at least you still can change while young.

All the best for your future endeavor. =)

Octoberoasis 28 Jun 06

Most people may not know what they want to be.
However, it is good to know what you like and use that as a living.

Find out more about your area of interest and talent , which career they can lead you to.

Join the school activities of your interest and develop the skill or sharpen your talent.

Always good to start early and be really good at something. If you find that it is not what you want ,at least you still can change while young.

All the best for your future endeavor. =)

Octoberoasis 28 Jun 06

Most people may not know what they want to be.
However, it is good to know what you like and use that as a living.

Find out more about your area of interest and talent , which career they can lead you to.

Join the school activities of your interest and develop the skill or sharpen your talent.

Always good to start early and be really good at something. If you find that it is not what you want ,at least you still can change while young.

All the best for your future endeavor. =)