Childhood aspirations...

[Royston]

I searched to see if this question has already been asked, so delete if necessary.

 

Just interested what people aspired to when they were younger, and if possible why i.e did you want to be a vet, policeman, fireman when you grew up (hopelessly stereotypical examples, I know.)

 

Also, is anyone actually fulfilling what they aspired to as a child. Is there anyone who wanted to be a professional scientist when they grew up, whichever field that may be.

 

Up until my early teens, I really wanted to break into the movie special effects world, specifically creating monsters, robotics and gore, that type of thing. I had a hobby of coming up with designs, and modelling creatures out of clay, I'd then apply latex which would produce a skin effect, which I'd peel off and hence have a puppet. To which I'd add fur, eyes, and I would look for anything to use for the mechanisms for the mouth et.c I also had fun making myself and friends look like they'd been in a nasty accident, and scaring the crap out of people, given the opportunity.

[Phi for All]

Up until my early teens, I really wanted to break into the movie special effects world, specifically creating monsters, robotics and gore, that type of thing. I had a hobby of coming up with designs, and modelling creatures out of clay, I'd then apply latex which would produce a skin effect, which I'd peel off and hence have a puppet. To which I'd add fur, eyes, and I would look for anything to use for the mechanisms for the mouth et.c I also had fun making myself and friends look like they'd been in a nasty accident, and scaring the crap out of people, given the opportunity.

I have a niece who is going to a specialty school on the US east coast for just that purpose. She always wanted to do Hollywood makeup, the really intense kind like werewolves and aliens. When she graduates this year she's practically guaranteed work since the contacts she's making aren't likely to ever get found out by someone without her training.

 

I always wanted to act, and did quite a bit through high school and college, and had an agent after college who got me several sweet parts. The problem with acting in Denver was that you were either non-union and got terrible pay or you were union and only worked sporadically. I knew eventually I would have to go to LA or NYC if I wanted to make a living. I decided to go Hollywood, since I had relatives in LA. I knew I'd need to save a bunch of money to afford the higher cost of living out there so I took a full-time job here to start saving.

 

That's when Life happened.

 

I made some great money doing commissioned sales and pretty soon the thought of moving to LA to start at the bottom of the ladder again while working part-time so I could audition and living hand-to-mouth lost out to my success here at home.

 

I wouldn't trade my life now for what I might have had, but every once in a while I wonder if I couldn't have made it in show biz. One guy I used to work with on a local cable access show went on to make a pretty good living, had a contract with NBC and did shows like Friends, Will & Grace & Fraser. He also does a lot of national commercials, and you'd probably recognize his face, if not his name.

 

Then again, he was *way* better than I ever was.

[Royston]

I have a niece who is going to a specialty school on the US east coast for just that purpose. She always wanted to do Hollywood makeup, the really intense kind like werewolves and aliens. When she graduates this year she's practically guaranteed work since the contacts she's making aren't likely to ever get found out by someone without her training.

 

That's awesome, my younger self would of been profoundly envious.

 

That's when Life happened.

 

For me, that's when science happened

 

Phi, that's a great story, I did wonder if you had thespian roots.

[insane_alien]

i went through a few phases, first and earliest was archaeologist(didn't know the word then but i had the idea) because i liked 'digging for treasure' then astronaut then scientist(discovered chemistry) then pilot and now chemical engineer. those are the major ones anyway that i was interested in for more than a day.

[Reaper]

When I was a little kid, I wanted to be some sort of athlete. In particular I played quite a bit of basketball.

 

Since about age 7 though, I wanted to be a scientist or a mathematician of some sort. I focused more on doing something in the field of physics since I was 16, when I read some of Hawking's and Kaku's popular books on theoretical physics.

[the tree]

Basically, I'm still wishing that I get the chance to be a Power Ranger.

[ydoaPs]

Basically, I'm still wishing that I get the chance to be a Power Ranger.

If you can do cheesy dialog and extremely poorly choreographed "martial arts", then you have a good chance.

 

I, however, want to be Batman, so I need to start making a LOT more money.

[Phi for All]

If you can do cheesy dialog and extremely poorly choreographed "martial arts", then you have a good chance.

Actually, the guys who did the "martial arts" in the helmeted suits and the guys who did the cheesy dialogue were completely different people. They weren't even in the same country, so the tree will have to choose between having a famous face (but being laughed at for his dialogue) or sweating in a plastic costume (but looking good).

I, however, want to be Batman, so I need to start making a LOT more money.

Mom and Dad haven't told you about Nick Enterprises yet, have they? When they do, don't celebrate by taking them to the opera.

[iNow]

I wanted to go into the Air Force and be a fighter pilot. I studied books on planes and aerodynamics when I was 8 and 9, and my grandmothers friend used to take me up in his 2-seater cessna to fly around. Then, when I was 10, I went into a coma, was diagnosed with Type I diabetes, and my dreams of being paid to fly vanished. I've been somewhat "adrift" on what to do with my life ever since. Considering recent military engagements in the US though, maybe not such a bad thing afterall.

[CDarwin]

I wanted to rule the world. I'm not kidding at all. I organized an Imperialist Party in middle school and got people to join it and made an imperial state out of my toys that would conquer my friend's toys and what-not. I filled my room up with buildings for the capital and had all the armed forces and it was pretty sophisticated.

 

Other than that, I find it sort of funny how full circle I've come. First I wanted to be paleontologist (what kid didn't?), and then a marine biologist, and then a archaeologist before I got into the whole politics/world domination thing. Now I want to be a paleoanthropologist, which is basically a paleontologist+an archaeologist who does biology. The marine bit's out, I suppose, but I never really understood what a marine biologist was anyway. I wanted to study platypuses.

[One of the Few]

At first I wanted to be an inventor, making billions with my revolutionary ideas. Then i started looking deeper into the science of my inventions and found i liked that even more. Alas my passion is physics, but in my future I see a business man. Hopefully though it is my own business and I am doing something useful and fulfilling.

[Mokele]

I wanted to be a paleontologist as a kid, and my love of dinosaurs seems to have been more intense and persistent than normal. I briefly diverted into aerospace during college (for the money), but now I'm back to critters (though living ones).

[insane_alien]

i was all over the shot when i was younger, everything from archaologist to spaceman, eventually settled down on pilot then at the last minute (almost literally, an hour at any rate) BAM! chemical engineer.

 

not that being a businessman(what a broad broad category that is) prevents you from being an amateur/hobby physicist. thanks to the internet there are plenty of ways to learn in your spare time if you want them.

[One of the Few]

Exactly, the only things preventing me are the overall cost of going to MIT, and the fact that I am smart but can't seem to get the grades I need. MIT rarely accepts B students, especially in the advanced courses, let alone a C+/B- student. Luckily I am curbing my habits and getting better about grades.

[insane_alien]

you don't HAVE to go to MIT to get a good education. there are plenty of very good universities out there.

[DJBruce]

When I was really little I wanted to be either an inventor like Thomas Edison or a scientist like Billy Nye the Science Guy. As I have grown up my aspirations still remained in science, however, now I want to go into physics. I really want to obtain by PhD. in physics then hopefully get a position in academia.

 

Currently I dream of winning a Nobel Prize in Physics or Fields Medal. I know its unlikely, but that's why its a dream.

[A Tripolation]

First occupation I remember wanting to be was an engineer. And that's what I'm majoring in. Granted, I thought the engineers were the guys that drove the huge dump trucks and used the cranes, but hey, still a funny coincidence.

[npts2020]

My goal in high school was to retire by age 40. So far I have been retired 12 years but may have to go back to work around 70 or so, hopefully I will have learned a useful skill by then.

[One of the Few]

you don't HAVE to go to MIT to get a good education. there are plenty of very good universities out there.

I know, i've just been so set on MIT, i guess it's an ultimate goal for me. Maybe i'll just get my first four years at UW or WASU and then try enroll in massachussetts.

[HOMER-16]

Up until recently it was theoretical-astrophysicist. Now it's game development. I'm interested in creating the look of the games things like the terrain and stuff. And perhaps even testing.

[One of the Few]

My goal in high school was to retire by age 40. So far I have been retired 12 years but may have to go back to work around 70 or so, hopefully I will have learned a useful skill by then.

 

In all honesty, unless i love what i am doing, i don't want to be working at age seventy.

[npts2020]

In all honesty, unless i love what i am doing, i don't want to be working at age seventy.

 

I want to "work" until the day I die. I just don't want to have to do more than I want to or worry about how much money I am getting for it.

[One of the Few]

Good point, very good point. What you've got going on is a lot like my grandpa, he makes a fine sum of money but is still retired. It really seems like the way to live.

[zombieSquirrel]

I wanted to be a scientist or inventor. I also wanted to be a military pilot.

 

Edit: Wanted to be someone who won 120 million dollars in the lottery too.

[One of the Few]

What a coincidence! I did too!

 

Edit: Still do *