What is Your Life's Ambition and Has It Changed?

[jimmydasaint]

I will start this off. As a young boy in Scotland I used to dream of having exceptional powers much like Billy the Cat in the comics I used to read. However, this ambition changed to being a lecturer or professor. I got close but left the scientific profession. My new ambition is to be a shepherd of some sort with full Internet access. How about you guys?

[Genecks]

Growing up = Computer scientist

Now = Math major

[blazarwolf]

0-13: Lawer, doctor, jet pilot, astronought, pornstar, 4 star general, the president.

13-16: Proffesional skier, finding love.

16-17: Network administrator

17-18: Electronic/classical music composer, political commentator.

18-20: Firefighter/paramedic so i could sit on my ass all day like daddio.

21: Emergency Physician, nuerophysiologist, Entertained the thought of mma/boxing.

22: Historian, Archivist, Cultivator of knowledge... Thinking maybe teaching is what i would enjoy/make a contribution... Not english though

 

23: (the future) building a cabin in the middle of nowhere and becoming a hemit.

[chitrangda]

i always wanted to be an avonical engg. and now want to be an astrophysist.

[Gilded]

I remember wanting to be a chemist or a geologist at a very early age, like 8 or something. I gradually became interested in writing and game designing as well, and my interest in chemistry grew as I found about pyrotechnics and such. In high school I became interested in music as well. After that I was about to go study chemistry in uni but decided the studies would be too diverse for me to maintain interest. Luckily, becoming a pyrotechnician doesn't require university level chemistry. Besides that I'd definitely want to be a writer but I suffer from writer's block and excessive self-criticism way too much. Over the last few years music has become a semi-serious hobby for me and I wouldn't mind being a professional musician either.

 

Overall, I've pretty much gone from "pure" science towards art more and more. I still love science enough to hang around in science forums though.

[MedGen]

At a young age I always entertained the typical boyhood fantasies of being an astronaut or archaeologist. That soon changed into wanting to be a vet which I carried on with from around 10 right through to about 18. Unfortunately I screwed up college (British college) and flunked my A levels. For a few years I didn't know what I wanted but settled on being a chef as I'd convinced myself I simply didn't have the brains to do anything intellectually based. That all changed about 3 or 4 years ago when I started to read New Scientist and realised I could actually follow what they were talking about.

 

I considered medicine for a while, but knew that I wasn't doctor material, I don't like people enough, so I went into genetics which I'm currently studying now. When I first started uni I thought I'd want to go into cancer research, and a little part of me still does, but I'm not so sure that the cure for cancer lies in genetics any more. Currently I'm trying to find a way to marry post-doc research with clinical science. It's recently dawned on me that we need to develop some accurate diagnostics for complex disorders that contain major genetic elements, including cancer and CHD.

 

I still entertain my delusions of grandeur of holding a professorship in Human Genetics at a major institute with a Nobel prize under my belt that will some how radically change the way we treat and diagnose genetic diseases. I'm sure that will change over time though, but I'm sticking with genetics, its too interesting not to continue with.

[YT2095]

I`m one of the rare and fortunate ones, other than a period when I was about 9 and wanted to be Spiderman, I`v achieved and become exactly what I wanted to be since my earliest memories.

 

I always wanted to be a Scientist and have my own Lab and a computer, a computer that would enable me to communicate with people all over the world and even order and buy things, I wanted Lasers and high voltage equipment, chemicals and apparatus, I even wanted a daughter.

 

maybe I just set realistic goals from such an early age? but I can certainly say that I`m living my childhood dreams every day and it`s great!

[mrsemmapeel]

I've really only ever had one ambition (apart from wanting to be James Bond!) and it's nothing to do with careers and some might say its a bit morbid.

 

When I was 4, Elvis died, and a man I knew was really upset and crying, I asked my mum why and she told me it was because Elvis had died. So I asked if Elvis and Terry were good friends, she said 'of course not, they'd never even met'. This confused me, but what I realised from this was that - 1)people die and 2)when some people die it effects people that they don't even know. So from then on I knew that I wanted to be a little like Elvis! Not a world famous singer but to be remembered by people who don't know me.

 

I'm not quite sure how I would ever achieve this, when I was 12 I thought maybe one day I'd win an Olympic Gold in 100m, when I was 19 and art college I thought maybe I'd make millions from my paintings. Now I don't know, maybe I'll invent or discover something.

But if I get to 70 and I haven't made an impact on the world I'll resort to plan B and become an OAP streaker at sporting events around the world! Then when I die someone I've never met will say " Oh my God did you hear that crazy old streaker lady has died, how very sad that is" I don't expect they will shed a tear or put a memorial up to me, but you never know stranger things have happened I'm sure.

[Entropy]

I've wanted to be a scientist for a very long time. In high school, I decided that biochemistry is where I wanted to be. I got my BS in biochem and decided I wanted to go to grad school to get a PhD. I ended up with my MS after 2 years due to major burn out. I'm still interested in getting a PhD and lecturing at a university, but the amount of time it takes and the dedication is huge.

 

At this point lecturing at a community college is fulfilling, but I can forsee in the future getting bored talking about elementary chemistry. That may push me to going back to grad school.

[DrP]

As a small child: Scientist, Doctor or a Dustman.

As a teenager: Scientist or Musician

18-22: Pro Golfer, Musician or scientist

27+: Research Scientist (dreams of becoming a pro golfer smashed by apathy, dissapointment booze and laziness during early 20's)

30-36: Scientist (which I am now)

Now:- mid life crisis - and I want to try to be a pro golfer again before its too late (Although I know it already is really:-() - Maybe I could be a post man or a dust man so I get every afternoon off to play golf?

 

Currently I am a Pro Scientist and an Ameteur Golfer. I would rather it be the other way arround though!

Edited November 27, 2008 by DrP

[CaptainPanic]

I'll have to join YT's team: My goal hasn't changed for some time now (since I've discovered chemistry and physics):

 

Give the world free energy (sustainable, clean, affordable (but probably more expensive than today)).

 

In this goal it's rather irrelevant what I am or will become myself. But I seem to follow a logical path/career to achieve this: I've found help.

 

What has changed? Nothing. Still going strong. Finished my masters, then found a job in the right business: sustainable energy

[Royston]

Around the age of 5 until just before my teens, I wanted to be a professional artist, and model maker. I used to make pop-up books, come up with cartoon characters, fantasy artwork et.c This then progressed to creating monsters with latex and simple mechanisms to operate any moving parts...so at that time I wanted to work for Jim Hensons creature workshop.

 

Around the age of 8, I was listening to a radio show where a young boy was talking about the expansion of the Universe...it was very parrot fashion, and I started wondering about what caused this. Certainly wasn't a passion, but this interest in the cosmos was lurking in the back of my mind since then.

 

Hit my teens, and wanted to be a professional musician for a while, then realized the music industry sucked, so was happy to stay as a bedroom producer (which I still do to this day) except my studio is in the, what should be, the dining room.

 

Early twenties was a bit confusing, had nothing to focus on, so I buggered off round the world. Came back with itchy feet (quite literally with all the trekking) and started pondering over those all important questions, which lead to starting a degree in physics, and also took up amateur astronomy.

 

My ambition now is to become a cosmologist, it took a long time for it to dawn on me, but it just clicks for me. Well, that was more like my life's story, but I'm bored at work, so sorry for rattling on.

Edited November 27, 2008 by Snail
typo

[CylonMath]

x-10 fireman

10-14 nothing

14-16 physicist - scientist

16-18 scientist - computer eng.

18-x computer scientist , robotic engineer

 

I am currently on a way being a computer scientist/engineer.

 

However the threadstarter maybe pulled the subject toward our professions. But there should be more deeper concepts in humanlife when 'Ambition' is the concern. As i take it personal , my current personal ambition is to get rid of all my fears and be a man who i would fall in love with.

Edited November 27, 2008 by CylonMath
profession update

[ParanoiA]

10 - present = musician. I had a notebook of songs that I wrote up til age 12 or so, then I lost it. I couldn't play any instruments so I made up the music in my head and memorized it, then I would go through my notebook of lyrics and sing them. Weird, I've never wanted to be anything else my entire life, and still don't.

[ydoaPs]

x-10:batman, firefighter, scientist

10-14:scientist, astronaut, firefighter

14-16:astronaut, scientist, mathematician

16-20:physicist, mathematician, firefighter

20-?:traceur, MMA fighter, physicist, actor, president

 

actual job: nuclear operator in the US Navy.

[nitric]

i guess I've pretty set on my ambitions and still have to wait to see if i get hit by a train or not but here it goes:

1-5:superman

6-8:scientist(didn't make up my mind what field of science though)

9:electrition/computer engineer

10-11:material chemist

[Bettina]

<10: Nun.

10-15: Cosmologist to all kinds of thoughts.

16-17: Social worker

18-19: Finished first year college for special-education.

20: Presently attending a nursing college.

 

Bee

[CharonY]

I think ever since I observed an ant road and followed them to their hive I wanted to become a field biologist. I settled for lab biologist and am basically dreaming about a faculty position (not even about tenure, some dreams are too far to even dream about...).

[sherry]

I've always wanted to be a forest ranger. Love the outdoors and have the good fortune to live in a small town (population 43) 4 months of the year. Currently I earn a living as a handyperson and love the work. The home where I live a third of the year was built in 1930, and is as structurally sound today.

[MrSandman]

I could go on how I dream of owning a veyron, and having a greek style house, but my life ambition is very simple and can be stated as...

 

My ultimate goal is to be better than you!

[npts2020]

My lifes goal is to one day be adequate. No matter what I do it seems somebody wants something else.

[ecoli]

Middle school - musician

High school - biologist or musician

Undergrad (first half)- PhD & musician

Undergrad (second half) Md/Phd & musician & economist & writer

 

As you can tell, I don't like letting go of my goals, but I sure as hell like to add new ones... we'll see how that works out.

[falcon9393]

let me see here....

10-13 flight attended/ fashion designer

13-15 mercinary/chemist ( my hopes of becoming a mercinary were crushed when i found out that it was illegal and that there were no jobs in that field)

now....

i am considering becoming a trophy wife or i could go with my second choise which would be joining those somalian (spelling?) pirates, plundering and sailing the seas with high powered weapons of course

 

thats pretty much all i have in mind about now

any ideas for me?

[ParanoiA]

i am considering becoming a trophy wife

 

I guess you don't have any self esteem issues...

[DrP]

I'm sure you'll make someone a fine trophy wife... Just make sure you share some interests with them though...... and it would also help if you fancied them a bit too, otherwise you might regret it later in life.