Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
User Journal

Journal glh's Journal: Poll: What do you/did you want to be when you grew up? 22

Journal by glh

Just a short and simple poll.. For those of you who haven't grown up yet or still want to: What Do you want to be? For those of you who have: What did you end up being?

I was thinking about this today. Many of us, as children, had ideas about what we wanted to be when we grew up. For me- I wanted to be an Orthondontist for a while (I had a lot of visits when I was younger and was always impressed). Later on in high school/early college I was interested in going into the Air Force (growing up as a military brat).

Going off to college in 1994, I started out in Computer Science and Engineering. I had a full-ride scholarship through AFROTC. After a couple of years, I decided that wasn't what I wanted to do (both AFROTC and CSE). Although I enjoyed the computer engineering part of it (minus some really crappy professors) I was really tired of the hard sciences and other fluff that one needed. In addition, I was considering going on a year long mission trip to the Middle East and wanted to graduate ASAP. Anyway, I decided to switch my major over to Information Systems. Graduated a year ahead of all my CSE counterparts, though I still got the same computer courses. Yes, I sometimes regret not getting the engineering degree, especially since I've eneded up doing software engineering anyway. However, since I'm an engineer at heart, that would be more for the bragging rights...

Anyway, I was working as developer for 2 years, application architect for 2 years, and now as a sr. lead developer. It's funny how career goals change along the way... I'm currently finishing up my MBA (3 classes to go) and will probably move into some sort of middle management roll in the next few years. If someone told me a year ago that I'd be interested in the business side of things and middle management I would probably find it humorous. In retrospect, I guess a lot depends on the company and business. Of course, I totally enjoy the technical part of that as well and will never want to give that up. Doing side consulting and running the .NET user group in Toledo helps.

So what's your story?

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Poll: What do you/did you want to be when you grew up? More

Poll: What do you/did you want to be when you grew up?

Comments Filter:
  • After that, I wanted to be a marine biologist, then an architect. Then I started looking at architecture programs and their length of 7 years. Then I slooowly backed away and wound up in chemistry. Then in chemical engineering, where I am, through the grace of generous professors, today.
  • I wanted to be a doctor in high school. My senior year, I took AP Chem and AP Biology just to try and get a head start. The only problem was, I couldn't stand needles. I ended up passing out in class once and that was the end of my first goal.

    I then thought that mechanical engineering suited me better. I started college as a ME and throughout the first year, I was playing around with Linux, C++ and Java. Not the norm for a ME. So I decided to leave since I did enjoy computers so much.

    I heard about this ca
  • I wanted to be a computer programmer when I was going to school. I didn't end up as a programmer per se (with the possible exception of the first half of this year) but I did get the computer career. I have always considered myself fortunate that I figured this out when I was 12, so I could focus on that when in school/work.

    (The reason I didn't go after programming jobs is that I took 10 years to do my BS in CS, and I couldn't afford to go back and be a junior programmer after being a senior network/secu
    • I have always considered myself fortunate that I figured this out when I was 12, so I could focus on that when in school/work.

      Same here- I always knew that I wanted to be doing SOMETHING with computers... I started doing stuff early on. Being a computer geek since the time I was 10 definitely helped my career... :) Even people who are 5 years my senior don't have as much computer programming experience. I guess it's just a mindset thing. Kind of like learning to play an instrument when you're younger u
      • Yes, I wish I had more of an effort to learn to play guitar when I was growing up, but I was busy focusing on the computer. Ah well, I'm pretty good at the computer stuff, anyway. :)

        I went to high school with a kid who did the guitar thing since he was 6 or something... Jason Becker. Absolutely *amazing* guitar player. (Didn't have any idea at the time, I just figure this all out in the last couple years.) Tragically, he's got ALS, and can only move his eyes at this point. jasonbecker.com if you're cu
  • which I am chasing now... though when I was younger I thought I was funnier *^_^*
  • some sort of middle management roll

    Not with that kind of spelling you're not! Just kidding. Myself, I always wanted to be a scientist. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do; I think I was just planning on becoming a mad scientist or something. Later, in my early teens, I wanted to be an animator. I soon realized that in fact you CAN'T be anything you wanted to be, and ended up following the one path that I was good at - computers.
    • Not with that kind of spelling you're not! Just kidding

      Hehe, thanks for pointing that one out :) I guess it's a good thing I'm still spelling like an programmer...

  • I sh*t you not.

    When I went to college, I had a full-ride AROTC scholarship, and majored in history, not because it was easy (it was), but because I expected to put a few years in the Army, see a little bit of the world, and come back pick up a Masters, PhD and tenure someplace.

    I look back now and just giggle.
  • Well, let's start at the begginning:

    Age 5: Wanted to be a Cowboy.(Seriously, boots, plaid shirt, thought I could sing home on the range when I was 20).

    Age 10: Wanted to be a mercenary. Guess whose parent's were letting them read books out of their age range? I thought it would be fun and exciting, and guns were cool. I was going to move to Africa and join up as soon as I could.

    Age 12: Brother got IBM 286... I liked it, but now I wanted to be an Air Force pilot. Glory, honor, fun of flying a jet, and no s

  • I wanna be forced into early retirement.

    I wanna be a yes man.

    I wanna be a brown nose.

    I wanna get paid less for doing the same job.

    I wanna hit the glass ceiling.

    Uh, why does this poll sound so familiar? ;)

    Growing up I wanted to play baseball or basketball. I was really good at both. Too bad life got in the way.
  • Well, technically a mortician/funeral director. I didn't want to just deal with the living and have some sort of sell sell sell mentality of a bigger funeral home, but I also didn't want to be locked in the basement of said large funeral home working with the dead all day. I was hoping for a smaller maybe two or three location gig with enough license morticians to balance out working with the living and the dead.

    So, being in PA we have one of the best mortuary schools in the world (PIMS: Pittsburg Instit
  • If I recall correctly, when I was about 4-5, I didn't really have any ambition, but becoming a fireman sure seemed nice. I remember playing with a firetruck.

    When I reached grade 5, I remember wanting to become a "rapid transit scientist". @ the time, the regional district [same as a county, if I understand correctly] was planning an ALRT line to get people to Expo 86. Since I just loved trains, I wanted to have some kind of related job. ALRT is rapid transit. It all has to do with science, technologically
  • Up until high school, I wanted to be a marine mammalogist. But then I realized there was a lot of icky calculations and stuff involved, and not as much swimming with dolphins. Besides, they didn't make much money.

    So in high school, when I got a chance to work on the school paper and literary magazine, I *really* wanted to be an editor -- on both the editorial and production side (i.e., using language skills and desktop publishing/layout/etc. skills). This lasted me through college (where I majored in Lati
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Was supposed to be a success like one of my uncles. A few years ago, he retired from his career on US $72,000 a year.

    Unfortunately, my dad made an inopportune comment to a school board member who was complaining about the mexican kids and the free lunch program. His comparison of her farm subsidies, the kid's dole, and the relative wealth derived therefrom was not appreciated. (One of them can afford a new Cadillac every few years....) As such, my dad got fired, a year before I was to go to college.

Slashdot Top Deals

UNIX is many things to many people, but it's never been everything to anybody.

Close