i wanted to be a pilot. I became a software engineer. big mistake

Am in my late 30’s and I don’t know nor did I ever know. As a result I consider that a crummy ice-breaker.

scratch that. I once wanted to be an electrical engineer but I didn’t know that’s what it was called so I said I wanted to be “an electrician” which I have zero interest in. -You would not believe the number of times people have recommended “electrician” to me as a career choice. Also, I don’t have the aptitude to complete the advanced math and advanced science courses that are required to get an EE degree. That’s not for lack of repeated tries, either. Some things just aren’t meant to be.

Very early on was silly stuff – a dentist, a gangsta rapper. Glad those didn’t ever pan out.

In college I decided I wanted to be a comedy writer for TV. Dream job was to work for Conan. I ended up getting an MFA in creative writing and nobody could explain the process to becoming a comedy writer for TV, but I was naturally talented as a serious/literary writer and colleges could explain that career trajectory well enough, but then I needed to feed my wife and kid so I became a journalist. I worked my ass off as a journalist, rose through the ranks to locally prominent positions, and then I got burned out in my early 40s and quit. Now my wife makes money and I do projects around the house, meditate, and write essays that are infrequently published, don’t make much money and aren’t at all funny.

Turns out life is funny.

Engineer working in sustainable energy.

I’m a Mechanical Engineer now and finally am working in some cool cutting edge upcycling technology after working oil and gas adjacent for a dozen years.

I just wanted to be happy, only I didn’t understand what “happiness” felt like. It sounded like a utopia to me.

Me

Astronaut because I didn’t realize there were astronomers and I was very hyperfocused on space. I also wanted to be an animator and an artist. I currently am unemployed so my younger self would be very disappointed in my lack of employment. I was shooting too high but never practiced my aim.

An engineer.

I became an electrical engineer 🫣

My dream as a child was to become a full time artist. My family did not think it was a good idea so my academic life went somewhere else as did my career. Thirty years later I am a working artist with my own atelier.

Honestly, pretty much what I do now just probably a more glamorized or idealistic version of it. My favorite toys growing up were wooden building blocks and Duplo and from a very young age I (incorrectly) mapped what I enjoyed about those things to the profession of architecture and that’s what I always told people that’s what I wanted to do.

Luckily I was able to figure out that what I really enjoyed and wanted to do was engineering. As long as I’m designing things and solving problems I’m pretty happy. It doesn’t really matter what the context is.

Great to hear you have overcome the negativity; just sorry you didn’t have the support each child deserves.

I wanted to be a professional illustrator. Nowadays I barely illustrate as a hobby. Although I still enjoy it I don’t really have the skills for it.

I’m a lawyer and a programmer though. For many years I hated being a lawyer, but I would say that I’ve finally reached a point in my life and career where I’m happy with it.

As a kid, I hated that question, I didn’t dream of working as a kid, early misfortune in life taught me some interesting lessons.

I think I grew up with a vague idea of wanting to be free of money, as I associated with misery growing up and as a result, never had an answer to the question outside of “I just want to help people”.

Inventor!

and now, I kinda am.

I went through a few things but my favorite in retrospect was demolition derby driver