When I Grow Up I Want to Be...

With graduation in the near future, I am sure many of you are hearing "Remember when you wanted to be..." from your parents. Anything to make you blush, right? Recently I asked friends and co-workers to tell me what they thought they wanted to be when they grew up as part of a more light-hearted blog entry.

For some the dream was a little unrealistic:
"[I wanted to be] a duck. I liked to swim as a kid and I wanted to fly. I failed at that goal."

"When I was two, I wanted to be a fire truck when I grew up. They were red, loud, and helped people—nothing could have been better than that! When I realized that I could not become an inanimate object, it broke my heart."

For others, some things just didn't work out:
"[I wanted to be an] architect...then I realized you needed to be good at math!"

"My first dream job was to become a massage therapist. Then I realized touching strangers would be gross. Then I wanted to become a chef. My uncle, who is a restaurant chef, told me that made me his favorite niece and he constantly encouraged me to pursue it. I spent much of middle and high school playing with recipe books and making some delicious but often disastrous-looking dishes. Peer pressure to go to a 4 year college mixed with food allergies and tummy troubles made me realize becoming a chef was not for me but cooking is still my favorite hobby and I'm absolutely fascinated with nutrition and watching the Food Network."

Some are a work in progress:
"When I was little, I wanted to be a fire women and fight fires, just like my dad! I thought it would be cool drive around in the big red truck, slide down the fire pole, and to be THE woman at the department, showing all the men who was boss. However, I realized as I grew up that firefighting was more than putting out fires, sliding down the fire pole and hanging out with dalmatians. Apparently, you have to risk your life and arrive at car crashes as well! (Although, now that I've learned that Shannon wanted to be a firetruck, I think I have chosen the wrong career path!)

Once I decided that I didn't want to be a firefighter, one of the next things I set my sights on was to be an orthodontist! I loved how I enjoyed going to the orthodontist and I appreciated all of the confidence my great smile gave me. Add in to that, that I LOVED working with the kids and I thought I was set. I loved every minute of my experiences shadowing and working with Dr. Gordon, my orthodontist, and his staff. However, as I discovered when I job shadowed a dentist, this profession was not for me! I loved doing the orthodontic side of things, but when I job shadowed a dentist, I realized that I would not be able to extract teeth or do root canals. YUCK!! And who wants to hear "I hate coming to see you (the dentist)!" everyday? Not me!

Luckily, I have so many options to fall back on. Now, all I have to do is choose what my next 'childhood' dream will be! I think I'll forever have 'childhood' dreams that change and progress as I grow older and find out more about myself!"

And for others, their childhood dreams are still a part of their lives:
"Over the course of my life I have had many career aspirations including (but probably not limited to) interior designer, nurse, architect, personal organizer, psychologist, closet designer, screenwriter, homemaker, doctor, teacher, physical therapist, and academic advisor. As a career counselor, I have found my perfect niche and am lucky to be able to learn more about all of these professions and more!"

"[I wanted to be a] dancer. I couldn't ask for a better job!!!!" (Yes, she is a paid, professional dancer.)

Always remember that your childhood dreams helped make you who you are today. They can make for some good laughs, great hobbies or even your ideal career!