Childhood Dreams vs. Current Reality, Share Your Journey

[Starbucks]

This is rather a deep question...

I'm from the Netherlands but I live in Argentina now.

When I was a kid I always wanted to become a teacher. I ended up studying international business and now I work in the web development and UX design field, collaborating with organizations like the United Nations... which is quite a departure from teaching (even though I often need to "teach" several UN Departments about how they cannot randomly implement their own design on things).

Three years ago when I arrived in Argentina I barely spoke Spanish.. now I can have phone calls in Spanish and had driving classes in Spanish!

What about you? What did you used to dream of doing when you were younger and how does it compare to what you're doing now in your career?

 

[Lee]

I wanted to be a web developer.

I am an automation engineer.

Both are programmers. I almost got there!

 

[TPerry]

Wanted to be a LEO. Was one. Lost the joy after the last shooting so got into IT (both were interests of mine in school).
Retired and don't really care about doing anything else that feels to much like work now.

 

[Suzanne O]

As a kid growing up i really wanted to do something in retail.
I have done a graphic design course and an IT course. Loved them a lot but found it hard to do.
Now i am doing drawings and cooking new things.

 

[Davyc]

Very deep in some respects. I always wanted to play in a rock band, taught myself how to play guitar and later some keyboards. Played in a band for 15 years, did some recording work, played numerous live gigs. Wasn't happy working for others, but had to put up with it until I got into web design and graphic design, so spent the last 20 years of my working life as self-employed. Currently retired now and just mess about with my three websites, play mahjong on my Mac Mini Pro, check my emails daily, order stuff online and watch movies.

The current reality is that I've just had surgery for bladder cancer, had a catheter rammed up me for three weeks (not pleasant) and now I have a UTI just to add to the fun package of getting older. But, I'm not a quitter so will never give in and will continue to do my own thing and if I can help anyone along the way to achieve their dreams, I'm happy to do so. Always pay it forward - that's what helps make the world work for the good of everyone.

If I had a final dream, it would be to head out to the stars in a ship not unlike the USS Enterprise - now that would be fun

 

[Suzanne O]

Very deep in some respects. I always wanted to play in a rock band, taught myself how to play guitar and later some keyboards. Played in a band for 15 years, did some recording work, played numerous live gigs. Wasn't happy working for others, but had to put up with it until I got into web design and graphic design, so spent the last 20 years of my working life as self-employed. Currently retired now and just mess about with my three websites, play mahjong on my Mac Mini Pro, check my emails daily, order stuff online and watch movies.

The current reality is that I've just had surgery for bladder cancer, had a catheter rammed up me for three weeks (not pleasant) and now I have a UTI just to add to the fun package of getting older. But, I'm not a quitter so will never give in and will continue to do my own thing and if I can help anyone along the way to achieve their dreams, I'm happy to do so. Always pay it forward - that's what helps make the world work for the good of everyone.

If I had a final dream, it would be to head out to the stars in a ship not unlike the USS Enterprise - now that would be fun

Recover well. My old man had his bladder removed as well as his prostate.
Make sure you change those bags and cathedars over regularly.

 

[TPerry]

If I had a final dream, it would be to head out to the stars in a ship not unlike the USS Enterprise - now that would be fun

I can agree.. but in the here and now, I do the next best thing and enjoy those views through my hobby of astrophotography.
When you start seeing the number of stars, let alone galaxies out there you realize that we are but a very small part of reality. I simply don't believe that in all if it, our planet was the only one that intelligent (if you can call it that now) life developed upon.

 

[Davyc]

Make sure you change those bags and cathedars over regularly.

Catheter free now - whoo-hoo! I want it to stay that way.

When you start seeing the number of stars, let alone galaxies out there you realize that we are but a very small part of reality. I simply don't believe that in all if it, our planet was the only one that intelligent (if you can call it that now) life developed upon.

100% agree - I used to love star gazing back in the day. Cold November nights, wrapped up like an Eskimo and in the backyard with my scope; can't do that now but the memory lingers. 10's of thousands of galaxies all filled with stars each with potential life-bearing planets; we might be unique in some respects but alone - I don't believe so!

 

[Mendalla]

The current reality is that I've just had surgery for bladder cancer, had a catheter rammed up me for three weeks (not pleasant) and now I have a UTI just to add to the fun package of getting older.

Take care and get thyself well. I have my fair share of "getting older" issues but you've got me beat by a country mile.

What did you used to dream of doing when you were younger and how does it compare to what you're doing now in your career?

Childhood me wanted to be an astronomer or physicist (really).

It was in high school that reality sank in. My math ability was like not up to it without some serious effort that I just did not seem motivated enough to put in (Compare my son who learned stuff like calculus almost instinctively and ended up as an engineer. He got it from his mother, needless to say.). Languages and history were more my strong suits. I also discovered that I love libraries.

So, I did a BA in Classics and then went to library school.

Except in my library career, I almost immediately went into, more or less, IT. Because I had been tinkering with computers since high school I was one of the few people with an MLIS who could do that kind of stuff even though I lacked much formal training. So I self-studied and got an MCSE.

Queue present day me. I have left the library field altogether and now manage the IT department of a mid-sized privately-held corporation. Absolutely not what childhood me thought (to be fair, childhood me lived before there were PCs everywhere and computers were things with blinking lights and spinning tape reels on TV).

Still love dinosaurs, history, and physics, but I just get my fix from reading Scientific American, watching relevant YouTube channels, and the like.