Are you doing what you thought you'd be doing?
 

If you are, lucky you. I never knew what I wanted to be growing up. I knew I was people person early on (what a cliche, but it's true). I knew I was smarter than the average bear but barely. I've always liked science and math but language and literature were my favorite subjects. I guess I was always meant to be in medical sales. Great career, sales. The easiest, lowest paying job and the hardest, highest paying job. No ceiling but no floor either.

Are you doing what you are meant or thought you'd be doing?

yes but only part time. I was born to be a musician. But it's a hard way to support a family. So a day job was a must. I at least like what I do as a newspaper ad guy. It also allows me to enjoy my avocation as a musician without the pressure to survive. Life is good.

Still waiting to hear from astronaut school. :(

I set out a plan junior year of college. I got exactly the job I wanted, from the company I had picked out. When I set my mind to something, it happens.

I haven't put together a plan since then.

Dunno what I want to be doing when I grow up, but I'm happy with what I'm doing right now.

I keep telling people that one of these days I have to settle down and get a real job.

34 years of commercial flying and 24,200 flight hours later, I suspect I might have waited too long to join the real work force.

At my age, my Dad had 4 kids, 3 of them in college at the same time.

I haven't even gotten around to having the first one.

Michael.

I always wanted to join the Army which I did at 18. Active duty for 8 years and 17 years in the reserves. Went to college and law school during that time and went into private law practice. What I really wanted to do was be a prosecuting attorney. Became one this year and love every minute of it.

i wanted to be a giggolo, problem is all but my pinis quit growing when i was about 14. i am too short to bring home enough bread doing it now. so i did the next best thing, got a goverment job and F people all day!

I had always been sorta creative and artistic, so working in the Art Department end of the TV/Movie biz kind of fell into place. But it hit me when I was putting a plaster cast on Maureen McCormick's leg for a MOW and thought " Man, when I was 12 I would never have pictured myself holding Marcia Brady's bare leg between my knees!" Wierd how life turns out...

I, too, was supposed to be a musician/rockstar drummer. I pursued that dream for ten years after high school. Had a lot of fun but realized that without moving to California/Seattle it would be tough to get a break.
Ended up getting a job with a vending company through a buddy. Started out at more than most were paid in our area. That was almost 15 years ago. Now I manage 25 employees in 5 counties for the same company. I really love my job most days. I have a lot of freedom and am not tied to a desk all day. I didn't exactly squeeze in any college during that time so I consider myself most fortunate.;)

At the moment, yes. Ask me in 5 years if I'm doing the same thing I'd most likely answer no.

I see it as all part of a master plan. I just have to figure out what the plan is, I think that's when you officially grow up.

From the day I took my first breath I always wanted to be a lubrication / reliability expert! My dream has come true...God I love grease and all the advantages it brings! Gears and Hydraulics makes me all sorts of giggly and don't even get me going on engine oil...

Lube that's like the 6'th time you've posted immediately after me.

Stop it, you're scaring me.

Depends. I first thought I'd be a mathematician, then I thought I'd be a lawyer, then I thought I'd be an investment manager. So, I got a mathematics degree, then I became a lawyer, now I'm an equity analyst and hopefully progressing toward investment manager. So in one sense I'm doing what I meant to do, but in another sense what I meant to do keeps changing. If I'd stuck with one thing, I'd be a lot further ahead right now. But perhaps I'd be bored - I left each thing when I couldn't stand it any more. Seems like I was really meant to win the lottery but never quite got around to it.

I'm getting into your head...best not to play poker with anytime soon.

We had a class assignment in 10th grade -- to write an essay on our future careers. I wanted to ba "an ad man." And that's what I'm still doing a trillion years later -- though I also write marketing plans, which is the level above advertising...

As a kid I was pretty sure I'd play professional football. Turned out I had loads of enthusiasm but very little talent.

In college I was pretty sure I wanted to be a teacher, so I went to grad school. In the early 80's college professorships were damn near impossible to get, so I dropped out of grad school after two years. All things considered, it has worked out pretty well.

Oh, I worked my way through college as a mechanic. I was really awful.

Am I doing now what I thought I would be doing?

No. BY this time I thought I would be dead.

word. I thought I'd be dead by 25. Almost achieved it too...

Let's see, I spend how many years in school, got a ph.d. in chemistry, was a professor for awhile.

Now I run a new media research center.

Yup...my trajectory is right on target.

wanted to be living happy - seems to be working out. The 911 helps a litte when I've had a ****ty day earning the coin. Thought I'd be a country vet - instead I'm lecturing to aspiring maths teachers. Not even close really is it. Still think about the vet thing occasionally.

LOL nostatic, moneyguy, I thought the same too.

I thought I'd be in the field of psychology, what I went to school for, but I ended up in IT.

Love every minute of it.

IT is a mind game.

I mean, how many times have you told a project manager what time something would be done, they give you another (shorter) date, and it gets done exactly when you said it would, despite them riding your posterior?

Don't even get me started on vendors...

Michigan seemed to work for Alice, Iggy,Bob, Ted,and a bunch more, so a move may not have been the thing. I DO know what ya mean about a hard way to make a living. Do you play at all anymore?

High school I wanted to be a genetics researcher, went from washing dishes to cooking on the line at a 4-star French restaurant, worked 40-hour weeks junior and senior years.

College: bio/biochem, continued cooking in Boston.

Graduated college, not sure what I really wanted to do, took a job as an office manager at a small composite R&D co. specializing in aerospace, recreation. Very cool place, made parts for the stealth bomber, experimental bike tubing for Kestrel, etc. President and business manager caught sleeping together, fired, I became the business manager with tutoring from a D&T partner, night school, learned gov't cost accounting, ran the financial side of the company. (Note: you won't believe how poorly run the gov't is... no, you reeeeally won't believe...). Company sold to Bauer to make carbon fibre hockey sticks... everything move to CAN.

went to work for a company doing Dept. of Ed contracting. As liberal as I am and think Education is the silver bullet, the DoE is probably the greatest waste of money in gov't. 1 year later thought up Modern Dad magazine and left to pursue with girlfriend/partner. MD was Popular Mechanics, Science, Men's Health with a dad slant to the edit. On newsstands for 2 years, a good 3-year run, but learned that FirstTime Dad was the right magazine for a different market: fathers to be going to childbirth classes.

Shut down MD, got feet back on ground managing custom IT applications for Fortune 500's. Bubble came, raised some $ for FirstTime Dad, made a serious go of it, 800K circ, bubble burst, evil ex-partner killed company (short version).

Got feet back on ground creating a custom publishing/marketing deptartment for Network World magazine. Created Customer Access Management, an end-to-end media advertising lead management infrastructure that quantifiably connects media to behavioral sales lead analysis using multiple feedback loops, lead nurturing and management-style feedback reports. Got bored after 3 years, thought up:

1. Magazine for how to do business in China
2. Take CAM to the next level as a Fortune 500 app connecting product development with marketing wtih sales.
3. G9Girl

So, no, I never thought I'd be doing this.

Wow, Shaun, that's an interesting history. Never stay bored, eh?

Have met and passed all my goals in life, so must have set them a bit too low. Like Michael have been flying for the last 33 years but lucky to not have as much time in the cockpit as he does! 14,000+ hours is enough for me right now.

My high school advisor told my Mother to put me in VoTech school as "he will never be anything more than a car mechanic" but she would not listen. Saw the jerk a few years later at a stoplight. I was in a new Jag and he was in a old Chevy. He looked over and I smiled and just drove away.

Went to college and majored in psychology and history. Went to work as a plant salesman (no, not those kind of plants, roses and trees) and made more money than should be legal. Left the business at age 28 with enough money in hand to go back to college to get my aircraft mechanics license. Restored a antique airplane, got my EMT/Paramedic rating and mechanics licenses in 18 months and headed out to seek my second fortune in life.

Twisted wrenches during the day and flew cargo at night for 2 years. Someone threw me in the right seat of a Learjet and the rest is history. Lived in Central America for a while, then El Paso, San Diego, Berlin, Saudi, Montana, Dallas, Kopenhagen, Dallas again and now Phoenix. Its been fun and its not over just yet.

The only limits you have in life are the limits you put on yourself. Never forget this and instill this to your kids.

Joe A

It's been fun. A little chaotic at times and many years show a $0 next to my SS statement, but I wouldn't change it for a steady lawyer/doctor/researcher gig. And every day brings new possibilities to rule the world, my ultimate goal. :)

IT is all about taking control, never saving the client and managing expectations.

targa911s
I still have my drumkit that I used throughout our hair band days. Bought it in high school, custom ordered Ludwig. Work and family take up most of my time now. I still thump on the steering wheel or do air drumming to music. My old bandmates and I were getting together every year to do one concert for our families but schedules don't allow for that anymore. Sad, I know.

This is classic. I just went down for some fresh air, to get away from the noise and BS of the office. Was talking with one of the "smokers" and the conversation turned what we did in school. Him? Russian and China studies. Me? East Asian studies. I have known this guy for a while and had no idea... What the f#@k are we doing here was the general consensus. :confused:

It's a soul thing. it will never leave you. Someday you will get back to it. Do not sell those Ludwigs, you'll never find them or the cash to have them again. someday.

I'm quite happy, Army Brat, born overseas and stayed everywhere until I got drafted.Took a test and they told me I should be a Nurse....."I don't like being around sick people and don't make my bed..ain't making yours either..but I loved Trauma Med. saw a "Dustoff Helo" and that is what I did for 15 years,traveled and loved every minute.. but after too many close call's, the Lady asked that quit pushing my luck,took to teaching the same.Retired and bored,buddy calls to help him run this Trucking Co.
I run it now...life is good...in my plan..no
like Nostatic, I'm a cat and hopefully have many more lives ahead of me.
Rika

I never knew what I wanted to do, and now I am doing the one thing I didn't want to do.

I'm really into sports particularly endurance sports like cycling. Studied Kinesiology and Applied Physiology in college, tough major at the University of Colorado, no tennis and rec classes more like biomechanics. Graduated found out anyone who ever heard of Kinesiology thought I studied to be a gym teacher. Got a job in Florida doing rehab work, spent all my savings to get there from Colorado, got there they decided not to return my calls or let me in the building. Had to bus tables at a restraunt in Boca Rotten, FL to get by. Hated everything about Florida in the summer. Moved to Philly and started working for my Dad. The one thing I always swore I did not want to do. I make markets in equity options on the floor of the Philadelphia stock exchange. I have learned a ton about the market and if you want an opinion on a good option position for a stock you like or hate I am not a bad reference. But sitting in a basement on a pile of milk crates looking at a computer screen just isn't a lot of fun. I guess it used to be exciting when there was screaming and open outcry markets but now it is all computerized. Busy days are great slow days last forever.

In the first years of college, I had plans for a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering. I wanted to chase the money and help the environment. I did a co-op job with an environmental firm (engineering, testing, remediation, environmental stuides). I found some of the work interesting and some of the work was pure BS. I realized that self-employment might be a better path. My parents had already built a small real estate empire, so I already had a great open door. I tried to drop out of Georgia Tech in my last year. I honestly thought I'd never work in engineering. 5 years later, I'm still in real estate. I have finally built enough income to allow a reduction in work hours. I don't value money as much as free time now.

I flew medivac for many years and it can get "sporty" so know what you mean. As I get older I do not need the excitement as much and just enjoy being able to play with my toys and have a good time in life.

Guess thats what we worked for early on in life.

JoeA

It's Quarter to Twelve
 

Yawn... I just woke up....tough nite at the Casino....

When I qwas growing up I had the grand illusion that I could become a Mens Room Attendent...imagine handing a guy a towel and getting money for it....WOW....how easy can that be...

But as things worked out I sadly never got that job... just didn't have what it takes...

Going to College I don't even remember what my aspirations were.....I just vaguely remember that where ever I went it was by the beach...and after 7 years they got tired of me hanging around and gave me a piece of paper and said your done...please leave... actually it was in alittle more direct terms than that...my advisor was a nice calm guy when I started but took to chain smoking and popping downers by the time I left....

Someplace in there I had aspirations of being Gawd, but the job was allready taken and the incumbent has no plans of leaving soon....so I guess thats a job I will never have...the hours are murder and the pay is low...but somehow he always seems to get what he wants...

All in all I don't think that I ever wnated to do anything...and thats exactly the job I have....DOING NOTHING!.....

I get a check from the Trust Fund every month and I'm happy.... I get to get up when ever I want...or to look at it another way I get to NOT get up whenever I want...I get to sit here on line all day...I get to do lunch whenever and I can go anywhere or anyplace I want when I want....and I get to spend money as friviousily as I want...

Yawn this is becoming too strenous for me...I think I'll have to say Ciao and take my mid-day nap now....

No, that's actually the mind game known as Project Management.

Poor project management at that I might add.

Ah Joe, to call it "sporty" that made me smile, it's when the mission was over and one reflect's...crazy,stupid,ballsy,what were we thinking, came to mind..until the next call
Dustoff,
anyone,anytime,anywhere and yes they do "sporty"
Rika