Ps76 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 1652 times:
Hi!
Apologies for another thread but just thought I'd ask people who are older what they wanted to be when they grew up when they were young. Did your dreams come true? I had two dreams when I was a teenager. One was to be an engineer living in San Francisco or San Jose with a wife and kids like my cousin. The other was to be a film music composer as I'm really into film music. I worked in film music for a bit and have an engineering degree but I never really achieved either. I'm a bit like my brother in that we have wild dreams but not as wild as my bro. He was obsessed with becoming a fighter pilot like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. He's now a cleaner in a gym but I'm still proud of him.
darthluke12694 From United States of America, joined Jan 2009, 265 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 1639 times:
My dream was to be an airline pilot, but I decided not to do it because of the salary, working conditions, etc. So now I'm currently in college studying to be a meteorologist, and hopefully that "dream" comes true.
KBNA - "To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home."
September11 From United States of America, joined May 2004, 3623 posts, RR: 23 Reply 3, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 1622 times:
einsteinboricua From Puerto Rico, joined Apr 2010, 2045 posts, RR: 6 Reply 4, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 1619 times:
I wanted to be a pilot, but unfortunately it's too expensive, so I'm pursuing my second passion which is meteorology, although it's a minor and my major is computer engineering. I expect to continue graduate studies in meteorology however.
Quoting darthluke12694 (Reply 2): So now I'm currently in college studying to be a meteorologist, and hopefully that "dream" comes true.
Surprise surprise...where are you studying and what level (undergrad? grad?)?
"You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky."
DeltaMD90 From United States of America, joined Apr 2008, 5318 posts, RR: 47 Reply 5, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 1618 times:
An airline pilot... in pilot training in the Navy now. 10 or so years then I will hopefully be hired by an airline (hopefully Delta!)
darthluke12694 From United States of America, joined Jan 2009, 265 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 1597 times:
Quoting einsteinboricua (Reply 4): Surprise surprise...where are you studying and what level (undergrad? grad?)?
I'm an undergraduate student and I go to Westen Kentucky University. I also plan on furthering my education in meteorology and get my masters degree once I get my bachelors degree. I don't currently have a minor, but I'm thinking about minoring in leadership studies.
[Edited 2012-06-29 19:49:13]
KBNA - "To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home."
Cadet985 From United States of America, joined Mar 2002, 1408 posts, RR: 5 Reply 7, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 1575 times:
I wanted to be a soldier. That dream was killed by an injury when I was 17. Then I wanted to be a pilot. That dream was killed when I found out the costs. So I went to school for journalism. That dream has been dead since I've sent out 2000 resumes with no response. I'm trying to figure out what to do with my life. I'm 26.
DeltaMD90 From United States of America, joined Apr 2008, 5318 posts, RR: 47 Reply 8, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 1567 times:
Quoting Cadet985 (Reply 7):
I wanted to be a soldier. That dream was killed by an injury when I was 17. Then I wanted to be a pilot. That dream was killed when I found out the costs.
I feel for you... I loved my short time in the Army and am now in aviation... I take it the injury you got prevents you from all branches of the military?
kiwiandrew From New Zealand, joined Jun 2005, 8435 posts, RR: 14 Reply 9, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 1562 times:
I wanted to be happy..... and although I haven't quite grown up yet (after all, I'm only 48) I am pleased to report that I am indeed happy ... some childhood dreams do come true
Moderation in all things ... including moderation ;-)
Cadet985 From United States of America, joined Mar 2002, 1408 posts, RR: 5 Reply 11, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 7 hours ago) and read 1552 times:
Quoting DeltaMD90 (Reply 8): I feel for you... I loved my short time in the Army and am now in aviation... I take it the injury you got prevents you from all branches of the military?
Yeah. I have a bunch of other conditions that I had waivers for, but when lingering leg and lower back pain was diagnosed as 3 herniated discs, no branch of the military would take me.
YVRLTN From Canada, joined Oct 2006, 2095 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 5 hours ago) and read 1520 times:
I didnt know what it was called, but I am doing what I always wanted to do - send cargo all round the world by truck, planes and ships. Its fascinating, but some (most...) days I wonder there was a better way to make a living!
AirPacific747 From Denmark, joined May 2008, 2091 posts, RR: 23 Reply 15, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 1483 times:
I wanted to be an airline pilot.. And now I am indeed an airline pilot flying the A32X series based in Ukraine. I am considering a two year contract in South East Asia, but right now I am studying at university as well and I really want to get at least a bachelors degree as well.
vc10 From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2001, 1382 posts, RR: 17 Reply 17, posted (10 months 4 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 1446 times:
I always wanted to be a merchant ships's Deck Officer and as a teenager I actually got an offer of a cadet officer, but my mother refused to sign the consent forms in the end. She was not going to allow her baby boy to be taken overseas by rough old seamen.
My next big interest was aeroplanes and so I stayed on at school so as to get an Apprenticeship in airline engineering and a few years after completing this apprenticeship became a F/E for the rest of my career. I often thank my mother for not signing those forms as I really did enjoy my life as a F/E.
With that said I still look fondly at cargo ships and I am driving "her in doors" mad as I keep suggesting we go on a cargo ship cruise.
Revelation From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 10481 posts, RR: 20 Reply 18, posted (10 months 4 weeks 22 hours ago) and read 1409 times:
As a youngster, I wanted to fly a helicopter. I just loved the idea of being able to hover. I literally had dreams of me hovering over my neighborhood, looking down at everything going on. I had found a book at the local library that explained the rudiments of flying a helicopter, and after reading that, I had this recurring dream where I'd find a helicopter sitting idling in a field, I'd run up to it, and know exactly how to fly away in it.
Like many here, the dream never became a reality due to poor eyesight. I was in high school as Vietnam was ending so there was a huge surplus of helicopter pilots, so there also was next to no opportunities.
The closest I came to that dream was via becoming a glider pilot. If the wind conditions are right, you can point the nose of your glider into the wind and just hover. It's a fabulous experience because it's so quiet.
Luckily for me, I fell in with a bunch of ham radio types, and that built my interest in electronics. I went off to college to become an electrical engineer. I did get my degree in that, but along the way I found my interest in computer science. I never really became that comfortable with electrical engineering, and was told I'd probably need to go to grad school to get where I wanted to go, yet I already felt computer science was quite interesting and quite rewarding, and it still is today, many moons later.
DeltaMD90 From United States of America, joined Apr 2008, 5318 posts, RR: 47 Reply 19, posted (10 months 4 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 1369 times:
Quoting Cadet985 (Reply 11): Yeah. I have a bunch of other conditions that I had waivers for, but when lingering leg and lower back pain was diagnosed as 3 herniated discs, no branch of the military would take me.
I feel for you... I have a few good friends that were medically disqualified. Also, my sister is one of the smartest people I know but has a journalism degree and was let go from her job I'd keep looking when the economy bounces back... there are still some very reputable magazines that may start hiring, or even a news network... good luck
jetblueguy22 From United States of America, joined Nov 2007, 2021 posts, RR: 1 Reply 20, posted (10 months 4 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 1360 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW FORUM MODERATOR
When I was young my father had owned a moving company. I remember looking at all his trucks and thinking that being the boss was the coolest job in the world (after all my dad was the boss!). I wanted to do that until I was bout 8 years old and I went to visit my mom's boyfriend (now husband) for the first time. The NW pilots brought me into the cockpit and were making some alarms go off and I just fell in love. So here I am 11 years later in flight school to become a pilot!
Blue
Professor Foltz: You push down on that yolk, the houses get bigger, you pull back on the yolk, the houses get bigger.
ScarletHarlot From Canada, joined Jul 2003, 4673 posts, RR: 59 Reply 21, posted (10 months 4 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 1339 times:
Quoting kiwiandrew (Reply 9): I wanted to be happy..... and although I haven't quite grown up yet (after all, I'm only 48) I am pleased to report that I am indeed happy ... some childhood dreams do come true
What a wonderful way of looking at life!!
Not surprisingly for someone on here, I also wanted to be an airline pilot. In high school my choice came down to going to Seneca College for pilot training or to the University of Waterloo for math. I was thinking about being a Chartered Accountant until I worked for an insurance agency as a co-op job in high school, and one of the agents suggested that I look at being an actuary. In the end I chose to study actuarial science at Waterloo. I didn't finish my professional exams (although, I am closer to a designation than I realized, and should really take the one last course to finish) and I don't work as an actuary, though I do work in pension consulting - and I love it.
I don't entirely remember why I chose not to be a pilot, except that I know I was concerned about being able to physically do the job. I get motion sickness and disorientation easily.
flymia From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 6298 posts, RR: 6 Reply 22, posted (10 months 4 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 1319 times:
First when I was really young it was a doctor, too bad I didn't stick with that
Besides for a professional sports player I think the next one was airline pilot. That lasted for a while and still now I think about how it could happen one day etc.. But really with the working conditions and pay these days i will settle with flying on my own.
Then I was looking at law enforcement, mostly federal special agent type and that is still a possibility. I'm now in law school and hope to use my law degree for something I enjoy. I am surprisingly enjoyinglaw school more than I thought I would and find learning law and now with an internship at a federal agency applying it to be fun and rewarding. What I do with it when I graduate I do not know. But its crazy how many different ideas and plans I had through the years.
"It was just four of us on the flight deck, trying to do our job" (Captain Al Haynes)
WestJet747 From Canada, joined Aug 2011, 1273 posts, RR: 7 Reply 23, posted (10 months 4 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 1302 times:
When I was 5, I wanted to be a janitor...yup, a janitor. I can assure you my parents were thrilled with that
Well I snapped out of that sanitation dream fairly quickly and for many years I wanted to be a parademic. I can't recall exactly why, but it was definitely a dream.
After I got bored of wanting to be a paramedic, it shifted to journalism, which stuck around for a long time. I eventually became the Editor of my highschool's student newspaper. I also shadowed local journalists for my careers classes. But while I was doing all of this I was also participating in business competitions in my spare time (purely out of wanting to please my father, who is a expert in the procurement field). So without surprise, when it came time to apply to university, I applied to both journalism and business programs.
Today I'm about to start my fifth, and final, year of my business degree, with a specialization in management. I'm hoping to eventually become a management consultant. A far cry from a janitor I'd say
AF1624 From France, joined Jul 2006, 572 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (10 months 4 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 1293 times:
I've always wanted to be a pilot. I still do in some ways. But I was (and still am) shit at Maths and that was the end of it for me. In France, you can't (or rarely can) be a pilot without going to either of two schools: the ENAC or the Cadet Air France. Both require deliriously high levels in Maths.
I then chose a much more realistic way and went to study economics. Then management. Then project management. Now I'm a project manager in a big european defence company. So quite close to my dream, that is, flight. I want to stay in the business as long as I can. Anything that flies is good for me, be it airplanes, missiles, rockets, satelites, whatever.
But still to this day, I sometimes get tears in my eyes (even though that sounds silly/childish/stereotypical) when taking off. It bothers me very much and very deeply that I couldn't make it, and that I was so young and so oblivious about the fact that decisions you make at 15, 16, have an impact on your whole life. But oh well, I'm happy now.
JPC.
25 AirPacific747: You could get a JAA certificate at a British or American JAA school then? It would be possible for you if you just have the money. You must have a sh
26 DeltaMD90: Ever consider going to another country? Not too sure about the details of it all, but I know of some pilots that will go to Asia a few years to fly a
27 AirPacific747: University or even high school is actually not required here, but it's your own money at stake in case you find out you don't have the abilities anyw
28 texan: I dreamed of a couple of things: 1) 2B/SS in the major leagues; 2) be involved in aviation without being a commercial pilot. Didn't become a major le
29 northstardc4m: Lets see in order: Train Engineer Pilot Architect Pilot Civil Engineer Pilot Airline Dispatcher ... And somehow I ended up in IT?
30 futureualpilot: For as long as I can remember, all I wanted to do was be an airline pilot. Now that I am one, it's not as great as I hoped for but it beats working fo
31 PHX787: I wanted to be a lot of stuff as I grew older. As a kid I wanted to be a construction designer/architect/heavy machinery operator. Going into 8th grad
32 extspotter: I wanted to either be an Air Traffic Controller or a Vet or Doctor. By the time I got to doing my A-levels I realised I hated Maths, which you have to
33 flymia: Thats great, That is certainly something which I want to try to find myself getting into. You don't need to take math courses to go to medical school
34 aloges: I don't really remember, to be honest. So I suppose that it changed rather frequently. Anyway, I did once dream of becoming a pilot. Now I do somethin
35 QXatFAT: As a kid I wanted to be either a professional soccer player or a famous chef. I did get to play college soccer so at least I made it to a point where
36 Superfly: I wanted to be a pilot for American Airlines flying their 747-100 or a British Airways Concorde pilot. Thanks to some bean-counters, that is no longer
37 GBLKD: Batman! Seriously, I wanted to drive these And now I do. Picture taken a few weeks back waiting to load 22 tonnes of compost to deliver to a garden ce
38 Kaphias: I absolutely wanted to be a car designer from when I was a little kid al the way up through 6th grade or so. But with a growing love of airplanes and
39 rampart: Prior to middle school (13 years old), I wanted to be... 1) Bush pilot. 2) Architect. 3) Own my own airline. A small one (offshoot of #1 above). 4) An
40 Thom@s: An author or writer. Now I work in an airport tower. If I write stuff there which I've made up myself, I'd probably be risking my job... Thom@s
41 PITingres: Growing up I was pretty sure I wanted to do something related to electronics; I got my Popular Electronics subscription for my 8th birthday. Then, on
42 DocLightning: 1) Pilot 2) Inventor, which turned into... 3) Engineer 4) Cosmologist 5) Lawyer 6) Doctor (which is what I am)
43 Superfly: Can you tell the servers at A.net to accept all of my photos? Just kidding! In a way, you turned out to be all 6.
45 Ken777: I think it would depend on the speciality. Docs do need to understand medical statistics as that is part of understanding meds as they are released.
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