What Was Your Dream Job?
I posed a question on Twitter last night stemming from a conversation among friends: "When you were a teenager, what was your dream job?"
The answers ranged from the typical - doctor, lawyer, rock star etc. - to the more interesting. Several people wanted to be play by play announcers for various sports. Comic book author Nathan Edmondson wanted to be an F-22 pilot. Columnist Salena Zito wanted to be Lois Lane. Law student Umar Jones wanted to open a five star hotel in Times Square. Tea Partier Kathleen McKinley admitted to wanting to be David Cassidy's personal masseuse. Attorney Dan McLaughlin wanted to be a novelist - and as it happens, so did bestselling novelist Brad Thor.
Personally, I wanted to run a league of assassins when I was a teenager. And a few years later, I made that dream a reality.
What was your dream job?
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Comments:
Apr '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
National Geographic photographer, and no I never even got close. I worked as a Carpenter for almost 2 decades, then went back to school, and I am now an unemployed History teacher.
May '10
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
In her defense, at least you make much more money than you would as a sports columnist. And, well, you have a job, which is more than most of my sportswriting friends can say these days! · 30 minutes ago
And it is more than most of my lawyer friends can say these days!
Jun '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
I wanted to succeed my hero, Ernie Harwell, as the radio voice of the Detroit Tigers.
May '10
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Since grade school I wanted to work for the NSA. I studied several languages, lived abroad, got degrees in Russian and Spanish, specialized in Scientific Russian Translation, discovered my professional competition was native Russian speakers, and that I should have studied Chinese.
The ironic part was when the military was clearing my husband to fly F/A-18s they had a problem with his wife having degrees in Russian and Eastern European Studies. Being scrutinized as a potential risk to my own country did not make me happy. At least I satisfied some of my fascination with national security and reconnaissance through my husband's career. I should have been a large animal vet.
Jul '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Gigolo to the supermodels.
Aug '10
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Ghostbuster.
I'm only half-kidding.
May '10
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Renaissance Man. I wanted to do several things simultaneously, including composing, wood carving (furniture), novels, philosophy and game design.
I also considered becoming a priest. That's the most intimidating "job" I can imagine.
Sep '10
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
As a teenager my dream job alternated between pilot and mathematician. Mathematician won--barely--I didn't want to fly airliners for a living, and you can be a military pilot for only so long. Out of college I couldn't go to grad school at first, did engineering for a longish while. Then I quit that job--a really hard thing to do; it was a good job with good people--went to grad school and hurrah, I'm a mathematician. Most jobs for "pure" mathematics are academic jobs, so I teach, and I've found that I actually like it, though it's a lot more work than I ever would have thought.
It's a good job. But I still wanted to be a pilot, so I got my private pilot certificate and now I fly during the summer when I'm not teaching.
Edited on February 8, 2012 at 6:01pmMar '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Air Force pilot, until I realized they wanted a 7 year commitment, and I did not want to do it that long. Have read Aviation Week cover to cover since I was 7.
I was taking pilot's lessons anyway, but when I rolled the family Lincoln Town Car, my parents unreasonably put the kibosh on it. My consolation prize was an advanced driving course so I would be able to avoid rolling a land yacht in the future.
Now I run an aerospace company, and get to play. We even get written up in magazines I read anyway. Thank G-d, I have my dream job today.
Edited on February 8, 2012 at 6:20pmAug '10
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
How the HECK do you roll a Lincoln freakin' Town Car?!
That's like rolling an Abrams tank!!!
Apr '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
After a school field trip to the Governor's Mansion, I thought it would be a neat place to live for a few years. So, my goal was to marry the first woman to be elected governor of Mississippi so I could be First Husband! I never found the ideal candidate -- sort of like the Republican primaries.
Mar '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Misthiocracy: How the HECK do you roll a Lincoln freakin' Town Car?!
That's like rolling an Abrams tank!!! · 25 minutes ago
I was thinking the same thing, Misth...
...iWc, you get bonus points on the difficulty scale for that one!
Mar '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Same here. But then reality set in. As mean as this sounds, I think it's important to teach children that while they should strive for dreams, most of the time they stay just that... dreams. It's really important to teach kids that life is hard, and the world is unfair. In the end, that's not a bad thing, or even depressing. It's just reality. As Despair, Inc. so lovingly puts it...
Jul '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
I wrote this at age 8.
Oct '10
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Male teenager's dream job? C'mon already. No "Playboy photographer" answers yet? Or just no one (until now) dared admit it?
It eventually gave way to pitching for the Mets. Which, come to think of it, hasn't changed in 35 years.
Mar '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Went I was growing up I was enthralled with the adventures of space (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the cultural visions, Star Trek, Star Wars, 2001 etc) and wanted to do anything that could give me that connection. Well I got my engineering degrees and have been doing that for the last 30 years (Hubble, EOS, COBE, various other astronomy and earth research programs). Now I am watching as it is getting dismantled. (I believe the both the current and prospective administration will do the same calculus and will put circuses over research). The personally sad thing is that most of the voices here in my intellectual community seems to be cheering it on. Aspects of Exceptionalism need to demonstrated and require more than a rallying cry and thumping our collective chests.
May '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
When I was young I never wanted to "be" anything. So far I have succeeded.
Than's not entirely true. When I was 16, I wanted to be Jeannie Miller's boyfriend. She didn't have the same idea.
Sep '10
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Always wanted to be a physician as long as I can remember. I have been one now for almost 22 years. I have changed my specialty 3 times though and have now found my place in the world for the last 10 years.
I never wanted to be involved in politics, but felt obligated to do so when I saw my profession under assault.
I still love to surf, snowboard and hang out in my garden. So far, so good.
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
I'm doing my dream job now.
Mar '11
Re: What Was Your Dream Job?
Dave, A few posts ago, you were saying that you felt less like a cowboy and more like Capt. Kirk, and I thought to myself "I knew cowboy-astronaut would be cool!"
Edited on February 8, 2012 at 8:18pm