What did you want to be when you grew up?--Al

-- Al Schroeder (al.schroeder@nashville.com), July 22, 2000

Answers

When I was very young I wanted to be an actress. I did all the typical dressing up and playacting that most children do and imagined myself winning many Oscars for my talents.

When I was about nine I realized that the chances of me becoming a successful, or even working, actress were pretty slim, especially since I lived in Norfolk, VA at the time, so I gave up that dream and decided to become a secretary.

Then I discovered The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries when I was 12 or so (both the books and TV shows). It was then that I decided to become a lawyer, just like Nancy Drew's dad. That dream lasted until I was 14.

By this time I was living in San Diego. I realized that my extreme shyness and dislike of confrontation would not serve me well as a trial lawyer. Around the same time I took a drama class for the first time. I loved it. Then I joined the drama club and was cast in my first real play, a one-act melodrama in which I played a con-artist fortune teller who actually had some character development (she started out on the side of the villian, then recognized an old flame in the form of the blustering mayor [played by Mark Hamill's brother Pat] and promptly switched sides). From that moment on there was no looking back.

I still want to be a working actress, and have finally taken some steps to making that happen over the last few months. I haven't been cast in anything, but these things take time. I'm positive that it'll happen.

-- Carol (webgal@ordinarygoddess.com), July 22, 2000.

I wanted to be a doctor of some sort. More specifically: a psychologist specializing in clinical psych. I'm currently in school studying about psychology so I am definitely going to reach the life- long goal that I have set for myself to become a doctor.

-- Meghan (meghlcl@aol.com), July 22, 2000.

On and off through childhood I wanted to be a writer. Still do, really, bit I know I'm not that talented, and I enjoy having something that I do of my own free will instead of having to do it. In junior high I wanted to be a farrier, someone who made horse shoes, or a horse trainer. I was horse crazy all through junior high and high school. In college I took a bunch of psycology classes because I liked them, and ended up with a special education major. Although I've been hit, kicked, bit, and generally gone through periods of insanity, I wouldn't trade those kids for anything in the world. There's nothing more thrilling than breaking through all the obsticals of special needs and discovering the real person inside.

-- AJ (joijoijoi@hotmail.com), July 24, 2000.

I came by my desire normally I think, Mom and Dad both worked in the communications field. I watched the miracle of over the wire communications. Around age 40 I became a General Class License holder for Amateur radio. Now in retirement Webtv is meeting my needs quite well - So that is what I want to be when I grow up (if ever) a communicator.

-- Denver doug (ionoi@webtv.net), July 24, 2000.

I wanted to be an Oceanographer. A Marine Biologist. I still do.

-- Planet Earth (imagine@industrial-ideas.com), July 25, 2000.

At various times I wanted to be a marine biologist, a lawyer, a famous author. I never really dreamed of becoming a teacher, so of course I got a degree in education. Now I consider myself a writer and am also studying to become a librarian. I'm not indecisive or anything.

-- Gina (vs6599@netscape.net), July 26, 2000.

My very first career ambition (at about age four) was to be a farmer. Although all my grandfather had was about an acre sized garden, I thought it was big enough to qualify as a farm. Since I loved helping him out there, I decided my fate was to work the land. But, about the age of six, I realized there wasn't any money in it and decided to be an architect. Over the years, I changed my mind frequently, periodically mulling over journalist, writer, psychiatrist, and eventually settled on being an English Literature professor.

-- Elan Kesilman (elan@elanworks.com), July 27, 2000.

I was going to be a nun. I almost tried it. I had my plane ticket and my trunk packed and a reservation at the Mother House in St. Louis. At the last minute, they suggested I postpone my entry for six months, and ultimately I decided not to go.

There were times, raising 5 kids, when would think to myself, I COULD HAVE BEEN IN A CONVENT NOW!!!!!

-- Bev Sykes (basykes@dcn.davis.ca.us), July 28, 2000.

When I was really little i wanted to be a cleaning lady. As I grew up people gradually instilled more ambition in me and i decided to be a Pediatrician. When I entered University i soon saw medicine wasn;t my main interest, although i love children. So i thought seriously of a number of things- Costume design, Drama, Education, Speech Pathology, Graphic Design, and Opera singing. Currently I'm thinking of Music Therapy. At times it seemed my future was planned then the next week it would change entirely.

-- Lindsay Schneider (linds_schneid@hotmail.com), April 13, 2001.