What did you want to be?

[sqbr]

I have an idea for a poll (inspired by this one and it's comments), but first need some data. So: what career(s) did you seriously consider in your youth? Lets say school-age, 5-17, since before that you're too young to know much, and after that you've plausibly started actually training for it. Any extra interesting information you feel like adding is welcome :)

Myself? In order: Writer, teacher(from early childhood till I did work experience as a teacher in year 11 :)), actor/comedian, astronomer/theoretical physicist (which lasted until my first astronomy lecture in second year :/)

Plus lots of vague ponderings that didn't last long.

And of course I got to combine a lot of these working at Scitech, which was fun for a while but reaffirmed that I do not, in fact, want to be a teacher or actor. Doing My Phd, and my webcomic, have somewhat satisfied the writing bug too.

Comments

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

I wanted to be a scientist (unspecified), then an architect or graphic designer, then a journalist, then a game designer, then a mathematician (well, sort of). At various times I thought it'd be really cool to be a critic (not of anything in particular - just some sort of critic!). Notably I never ever wanted to be either a doctor or a lawyer.

Then I became a software engineer. I wouldn't mind being a writer but I've never put any eggs in that basket.

[alias_sqbr]

I think "game designer" is the geek version of "writer", the creative endevour that sounds a a lot more fun and glamorous than it really is, and that a lot more people aspire to than achieve :)

I definitely never wanted to be a doctor (didn't have the marks anyway). I remember looking into becoming a solicitor for a school assignment on careers but I think that was just to make sure I didn't want to do it, since as a fairly but not amazingly high achiever law was one of those things everyone told me I should apply for (along with engineer, which was only slightly more appealing)

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

"I think "game designer" is the geek version of "writer", the creative endevour that sounds a a lot more fun and glamorous than it really is, and that a lot more people aspire to than achieve"

That's true. I didn't really aspire to it that hard, as it were ... still don't. It is fun designing games, though. But I always spent more time designing settings -- my cousin and I would sit down and write little encyclopaedia entries for this place we'd come up with called Netheldraea, when we were about fifteen.

So many of the games and so many of the imagined worlds that do get to market are such hackneyed rubbish that it's a bit hard to believe at times that it takes anything more than effort to get there.

[alias_sqbr]

Sounds like you should write roleplaying source books :D

I do wonder about the writers of some computer games, it feels like the art department and programmers just get together and go "What would be the coolest looking thing the engine could handle?" :)