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

[alias_sqbr]

Yes, Fermats last theorem! Also "The Man Who Loved only numbers", though that was more interesting as a biography.

I haven't read "The Book of Nothing" but really enjoyed "Zero: biography of a dangerous idea" by Charles Seife.

I've heard good things about Simon Singhs "The Code Book" but got put off by the fact that apparently it formed the basis for the Codes and Ciphers course I was the tutor for, and thus wouldn't contain much I don't know :) The course materials are online, unless it's changed it's pretty easy (for a third year maths unit) and kinda fun:
http://www.maths.uwa.edu.au/Units/math3334-s2-2007-crawley/view