At what age did you learn what it was you wanted to do for the rest of your life?

[roguerower]

I'm 22 and I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the USMC for as long as I can remember. My eyesight went south but I figured I would still have a chance with PRK eye surgery. Then I dropped from ROTC for several reasons and switched majors from Engineering to Construction Management. Now I work on federal projects for a private General Contractor on military bases. My current project is on a Naval Base next to the runway and helopads.

 

[trmiv]

33. Still have no clue

 

[Schadenfroh]

My eyesight went south but I figured I would still have a chance with PRK eye surgery.

Military require PRK instead of LASIK? IIRC, my eye doctor said something like that, ended up getting PRK due to cornea thickness issues.

Originally posted by: BW86
I'm 22 and still don't really know

Same, I have a degree on the wall so I entered graduate school to avoid deciding.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: zerocool84
I'm 24 and I still don't know. I'm sure there are people older than me that don't know.

Me too....

 

[RapidSnail]

Pharmacy at eighteen.

 

[roguerower]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh

My eyesight went south but I figured I would still have a chance with PRK eye surgery.

Military require PRK instead of LASIK? IIRC, my eye doctor said something like that, ended up getting PRK due to cornea thickness issues.

Military requires PRK because it completely gets rid of the layer covering your eyeball rather which grows back stronger than just cutting a flap in it. I'm pretty sure there were flight tests done with LASIK and the suction holding the flap down wasn't enough to hold it in place during High-G manuevers.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

the nice thing about life is that you dont have to do the same thing every day

anyone who is seeking that is wasting their time

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Originally posted by: roguerower

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh

My eyesight went south but I figured I would still have a chance with PRK eye surgery.

Military require PRK instead of LASIK? IIRC, my eye doctor said something like that, ended up getting PRK due to cornea thickness issues.

Military requires PRK because it completely gets rid of the layer covering your eyeball rather which grows back stronger than just cutting a flap in it. I'm pretty sure there were flight tests done with LASIK and the suction holding the flap down wasn't enough to hold it in place during High-G manuevers.

[/quote]

I'm in the Air Force and when I went to the optometrist he said I could choose, but highly suggested PRK. I haven't gone to the briefings/checkups I need to get it done, but I'll probably go that way when I get around to it.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Originally posted by: Sea Moose

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu
8 or 9 I decided I wanted to be a computer programmer before that I wanted to be a school teacher. Currently doing what I set out to do.

are you teaching computer programming in school?

Nah, I thought about trying to do that, but I enlisted in the Air Force when they offered me the computer programming career field.

 

[Beev]

I'm 25 and I don't know exactly what I want to do, but I want to work in the gaming industry.

I too think acting would be super fun, but I don't even know where to begin with that.

 

[Casawi]

I am 25. At the age of 14 I almost flunked the grade before we get in high school... at this point I majored in Experimental Science (Math, Physic, and Natural Science counted for ~70% of my grade) and my first semester I was first in my entire high school of over a thousand students. It was for the first time I felt .. I don't know what I felt, but definitely gained confidence that I can do something with my life. And pretty much I figured out what I can be good at, it narrowed down my options to some type of Engineering... so I knew this is what I wanted to do.
I also always thought it would be could to work on a boat in the middle of the ocean..lol, but that was way back when I think.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: Beev
I'm 25 and I don't know exactly what I want to do, but I want to work in the gaming industry.

I too think acting would be super fun, but I don't even know where to begin with that.

im 24 and i thought gaming industry was what i wanted to do as well. i got a comp eng/comp sci degree working in an unrelated field to gaming, and i'm jaded about the workforce now. so i have no idea

 

[Kirby]

I've sorta wanted to do software development since about 17 when I first took a CS class in high school. Heading that way now and I generally enjoy it.

 

[krunchykrome]

I'm 26, and I'm not sure yet.

Part of me wants to pursue my career in accounting. I still plan on sitting for the CPA exam at the end of this year.

Another part of me wants to start my own small business some day, like a liquor store, or maybe open a franchise.

And another part of me wants to pursue day-trading. My father has day traded for 15 years, and he's made his share of mistakes. Now though, he actually makes a substantial amount of money trading, especially since he has the time since he's retired. I want to learn everything he knows and soak up as much of his knowledge as possible.

 

[nakedfrog]

The only things I remember wanting to do when I was a kid were chef and stand-up comedian. I've been a programmer for the last nine years, but I just sort of got lucky in getting into the field. I've been coding since I was eight, but it never really occurred to me that it would be a career option for me.

But what I'd really like to do? Nothing. I would love to do nothing, ala Office Space.

 

[hanoverphist]

when i was a kid i wanted to invent stuff. i would tear apart most of my toys, figure out how they worked and then attempt to put them together again. most of the time i was successful, sometimes not so much. when i hit high school i realized i was pretty good at electrical and electronics, so thats the way i wanted to go. i ended up not graduating, doing crap construction jobs for a long time. found screen printing (not textile, 3d industrial) and thought i would do that the rest of my life... until i saw how much people at the top were making and wanted more. i went to school for "multimedia" and specialized in 3d animation, did a few games and focused on special effects and environments. i also took a ton of game character development classes and the sort, but while in school found the job i have now. placement couldnt even match the salary i was already making so i never really got into either the film special effects or video game industry like i wanted to. funny thing is, i started out a drafter at the job i have now, and have worked my way up to "senior programmer" in a smallish company that does industrial electrical. i ended up being an electrician anyway hehe.

 

[Fritzo]

Very few people get to do what they want with their life. For most people, it plays out like this:

1) You get inspired to do something in school
2) You fall into a job to pay the bills
3) That job starts paying decently, you get comfortable, and your dreams take a hike

 

[Modelworks]

27

Started out as electrical engineer, got fed up with corporations and marketing, went to the world of computer graphics, happier than ever..

 

[Chiropteran]

15. Nothing. I'm not wealthy though, so I have to work.

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh

My eyesight went south but I figured I would still have a chance with PRK eye surgery.

Military require PRK instead of LASIK? IIRC, my eye doctor said something like that, ended up getting PRK due to cornea thickness issues.

Originally posted by: BW86
I'm 22 and still don't really know

Same, I have a degree on the wall so I entered graduate school to avoid deciding.

+1 for that

 

[roguerower]

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu

Originally posted by: roguerower

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh

My eyesight went south but I figured I would still have a chance with PRK eye surgery.

Military require PRK instead of LASIK? IIRC, my eye doctor said something like that, ended up getting PRK due to cornea thickness issues.

Military requires PRK because it completely gets rid of the layer covering your eyeball rather which grows back stronger than just cutting a flap in it. I'm pretty sure there were flight tests done with LASIK and the suction holding the flap down wasn't enough to hold it in place during High-G manuevers.

I'm in the Air Force and when I went to the optometrist he said I could choose, but highly suggested PRK. I haven't gone to the briefings/checkups I need to get it done, but I'll probably go that way when I get around to it.[/quote]

I'm pretty sure pilots are required to get PRK but ground forces can choose.

 

[pontifex]

i'm 29. i'll let you know when i find out.

 

[Tremulant]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
But what I'd really like to do? Nothing. I would love to do nothing, ala Office Space.

This would be my ultimate goal. To just do nothing. Preferably on a beach, maybe with a little drink with a tiny umbrella in it.

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Very few people get to do what they want with their life. For most people, it plays out like this:

1) You get inspired to do something in school
2) You fall into a job to pay the bills
3) That job starts paying decently, you get comfortable, and your dreams take a hike

That happened to me, but I'm back on track.

I'm 24 now, but in my first semester of college I was a Mechanical Engineering major, since it sounded fun. But, due to my stupidity, I scheduled my classes so I'd have class all day M-F. Terrible mistake, and I ended up dropping out at the end of the semester. I did nothing productive for about 8 months and then fell into the job that I'm currently at (this was 5.5 years ago).

I started going back to school (MIS Major), with the intention of balancing work and school, but eventually work became too important and I would only take 1 or 2 classes per semester (ie: just enough to say 'i'm going to school!'). Last year a friend of mine gave me a kick in the ass and woke me up.

Right now I'm on track to finish my AA this year. My plan is to quit my job, transfer to one of the state universities, and complete my bachelor's. It should take me less than 2 years, since I plan on taking summer courses.

After that I'd like to move out of Florida (to CA or NY) and just kind of see where life takes me. I'm a little nervous, since I don't know what'll happen, but I'm sure that everything will turn out okay in the end.

As for my career, I'm not sure what I'll end up doing. I think I'd like to own my own business. I've been doing the corporate office job thing and I don't really like it. And I'm sure I'll have other jobs that I won't really like, but I am willing to keep trying different things until I find something that suits me.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I was 4 or 5 years old when my dad bought an apple II-E and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Since then, I've always had a bit of a fascination with computers and how things work. Probably the reason why I'm a software developer now.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I abhor the idea of planning out the rest of my life. I always want the option to change my mind.