What did you want to be as a kid

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blacksmith

i did not really "want" to be anything other than me.

i just was what i was, and i moved through life as "me". i can not see "me" from an external point of view. it is (and was) impossibly complex for me to determine how "i" seem to other consciousnesses.

i can not understand anything beyond my subjective existence, and i just proceed in my own direction.

the thing i wanted (and still want) most (if anything) is an unobstructed pathway. i am terrorized by obstacles and interruptions. external interference to my progress is something which inspires an impatient energy in me, and i do not make carefully considered decisions in a state of extreme "impatience".

i am sorry i am unable to provide a more human style response.

When I was little I wanted to be a garbage man. My "special interest" at the time was garbage cans. I asked for (and got!) a trash can for Christmas one year.

Haha. I had no idea, and still don't. But for reasons of conformity I told everyone that I wanted to be a fireman.

I was quite talented in music and my parents encouraged me by giving me a guitar for Christmas one year. I became quite good at singing and playing the guitar, but I never pursued it beyond my first year in college when I was studying music. I gave that up eventually, but I still enjoy performing in front of an audience even though I get very nervous.

Everything I've done in life has not been from planning, but from going with whatever came my way. I'm trying to change that perspective now with some plans to do creative things with creative people.

When I was 5 years old, on August 25, 1989, I watched as Voyager II approached Neptune. Carl Sagan and another Cosmologist introduced me to the wonders of Astrophysics and Cosmology while unfolding the secrets of this previously unvisited planet live on PBS. I recorded this program, watched it over and over, probably over 1000 times during my childhood. Since that day in 1989 I have known that I wanted to be in Cosmology. Unfortunately, as much in life, our dreams get crushed along the way. My parents were both jailed for drug use/possession in my teen years, and I was left to raise myself with a bit of help from a sick grandparent. This led to my near dropout of high school, graduated by the 'skin of my teeth'. I only passed senior year because I am too smart for my own good and a spectacular liar, and my enrollment in ITT Tech at insistence of both my guidance councilor and my psychologist (who, strangely enough, completely missed the AS diagnosis, though she did try to medicate me for severe depression and compulsive behaviors, but underestimated my aversion to pills, probably due to aforementioned jailed parents due to drug charges). This was a miserable failure - I went in for a CS degree in Networking, and only after the first semester was over did I realize that I had zero interest in computers.

All along, however, I remained true to my lifelong desire to become a Cosmologist. It is nearly ten years later now, I have a wife and three kids, am aware I have Asperger's, and am also two years into a Physics program at Arizona State University. I work so many hours a week that it is going to take me 12-14 years to finish my doctorate (unless my wife finds a comparable paying job), and that is assuming that I keep my sanity during this period. I find that my symptoms increase exponentially with the amount of stress and workload I shoulder; I feel myself becoming more withdrawn and harder to deal with (both myself, and for my family), so I hope I end up making it the whole way. This dream of the stars has pulled me through so many difficult times that I would feel like an absolute failure, and really have a hard time justifying my life... I have to make it.

Friends and family find it strange that I've had such a focus on a specific career for my entire life. Most kids say they want to be an Astronaut, or President of the X, or a Doctor. I was the only child that they'd ever seen that knew the specific job in the specific branch of science, and from age 5. If there were such things as 'fate' or 'destiny', I would say I was fated to become one, but I don't, so I prefer to think of it as an inevitable path for one as awestruck by the cosmos as I.

When I was really young I wanted to be a Firefighter/Paramedic. I do still have thoughts of that being an interesting retirement career.

I started university to become a nurse. I soon discovered that I stink at math and couldn't get through college algebra with a good enough grade to take the 3 additional math courses. I'm discovering now that I was just missing bits and pieces of critical information that could have allowed me to be more successful.

Of course there were also childhood dreams of becoming a pilot. I'm glad I hadn't pursued that. Its dreadfully boring. Even fighter pilots need permission to do anything. I'll stick to my flight simulators. I can do what I want without a chance of getting sick.

I ended up with a music degree and work in a technical music field. I was a lousy musician but a resonably good technician. My biggest hang ups are people skills. Working with sensative musicians everyday can be challenging for an aspie.

Three S's--Scientist, Spy, or Superhero.

I got turned off of math at a young age, which pushed me away from science. It's a shame because I learned later on that I actually was pretty good at math if it was taught in a certain way.

I wanted to be an architect and design houses and fortresses. That idea seemed great, and I'm really good at drawing, but then my dad brought me to an architect's office to talk to them. They told me in no uncertain terms that a woman could never be an architect and not to try. my dad gave me a sympathetic pat on the back and we left.

astronaut. (still want to, actually....)

Farmer, train driver, artist

Originally I wanted to move to Montana and build furniture for a living. I have no idea what gave me the idea, but I was certain that's what I wanted. Then I visited the state. Granted, I only was in the eastern part of the state, but yeah. No desire to go back.

When I was very young I wanted to be a nurse. Around the time I was 9, I wanted to be an artist and now have always wanted to

I wanted to be an artist because I was good at drawing. I also wanted to be Doc Brown from Back to the Future, but I lacked the drive and brain-power to really get into science (I had an aptitude for math but hated it). Ended up a graphic designer and media tech.

I wanted to be the next James Bond when i was really young...

Dentist... originally it was Doctor because of the stereotypical "I wanna help people" deal, but when I told my uncle what i wanted to be when I grew up he said that I should be a dentist because they still help people but they make more money and get to pick their own hours... so I changed. I think I was 5 or 6 at the time.