Was there something you were fascinated by as a child that presaged the work you do now?

Not really, as a child/youth I wanted to be a writer, and now what I do has nothing to do with writing (except emails). Though one day I might pursue that type of career.

I always had a penchant for “tinkering”. I can’t tell you how many transistor radios and other gadgets I canalized for parts to put together various projects.

I am a software engineer who works on embedded microcontrollers.

I always loved and surrounded myself with animals.

Growing up I was lucky to be able to go on many road trips across the American southwest and a couple cross country trips with my family. We went on road trips at least twice a year all throughout my childhood. I also had a fascination with maps. I would study them and visualize myself being in certain locations. I also always had my camera ready to take photos.

As many of you know I’m a stay-at-home mom now, but I did go to school to become a travel agent, and I worked as one for two years. I was great at my work, but the road tripper in me wanted to suggest road trips instead of package deals to touristy spots such as Cancun, Vegas and cruises. I just wasn’t a salesperson for those type of trips. I may get back into tourism once my daughter is older though. I would also like to work on my landscape photography talent and maybe do something with that.

Drawing and nature.:)
There is almost always a reference to nature in my artwork

Actually, yes. When I was a kid I was fascinated by my aunt’s work stories (she’s an RN). I used to follow her around the hospital and make friends with the patients. It wasn’t until many years later that she and her friends started to tell me that the patients that I picked out to befriend were always those that were the worst off. That even as a child, I felt comfortable approaching and befriending the man without any legs, or someone with a significantly disfigured face. I specifically remember the people they are talking about, but I hadn’t ever thought of it that way. As a child, it felt very natural to me. I loved befriending the people that I met at the hospital. I enjoyed talking with them, and I loved listening to their stories.

When I was 11 or 12 years old, my grandmother had open heart surgery. She developed a staph infection that destroyed her sternum, and through the healing process the wound was left open. I was both curious, and scared, because you could actually see her heart. It had to be dressed regularly, and over time she taught me how to do that. Even looking back now, I remember feeling very special and like it gave me a special bond with her to literally be so close to her heart.

Along the same lines, I also had a severely disabled sister. My childhood was full of g-tubes and monitors, CPR training and seizure protocol. It was just a normal part of my life.

Needless to say, I think I was destined to end up in the medical field. Probably environmental factors, but for the majority of my life it has been an interest of mine. It is just where I belong.

@lucillelucillelucille that is incredible. Oh I want it!

As a child I was fascinated with sports & looking up womens skirts.
I’m not currently employed as a professional sportsman & I’m not a gynecologist, last time I checked. Therefore my answer has to be no!

Making mud pies is the only childhood connection I can think of that would relate to making the epoxies I make today??

Seeing Rory Gallagher live in 1975 as my first ever concert was without question a HUGE influence on me to want to really learn to play the Electric Guitar.

Not professionally but when I was a teen I babysat for kids in foster care and after hearing some of the things that put them there from the physical to the sexual abuse, I knew when I became an adult I would someday be a foster parent which I am and actually adopted two kids from.

I’ve always been interested in people, and now I study psychology. I don’t know what I’m going to do with the degree once I get it…

I dabbled in many things as a child; grew up to be a Jill of many trades…

Thanks Neffie:)

Growing up in Broken Hill and playing on the slag dumps burning sulphur made me think that I’d like to be a chemist. Male with the red green colour blindness stopped that. So picking up stones and rocks became an obsession and I became a welder LOL what a disenchantment.

The distinction beteen gerunds and infinitives.

Thank you for another thought-provoking self-analysis question. I honestly don’t know how you do it time and time again.

When we were young, my friends and I used to bike over to the local grounds of an old monastery that had a tennis court. While the monks had moved out years before, there was still a grounds keeper that lived in a cottage on the property. He used to lend us the key to the monastery, and we’d explore the huge structure for hours.

As a teenager, I worked at a large, rambling church conference center that had all sorts of structural oddities due to additions over the years. (Think Harry Potter’s Hogwarts castle without the magic, although there were claims of a few ghosts.)

After college, I landed a job in the hotel industry. At one point, I ended up working as a hotel inspector. It was the best job ever…getting paid to travel all over and explore all the nooks and crannies of a hotel from rooftop to creepy basements was beyond words.

Playing outside.

Boks and ridding.

Not at all. At one time in my life then I became what I had always wanted to be but now my jobs are just a means of income, they are not part of me.

Yep, I was obsessed with anatomy and science. I pretty much ended up going down a path of a scientist, then a pre-med, then a public health professional. I’m going into sociology because of how I’ve led my life, to be honest.

My favourite days in kindergarten were the days when the French teacher would visit. So learning other languages has always been a thing for me, I guess.

When I was young, I watched Apollo Moon landings and loved jet fighters. I became an Aerospace Engineer.

I created plays and stories to entertain the other kids on the block. I was the actor-director-writer-producer, and I write now.

I’ve always been fascinated with how the body works and with how different things affect it. I became a registered nurse. The work was not a lot like the learning in the early days. I was disappointed.

Not working yet, but working towards a career of which my little-kid self would have highly approved.

As a kid I loooooved to build things, usually using K’nex. I could legit just sit down and play with my K’nex for 6 hours on end in a day. I also loved the night sky, going star-gazing with my dad, looking through his telescope.

I’m going to go to college for robotics engineering. The resultant (unlikely) dream job would be designing rovers and other unmanned spacecraft for NASA!