What did you want your dream job to be as a child?

My first goal was to be a geologist.

My goals changed, but I am still a rock hound.

I wanted to be a “nurse for flowers,” ie. work in a plant nursery. I did become a nursery inspector for a while in Florida, and then I became a curator in a small museum where I taught classes on Xeriscaping and native plants. Now I just work on my own garden.

I loved my job, but I was needed at home.

It changed with the wind (still does).

An archaeologist or artist. Later in childhood, a genetic engineer. Funny kid…
I lost interest in archaeology, but I’d still consider myself an artist, even though I’m not involved in art professionally. Not everything you want to be has to be your work, I guess…you can still accomplish your childhood goals via causal pursuits.

There were two things I wanted to do, be an archaeologist or an architect.

I am neither of those things.

Comic book artist.

@eponymoushipster not Comic Book Hero?

@RareDenver nah. i don’t like working out, and i never had any weird chromosome issues.

I wanted to be a businessman, which might still happen, but my focus right now is on becoming an English professor/author.

First I wanted to be a painter, then everyone around me persuaded me that I’d die poor, and somehow I gave up. Then I realised that I could write songs, something I didn’t know was all that rare until I was 14. I decided to become a professional songwriter and sell songs to famous singers. I became a singer myself instead, which is not that far off. I was quite successful, though I ended up singing lots of covers in the process.

Computer/Board Game creator, not far off my mark now, I’m a Software Engineer

I’ve always wanted to be an architect and be able to eventually build my own home. But, when attending college for my construction degree I ended up not liking it and got into building web pages instead.

Hey, I’m still building things!

Fireman!
Not happening any time soon.

First, I wanted to be the owner/operator of the most successful lemonade/kool-aid stand in the neighborhood, then it was a starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. I had pretty good success on the first, did not make it to the second (control problems and bad knees). Both had “pitcher” as a common theme.

Well, when I was very young, I wanted to be a porn star. (Yes I’m serious. Don’t ask.)

Later on, it switched to attorney.

Now the dream is to be a published writer.

A cartoonist and an astronaut. Kinda hard to combine those jobs I suppose. Btw, neither came true.

Editor of Vogue – which is so completely laughable now that I’m embarrassed to write it! LMAO

@AstroChuck: Why not become an astronaut and create a cartoon series based on your experiences?

Everything can always be combined.

I wanted to be a zoologist as a young child. As a teenager I wanted to be a photographer for National Geographic. I’m neither but I am happy.

A firefighting boxing teacher

Set designer for the theater

I wanted to be Zoro but I could never deiced if I wanted to ride horse or a motorcycle .

@Hatsumiko- Because that would have meant missing my true calling, delivering the US mail.

Ballerina!

I wanted to remain polish but my folks changed country I became italian, than while I was getting used to it they changed it again on me I became american.

When I was 9 I wanted to be either the mother of 12 (I even had names) or a nun.

@galileogirl Sounds like it was going to be all or nothing with you! :-)

I never wanted to be anything…always had trouble when people asked me that as I dont have any clear picture of what the future could would or should be like. i have always been more focused on the now…careers advisor’s hated me as i am quite equally suited to all subjects except maths…and when offered a choice of several “paths” to go down i didnt like the look of any of em….I am still a jack of all trades though I am half way to becoming a full time artist/illustrator…its a funny old world

@janbb Well things got more realistic as I got to high school. The career aptitude test said with my score a boy should become a lawyer and a girl should become a secretary. Now at the end of my career I think if I stayed with my original idea, a nun with 12 children, I could have a helluva reality show.

You can find many more answers at this similar question.

Marine Biologist. Turns out I’m terrified of boats and being on large bodies of water.

Model. I’m not tall enough. I was once denied because they had too many blonde/blue eyed people.

Vet- I don’t know, I was a kid…then I learned that I’d have to put them down, and I was heartbroken. I think it’d be easier with people.

@casheroo Maybe you could rethink that Marine Biologist thing. There couldn’t be too many land-locked marine biologists, you might be able to fill a niche.

@galileogirl…or you could simple be the mother of nun ;)

An architect. I thought it just meant drawing pictures of houses all the time. I gave that dream up when I learned there was math involved. I then wanted to be a paleontologist… that’s right- before the coolness of Jurassic Park.

I wanted to be a weather man when I was a kid. I used to dress up and give fake weather reports to my family. I ended being a programmer/artist/academic (for now), but I do still enjoy watching the weather channel. I actually met the weather man for our local station not long ago and I must say he was pretty snazzy.

At a reasonably young age I wanted to be a trapeze artist in the Moscow Circus. And no, I never reached those heights.

I always wanted to be a famous singer/actress and I still do! Or I could be a veternarian because I love love love animals!!! :D but either way im happy

@Adagio Great answer! Welcome to Fluther. :)

wanted to be an astronaut… then my brother told me my head was too big for the helmet….

i love my family…

When I was really little, I wanted to write and illustrate children’s books. By the time I was 12, I had changed my mind and wanted to be a stage manager. Once I actually became one, I realized that while I did love it, my other dream was to have a real life and see my husband for more than half an hour a day. No regrets – I still love stage managing, and I still do it every now and then, but sometimes you have to pull back on one dream to achieve a more important one…

A whale biologist.

i wanted to be a veterinarian, but only because i love animals, and i wanted to decorate the office.
also, i wanted to be britney spears. and date lance bass.
sigh

@tiffyandthewall I wanted to date Lance too