Ask HN: What did you want to be when you were younger? And what are you now? - sycren
======
jpitzo
I had no idea what I wanted to be growing up. My dad worked construction and
after working with him one summer when I was 15 I knew I absolutely didn't
want to do that.

When applying to college I kind of randomly chose computer engineering since I
liked video games and built up a computer once. At the time I had no idea what
a computer engineer actually did (I'm honestly still not really sure), but
hey, it had computer in the title. I was lucky enough to get an internship as
a software dev at a startup and that's what I do now.

~~~
sycren
Do you think then that the Education system is broken with helping people
decide what direction they want to take?

What startup are you working at now?

~~~
jpitzo
Yes, especially for people in the lower half of the socioeconomic scale. I
went to a pretty crappy HS in Pennsylvania (bottom 6th percentile), where
there were no programming classes (at least in 2004) and very little college
guidance since only 20% of kids (of those who even graduate HS) went to
college.

Part of me understands why there were so few AP classes and not a lot of focus
on college. I mean, since 80% of kids weren't going to college, why not focus
more on vocational classes? While my mom certainly couldn't help me out with
college tuition, she did have good enough credit so I could actually secure
loans via her cosigning. Contrary to what a lot of people think, stafford
loans are not "all you can eat" and most of the time need to be supplemented
with private loans that you need to qualify for, even for a state school like
Penn State. I personally knew a few people that had to take a year off and
build up some credit just so they could get loans to go to school.

Fortunately a lot of smart people are starting to take on this problem via
alternative means of education. I think that's really the only solution for
people from backgrounds similar to mine.

~~~
anywherenotes
I finished highschool in '95, I was in good school, and we had computer
science course - though I didn't notice them ... but my friend gave me his
programs from which I learned. We had law classes, everything.

Still I had no guidance in what major to pick in college. Ended up in computer
science for same reasons I saw in list - hands aren't steady enough to be
doctor, I liked law (took in highschool), but thought I'd have to deal with
criminals all day, and I liked video games. Not once did a job such as taking
x-rays, or other medical-field non-doctor jobs pop into my head.

My point is I felt even my good school didn't give any guidance to pick a
career. (They let you try a lot of subjects though, all electives - take
anything, you want if you want.)

------
zackmorris
I wanted to be an inventor like Nicola Tesla and make enough money by selling
shareware (like Notch did with Minecraft) that I could have a lab like Tony
Stark and change the world.

Now I sit at home all day scouring stackoverflow.com hoping to get one hour of
real work done per day on my contracting gigs to pay the mortgage. My to-do
queue is so full that I can't see the day when I'll be able to work on my own
projects. I'll be out of money in a few months and probably have to get a
"real" office job again.

~~~
Buzaga
I hear ya.

------
sycren
I wanted to be an inventor when I was younger and I was always asking lots of
questions like 'if you made corrugated solar panels with refractive prisms
inside the grooves, could you increase the surface area and therefore the
performance...?'

I realised pretty fast that its hard to find the answer to these ideas unless
you have the money to experiment and so took a batchelors degree in CS
instead. I love that its possible to have a software idea and prototype it
really fast and put it out there. After doing a Masters in Bioinformatics I
became more interested in the application of data I became a marketing
analyst. Right now I have my own company Knry which is making sensory based
technology for Firefighters and do some freelancing on the side. I think I am
on my way to reaching my youthful dream career.

~~~
GFischer
Nice, congratulations for following through on your dream :)

------
SoftwareMaven
I went through a few things: truck driver (yeah, I was 5, but I could name the
manufacturer of a truck by the grill), neurosurgeon, lawyer, then software
engineer. I decided against the surgeon because my hands aren't steady enough.
I decided against the lawyer after sitting next to one on a flight from LA to
Tucson when I was 15; he absolutely hated his job. From about 16 on, I knew I
wanted to do software (and this was in the 80s, when that was _far_ outside
the norms).

If I had it to do over again, I would probably pursue a major in biology with
a minor in computer science. I think that would have opened up some
interesting career opportunities for me.

Or maybe I'd say to hell with computers and go to med school. :)

~~~
sycren
Since you have quite a lot of experience making software, why not venture into
bioinformatics now? There is a lot of scope for products out there with little
competition. The biggest problem that I found in my bioinformatics masters was
that the software tools out there were buggy as hell and only worked in
specific scenarios. You mention that you would want to major in biology if
given another chance. Take a Coursera course and build a bioinformatics
business.

------
acampbell28
Wanted to be a baseball player. Played through college, got a communications
degree, now work as a Web Strategist for a hospital. Working on a baseball-
related side project though.

~~~
sycren
What do you do as a Web Strategist for a hospital?

~~~
acampbell28
A lot of analytics reporting for internal clients - here's what's happening
with your section of the website, here's how we can drive more traffic.

We also do a lot of Adwords and Facebook advertising. We've seen some good
success with "wellness" advertising on Facebook - targeting certain
demographics with reminders for annual mammograms, colonoscopies, osteoporosis
screenings, prostate exams, etc.

------
bitwize
Then: An astronaut. Now: an office-chair-naut.

~~~
martinwnet
I found out recently that the French word for Internet user is "Internaute".

------
mattquiros
Then: Game developer for the PS1. Now: Mobile app developer, but no games. Not
so bad, I guess.

Other things I thought I wanted to be: Doctor, astronaut (I probably would
have tried if there were schools where I'm from), lawyer, TV news anchor,
scriptwriter, rock star.

------
pyvek
I wanted to be a scientist (wasn't specific about the field at that age) when
I was a kid. After getting near a computer, I knew that it was going to be
something involving them. But then I got into some shady stuff online when I
was 16, spoiled my high-school years, didn't get into a college and dreamt
about being this rich guy sitting in a huge mansion with a laptop on his lap,
millions in bank and nothing to worry about. But reality and ethics came
crushing down hard. Now I'm 20, learned programming this year and working on
my start-up.

------
GFischer
I wanted to be a "nuclear engineer" because my stepfather was one.

I did start the engineering career, but ended up switching for a degree in
Information Systems, a Master's in Management of Technology and currently work
coding in VB6 and even crappier technologies (FORTE TOOL) for an insurance
company.

When I dig myself out of some loans (partly to pay for studies), I'll
hopefully work at my own company :) - have had some aborted startup attempts,
and have yet another side project with two friends right now.

~~~
AndrewKelley
Since you mentioned that you have to dig yourself out of some loans, do you
wish that your student loan company deferred student loans for entrepreneurs?
[http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/08/26/considers-
def...](http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/08/26/considers-deferring-
student-loans-for-young-entrepreneurs/R1CUAZrGz5OtqEuHX040kM/story.html)

~~~
GFischer
I live in Uruguay, these are personal loans, there's no concept of "student
loans" here. Mostly my fault, education is free at the undergraduate level and
reasonably priced at the graduate level here (I chose to do a private
university, and took the most expensive master's degree available).

It sounds like a good initiative for people in the U.S. though :)

------
dagw
Nothing really, on the whole I was a rather unambitious teenager. I enjoyed
programming and computers and stuff, but never really had any plans or
ambition to make them my job. I drifted into a junior sysadmin role more or
less by accident after high school because I needed a job and eventually ended
up programming. It wasn't before finally ending up in university that I found
any sort of calling (mathematics), and I'm currently doing data analysis, with
a side order of GIS.

------
agibsonccc
Programmer in high school (played too many video games). Freelancer turning
founder now. Had to write webapps to eat in college, grew to love it.

------
stevekemp
I didn't care, I just wanted to be happy.

I've pierced body parts, been a DJ, been a developer, and now I'm a sysadmin.
I'll keep doing that until it the balance of "mostly fun" switches to "mostly
unpleasant". (Which I can't see happening, but who knows?)

------
meerita
Commercial cargo airplane pilot. Now I'm graphic designer, specialized on
UX/UI.

------
jane_portman
I wanted to be either a designer, wearing stylish heavy-framed glasses, or a
lawyer. Ended up being a UI consultant (very close) with a degree in Legal
Software Development. Had a Lasik to get rid of those stylish glasses :)

------
codecrusade
I wanted to be a scientist and here I am a spreadsheet mason :)

------
Sagat
When I was a child I honestly wanted to be some sort of god, watching the
world go by and knowing everything. Needless to say it didn't work out exactly
that way.

~~~
dontstealmyname
Have you considered a career in the NSA?

lol

------
pearjuice
I wanted to be succesful and stand above others in terms of achievements,
knowledge and wealth. Yet I am condemned to this life of sheer mediocrity.

~~~
sycren
What are you doing to escape this existence and get back on path to your
dreams?

------
Casseres
Then: Soccer Player, Genetic Scientist, Lawyer

Now: Merchant Mariner

~~~
lutusp
A nephew of mine set a similar goal when he was young. He eventually got to
realize his dream. After a couple of cruises, he returned home with a haunted
look on his face, saying, "Those people _have_ to be out there."

~~~
Casseres
> "Those people have to be out there."

Indeed, they do...

------
clockwork_189
When I was a kid I wanted to be a "hacker". I am not a hacker...but I code, so
I guess I kinda achieved that status?

------
cmorgan8506
Wanted to be a Paleontologist. Now I'm a Web Application Developer. Close
enough?

------
Buzaga
Comic Book drawer.

Then into adolescence: tattooer, anthropologist/teacher, coder(coders 'can be
different' and coding felt like a game)

Now: I'm a developer and I'd like to get free to be creative in coding,
writing, drawing

What sucks about being a dev is that when you're learning it you just feel
like creating and the work is nothing like it.. I guess I'm somewhat good at
it because I'm good with abstractions, have always been very logic and like
learning(thus 'teacher'). So, I'm still far but the spirit is the same...
Seeking your passions is hard as fuck, no wonder people give up.

