I went through about three or four dream jobs before I settled down in high school of what I wanted to be and do....
#1 Paleontologist
I was a dinosaur junky when I was a kid, I loved the big lizards more than anything for a while. My parents bought me a set of the World Books (put out by some encylcopedia company) and I would read the Dinosaur one endlessly. I still remember when the dude who sold us the books came and showed me that volume, I never knew these things ever even existed. Oh to be four again! The Dinosaur fettish changed into...
#2 Astronaut/Astronomer
Porbably a product of the Space Shuttle program but what kid I guess didn't want to be an astronaut I guess. There is a local Omni-Theater here (kind of like IMAX only round) and they would show space movies a lot of the time. I was enthralled by the notion of going to space. I still am actually but realize it probably won't happen for a long time. I don't think most kids though wanted to be astronomers. Just shows what kind of geek I was I guess
Again, I would read endless books and trivia on the planets and stars for days on end, I joined a local star watching group and would go out in fields and watch meteor showers and look through telescopes with them (I think I was around 10) The joy of space never has really left me and is a large part of why I enjoyed Star Wars I guess. That is still there inside me and why I still do like Star Wars!
#3 Archeologist
This one may have something to do with Indiana Jones but not likely because I don't think I ever saw the movies until Temple of Doom and that was after the obsession. Again, the local science museum had a mummy/Egyptian exhibit and that quickly became my favorite place to go even before the dinosaur bones.
#4 Chemist
Notice a trend here
Somewhere in 8th or 9th grade I decided I really loved Chemistry, the reactions, the mixing of acids and bases, the cool little Junior High experiments caught the geek in me and never let go. Somewhere in High School I realized I could make 2 times as much money by being a Chemical Engineer and that is the way I went and have never really looked back
One common theme in everything here though is my love of all things science, core raw science. It is a still one of my true passions, I love reading about astronmy and physics, the works of Carl Sagan and theoretical universe type stuff. I still love looking at dinosaurs and watching FOX's mummy shows. I hope my son is into this stuff too because I can't wait to share in some of those eureka moments