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Whoever Came to Career Day

I'm a curious little punk. Just ask my friends.

And among the dozens of questions I ask every day, here's one I shoot at nearly everyone I meet:

"What do you want to do when you grow up?"

Their reactions make my day. Most people are shocked that I would ask such a "childish" question. Recently, I asked a guy in his upper-50s, and he replied: "You know, no one has asked me that in probably 40 years."

The sad thing is that people hesitate to answer. Most people know at least one thing they really want to do when they grow up. But they hold the answer deep down inside themselves, and when asked to cough it up (or spit it out, take your pick), they choke up because they're not comfortable disclosing their dreams. Maybe I'll think their dream is silly. Maybe I'll think their dream is impossible.

The sadder thing is when people have no answer at all. And you can tell. They're empty because they haven't allowed themselves to dream for so long.

And the saddest thing is when I see that sadder thing happen with young people. I just want to scream, "You're not old enough to have become totally devoid of dreams!"

No matter what the situation, most people can at least answer this question (mostly because when we were little kids, we were asked the question all the time): "When you were a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

Of course, the answers are all over the map -- and they should be. I also hear all the classics: professional football player, fireman, astronaut, doctor, etc.

But I heard the smartest, if not best, answer just recently, from my friend Nick, who's in the 14th grade.

When he was little, what did he want to be when he grew up? "It changed from year to year. Whoever came to Career Day, because they showed me it was within my reach."

When we're growing up, maybe we are at the mercy of our influences. But now that we can think for ourselves, maybe we can use this insight to our advantage. If we have a hunch about what we want to do when we grow up, but we're a bit hesitant to go after it with all our heart, maybe we should just seek more examples of those who've taken similar paths before us -- and show ourselves it's within our reach. And if we have friends who are struggling the same, maybe we should provide them with more examples of their predecessors.

Remember who Nick wanted to be when he grew up: just whoever came to Career Day.

Posted by Ian Ybarra on 23 April 2005

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