When I grow up, I want to be... by SpaceAnJL

You think you know--what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

I'm looking around going "What happened about me?" yeah. I still have some time, though. I doubt I'll ever do what I wanted to do as a kid; got disillusioned with those dreams. Maybe I'll surprise myself, though.

There's the funniest song called "When I Grow Up" by the excellent folk singer John McCutcheon. The lyrics are thus:

When I was a little boy
Sittin’ on my Grandpa’s knee
He’d tousle my hair and ask me
“What are you gonna be?”
But when I was little boy
I was too busy being small
I didn’t know he was my rear view mirror
I was his crystal ball
But now I’m pushin’ 50
It’s all gone quicker than I planned
And I finally understand
It’s time to wonder what…I’m gonna be
When I grow up

When I grow up
When I grow up
When I grow up
I wanna be, I wanna be

I wanna be a character
A cantankerous soft touch
The kinda guy who’ll tell the same three sorry jokes
And always tips too much
I wanna be unpredictable
You never know what I might say or do
His tales aren’t factual but they’re true
I’ll never fall in a rut
When I grow up

When I grow up…
I wanna be an unrepentant romantic
The kinda guy whose dancing is inspired
Who goes to bed early on a Saturday night
And not because he’s tired
I wanna be sentimental
The kinda guy who’ll cry at a book’s sad ending
Who’s constantly befriending
Some poor, flea-bitten mutt
When I grow up

And I wanna be a elder
The kinda guy all the neighborhood kids come see
Can I sit on your knee?
Won’tcha tell me one story, please?
And I wanna be wise
It’s a whole lot better than being smart
Leading with your heart
I’ll be a guy who trusts his gut
When I grow up

When I grow up…
I wanna be an old fart
The kinda guy who hangs around hardware stores
Who always calls a waitress by her name
And knows all the latest scores
I wanna be eccentric
They’ll say my ideas are a little bit skewed
To the pompous I will be rude
And to the powerful a pain the butt
When I grow up

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Saturday, July 8, 2006 2:04 AM

PENGUIN

Great song, PhoenixRose!

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Sunday, July 9, 2006 12:13 PM

SAVEWASH

Now I am learning about scary.

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
I am not gonna be one of those 30-year-old small-townies working a dead-end job and never having accomplished anything.

Good for you! I wish you success. I'm one of those 40-year-old small-townies working a dead-end job and never having accomplished anything, and I can't say I recommend it.

I am writing and drawing, though, and I plan to keep doing those until I die.

When I grow up, I want to be sure that I didn't waste my life.

"We need to keep our heads so we can ... keep our heads."

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Sunday, July 9, 2006 12:23 PM

ONEMANSHORT

I'm still deciding, for a while I wanted to be a nun. Somethign about religion really appeals to me. Currently I want to be an environmental biologist, just doing research that interests me and probably teaching it as well. My dream job is a professional chess player, but it's not as realistic as the others.

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Sunday, July 9, 2006 12:31 PM

THESOMNAMBULIST

I'm pretty much doing what I always wanted to do. I'm a freelance cartoonist. Thing is though it doesn't exactly stop there.
I've always wanted to write and illustrate my own stories and have them published. Presently I'm in the process of doing this but no publisher just yet.

Also I have just finished my script for a TV show which I'm hoping to pitch to some production companies very soon. I can't exactly say I always wanted to do this - it's a recent thing on account of watching Joss' shows. Sorta got all inspired like after Buffy finished.

The
Somnambulist

www.cirqus.com

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 7:37 PM

WOLFPOET

I want to be a writer, if it wasn't already obvious

It's my passion... I've been writing since I was 6 years old. But usually writing doesn't bring in much cash for a long time, I'm also going to try to minor in biology or ecological studies so I can be a park ranger somewhere.

"We will rule over all this land, and we will call it... this land."
"I think we should call it YOUR GRAVE!"
"Oh, no, sudden yet inevitable betrayal."
-Wash

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 7:50 PM

Like I said before: wanderer. Righting wrongs and breaking hearts.

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 8:17 PM

ARCADIA

Hmm... well, I'd like to write (as so many in this post do!). Currently, I am going to school for television writing/production, writing fanfic, and working on a few stories of my own (mainly shorts, but I also hope to write a novel). If writing for hollywood (or, as I'd prefer, network TV) doesn't work, I would still like to be involved in the film-making process in someway: editor (script or film), camera man, whatever. I want to tell stories. I want to help other people tell stories. I want to be a slave to stories (and basically already am). That's all, really.

If that fails, and I'm 29 and have no true prospects, I also think it would be cool to be a paramedic.

[center]
Arcadia
aka Greyfable and/or Katie

like the avatar? there are more. grab one here: http://snipurl.com/syt0. Happy Summer of Serenity!
www.stillflying.net -- picking up Firefly were Joss left off. We will hold 'til he gets back.
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Sunday, July 23, 2006 8:23 PM

GHOSTTOWN

This question fits right in with my current life situation. I've always been one for entertainment...acting, songwriting, and all that jazz. But making money in any of these fields is neraly impossible unless you are one lucky SOB. So instead I think I'm pursuing law and hopefully make real good money and be able to enjoy my life and support my hopefully future existant family.

Cory

"That's A Dumb Planet"

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 11:03 PM

Lol, I hate you all!

I wanted to be a writer!

Meh, enough room in the verse for all of us. But then, if the proportion of writers to total people is the same in life as on this board, we're all screwed.

I'm gonna major in creative writing (see: major in unemployment) and minor in theater. If, or rather when, I can't get anything done with my creative writing degree, I'll just go n teach drama maybe. Thought about teaching littler kids, cause I love em and they're so cool, but somehow I don't think a degree in creative writing would help with that.

Oh well, at least it aint chartered accountancy. (Monty Python joke) It'll at least be an interesting, if not particularly well paying life.

"But, these strong women characters?"

"Why aren't you asking 100 other guys why they don't write strong women characters?" -Joss Whedon

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 11:18 PM

You think you know--what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

Whitefall, some (possibly) depressing stats for you:
1 in every hundred people "want to write"
1 in every hundred of those people actually write anything.
1 in every hundred of those that write anything actually send it anywhere in the hopes of being published.
1 in every hundred of those who try to get published actually manages to get published, and usually it is not a first book that does, but rather a fourth or fifth one.
And 1 in about every thousand novelists actually make their living at it.
I hope I remembered those right.
This is all strictly the book world, of course. I don't know how it is in Hollywood or on Broadway, but I have to think it's not any easier.
Also, if you actually want to teach, you have to jump through a lot of hoops. You can't just say "Well, this isn't working, I'll go teach now!" you would have to go back to school and get licensed for it, then be a TA, then be a sub, then teach.
Just a shot of reality for you. You might consider majoring in English instead; that way you might be able to get into the publishing world without more school if you couldn't make your living as a writer. Anyway, it's a thought.

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 11:36 PM

A Junkie.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 11:41 PM

BABYWITHTHEPOWER

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
A Junkie.

You lie! The nice man on TV told me that "Nobody says they want to be a junkie when they grow up", and informed me of all the evils of drugs and how they lower your response time and make your friends hate you and take all your bones away. Say no to drugs kids.

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I'll be in my bunk.

"Live with a man forty years. Share his house, his meals, speak on every subject. Then, tie him up and hold him over the volcano's edge--and on that day, you will finally meet the man." ~ Shan Yu

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 11:43 PM

HAHAHA! That's awesome man. After seeing that commercial when I was a kid I've always wanted to say that. You rule!

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 11:51 PM

Ahh dangit Rose, I thought i'd be enough of a realist just reminding myself about how screwed I am.

I know there are some extra credentials, but it doesnt take THAT long. Bah, ok, I hope.

"But, these strong women characters?"

"Why aren't you asking 100 other guys why they don't write strong women characters?" -Joss Whedon

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Sunday, July 23, 2006 11:56 PM

You think you know--what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

From the FAQ section of Kansas State University (it came up first...):
“I already have a bachelor’s degree but I want to become licensed to teach. How long will it take to complete KU’s program?”
In most cases, it will take three years of additional, full-time coursework to complete our teacher education program. You will find detailed course and admissions requirements on our web site at www.soe.ku.edu. Before gathering information, you should decide what subjects and grade levels you are interested in teaching. For example, if you have a BA in History and want to become licensed in Secondary History and Government, it will take three years. If you have a BA in Journalism and a master’s degree in Business and want to teach Elementary school or Secondary English, it will take three years. The only exceptions are for people with undergraduate degrees in Math, Science or Foreign Language who want to teach those subjects at the secondary level; they may qualify for our Graduate Certification Program (GCP), which is usually completed in about two years of full-time coursework, including one semester of student teaching internship.
Sorry, but I don't want to you to make the same kind of mistakes I have. I'm realizing now how important having a solid degree is. You will of course do what you want, just please be informed. You, like me, are worth too much to work a miserable job just to pay the bills.

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Monday, July 24, 2006 12:11 AM

That depends entirely on the degree Miss Phoenix. I'm sure all that extra education is very important if you want to teach, but these tech/management degrees are a dime a dozen today and a lot of kids are going to get stuck with huge bills that they'll never pay off working the lousy jobs they'll be able to get with those degrees. I have pleanty of friends and acquaintences in the Chicagoland area who can attest to that. The degree can't hurt, but the large unpayable bill can... especially when it's time to pay the piper. I think that 50% of the kids in college today are wasting their money and should find some more productive way to spend their time. They're just going to ship foreign workers here or send the job overseas and pay somebody who is more qualified less money than they would pay someone who lived here and is accustomed to our standards of living. My advice to anyone struggling to find a job with one of these degrees is to learn a foreign language... preferably Spanish or Chinese..... now you've got something that the other's don't have. And if you learn Chinese then you can translate all the cussing in Firefly for me too.

Don't mean to be a downer, but college really isn't the way to go for a lot of folks who are enrolled now. Especially those racking up that monster bill and drinking their education away.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Monday, July 24, 2006 12:11 AM

The lesson is... idealism sucks.

Here's an irony: we're all fans of a show about folk doing a miserable job to pay the bills. Huh.

The trouble with a solid degree is this, imo. If you get a solid degree so that you can get a really GOOD job that you hate to pay the bills, in the long run, I'm not sure that's better.

"Find a job that you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

That's what i'm counting on, lame as it may be. I remember thinking the one business I never wanted to be involved in was showbiz, too unreliable and crazy. And then i got my eye on creative writing, primarily because folk kept asking me what I was going to do. But in the worst case, I'll do them extra years of schoolin'. But damn I admit that'd be pretty annoying.

As for majoring in english... I don't think I could stand it. For all my decent scores in english class, I don't want to take too many more analysis courses, and I could not think of a worse fate than being an english teacher. (ok, i guess i could, but.... meh.)

I appreciate your concern. Even if I don't change any of my unemployableness, thanks.

Edit: As to above, at least i dont plan to drink it away, and while it does depend on the financial aid I get, I dont necessarily have to bog myself down with tons of loans, and ie go to a private school n all. But call it family pressures, but I gotta go to college.

"But, these strong women characters?"

"Why aren't you asking 100 other guys why they don't write strong women characters?" -Joss Whedon

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Monday, July 24, 2006 12:16 AM

You think you know--what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

That's why I specified a "solid" degree; meaning one that will get a good-paying job. I know a lot of people in college are wasting their money. Most of what money is wasted on are art degrees and tech degrees. I'm thinking of going the route of finance, because those kinds of jobs are not given to aliens, generally. If I could stand going the medical route, I would, but I hate the "health-care" system in general and I'm just not that interested.
Really, it can also come down to what you're really good at. For example, many, many people with advertising degrees fall flat on their faces because they have no talent for it. However, those who have talent coupled with a degree are basically set for life.
I'm glad I didn't shell out a lot of money for college before I knew what I was doing, but more and more I want to go. I want to make more than a piddling $9 an hour at a job I hate. I have that very, very real knowlege now, so I want a solid degree. Solid.
Whitefall, I hope you have success in your chosen field. It's been known to happen

just remember what Zoe says "Nothing wrong with having a contingency plan."
Hell, I would love to make my living designing wonderous album cover for bands I love. But just in case that doesn't happen, I think I could be really good at the intuitive side of investing; just need to get the other side of that skill-set.
And I didn't say "become an eglish teacher" I said "get a job in publishing" which means less extra school. It's not guaranteed, but it's a lot easier if you have an English degree.
I hear you on that, too, though. I'm awesome at English, but I hate taking the classes.

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Monday, July 24, 2006 12:26 AM

My bad man. I wasn't refering to your specific situation at all or making any implications. I should really read more about things before I put my two cents in. I was just speaking generally about how we're all going to find ourselves in a pretty lousy place with the way the job market is going and the insane amount of kids graduating every year from school who will end up delivering pizza or sweeping floors to pay the bills.

You're right about doing what you love. I hope I figure out what that is myself soon. I don't dislike my job, it's just that I had such high hopes about what I'd be doing at 26 years old and now that I'm going on 27 I'm not really thrilled about my own lot in life. I have no debt which is nice... I have no mortgage or car insurance, which is also nice should I decide to just up and leave anywhere it would just mean snaking out of a lease and transfering the title of my car... and I'm not married either, which after seeing how my parents and some of my friends turned out after marrying young, I also view as a positive. I don't have a degree myself, though I attemted college several times. I can't stand college or school and I really can't set my mind to learn any of the bilge they fill your head with if you're just going to college because you think you're supposed to. I usually just don't go to class after a few weeks and then say to myself "nice waste of money ya big dummy." More power to you for gettin educated. I work with several people who have bachleor degrees and we all get paid the same. They all had nicer jobs pre-9/11 and pre-job outsourcing. Now they're all down here with me.

Good luck to all of you.

Edit: Yuck... I'm getting all downer again. I like my junkie post better.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Monday, July 24, 2006 6:24 AM

SPACEANJL

'Kay, so I bought the Big Lie, that if you work hard and get good grades, you can get a good degree and a decent job.

'They' don't tell you how gorram soul-destroying that will be.

If you have to write, then you will. No way round it. Don't try not to, because that way lies madness (depression, anxiety, ulcers...)

I did all the 'right' things, and I'm not where I'm supposed to be. But I'm getting there. Just needed to fly out a little further...

Somebody took my sky from me once; it ain't happenin' again.

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Monday, July 24, 2006 9:40 AM

ALLISA

regular 9-5 I'm kind of a "girl friday" at a legal office - which mean (for those of you too young to get that reference) I do what needs doing.

I love to write tho - I recently left a Robert Jordan RP site cuz it had possessed me and every bit of inspiration I had lol - hopefully I'll get some gumption back soon and start writing my own stuff again.

You know what the chain of command is here? Its the chain I go get to beat you with to show you whose in command!

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Monday, July 24, 2006 10:32 AM