Ask HN: What did you want to be when you were younger? And what are you now? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What did you want to be when you were younger? And what are you now?

15 pointssycren39 comments

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.

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?

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.

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.)

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.

I hear ya.

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.

Nice, congratulations for following through on your dream :)

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. :)

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Even if you don't like the technology you use in your job, do you enjoy it?

No, I don't, but the reason is not technology - it's that there are human problems (of the in-office backstabbing and politicking type), I'm not involved in decisions and project management at the company sucks.

The "problem" is that it pays relatively well for my country, so I can't quit until I get a degree of financial independence.

I would recommend reading the 4 hour work week by Tim Ferris - http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/overview/

It might help you escape from the office politics of your job and focus on things which matter. For instance if you were working remotely, would you be more productive and have more time for your side projects?

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...

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 :)

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.

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.

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?)

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

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 :)

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

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.

Have you considered a career in the NSA?

lol

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.

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

Then: Soccer Player, Genetic Scientist, Lawyer

Now: Merchant Mariner

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."

> "Those people have to be out there."

Indeed, they do...

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?

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

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.

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