What you became now your grown up?

[Jason OK]

If you were a Boy Scout or not....What did you want to be when you grew up VS. what you became.

[Aardvark]

Who's grown up?

 

I have as much fun (or more!) than the Scouts!

[dsteele]

Growing up, I always wanted to be an officer in the United States Army. I secured a congressional nomination to West Point, but failed the medical review.

 

I ended up falling back onto my second choice of career and have never looked back or regretted it.

 

I love my job.

 

Unc.

[Jason OK]

As for myself.........I made the mistake of getting married too soon!

Wife got prego.....love my little girl but man should have waited..plus never had a dad or father in my life so.....untill I asked Christ in my life. So now almost 30 I feel like I am 17 again with no direction. I was going to do Classical Performance but that didn't work out.

[acco40]

Now that I have "grown up" I've become a father, husband, uncle, and Scoutmaster. I still remain a brother, cousin, nephew and friend. Unfortunately, I'm no longer a grandson or son.

 

I had no real career aspirations growing up. It wasn't until my third year of college that I realized I had to be "something." Like most adult males, I struggle not to let my job define who I am. The more I mature, the more I realize the triviality of my career and the importance of my less lucrative jobs that I have - father, husband, etc.

[packsaddle]

I wanted to be Kit Carson when I was really young and lost my aim during high school. But I ended up very happy with my plight. Not exactly Kit Carson, but close enough. Oh yeah, made it to Eagle.(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

[ozemu]

I wanted to be in the Army. As an adult I tried the ranks and got a commission too but got injured and ended up turning another direction.

 

As a teenager I actually wanted to be a professional SM but they did not exist and still don't.

 

Now I am an outdoor education teacher. Doing a lot of adventure based therapy with state wards and kids with behaviour problems.

 

So basically I play games and have adventures 5 days a week and do Scouting on weekends. Maybe I am yet to grow up too?

[LauraT7]

I wanted to be a Professional Scout ( Girl Scout) and a teacher - I even wrote a paper on being a professional Scout in High School -

 

But I wasn't a great student - struggled to be 'average' - they didn't recognise Attention Deficit Disorder in girls in the 60's and 70's. My family thought I was too disorganized and not smart enough to teach, despite having a high IQ. They pushed me to 'learn a skill' to support myself, and I never found one that stuck.

 

After my son was diagnosed as ADD and I recognised it in myself, I started to listen to what I knew to be right. I considered going back to school to get my teaching degree, but can't afford it time-wise & financially. I volunteer in the schools, substitute teach and am very active in scouting. I left the 'office' jobs that left me feeling 'boxed in' and am now in sales. I love the job, though it's too soon to tell wheather I can really make a successful living at it.

 

I WOULD have made a GREAT teacher - despite my lack of natural organizational skills - or so the teachers I have subbed for tell me.

 

My advice to my son and to any kid I meet is "Pursue YOUR dreams, and don't let anyone talk you out of them!" sometimes as well-meaning as family can be, they discourage kids from pursuing their dreams and push them into their own molds, instead.

 

Laura

[DDHII]

Currently still "growing up."

 

As a kid, I wanted to join the Air Force, be a fighter pilot and specialize in military intelligence.

 

Unfortunately, I have asthma and could never join the armed services. So now, I'm working toward attending medical school to become a trauma surgeon. Currently, I'm finishing up my bachelor's and working as an EMT.

 

Dale

[Fuzzy Bear]

My Father allowed me to work in our family business. We installed and repaired heating/AC, plumbing, electricity, etc. He was an Engineer and expected me to follow his lead. I had some of the abilities but my interest was weak.

 

Early on, I followed our preacher around and decided to go into the ministry. I signed up for a degree in psychology in college as a primer for seminary.

 

One teacher, Dr. Ralph Belamy, now deceased, involved me in a practicum experience in the local state school for people with severe disabilities. After the practicum was completed, I continued to show up at the same times for another year. Dr. Don Whaley, now deceased, involved me in working with profoundly retarded and autistic children using Behavioral techniques.

 

After completing my undergrad degree, I started in the Counseling Ed program. Dr. Pat McCloud taught me about how our life's work affects our mental health and the quality of our life. Afterwards, I was offered a job as a shop teacher using skills learned as a home repairs person and one who worked with people with disabilities. While teaching and attending school, I completed other certifications. I then obtained a job as a Special Education Counselor,

 

More certifications and another degree in the area of assessment lead me to a program and a degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. Dr. Hershco taught me that my interest surpassed my abilities and that would allow me to be successful in this field.

 

My Father and I resolved our differences. He had several physical problems and I was able to share with him some of the things that I had learned. It helped restore him to his lifes work for a period of time prior to his death.

 

Today I work in the field as a Rehabilitation Counselor serving people with both physical and mental disabilities that are severe in nature.

 

One other note, Rehabilitation Services is a federally funded program. It allows individuals with severe disabilities the opportunity to receive effective counseling and compatible training to eventually return to or engage in suitable work. It is a program that both political parties can be proud of and claim as a worthwhile policy, one with outstanding results throughout the United States.

 

FB

[boleta]

Fuzzy, That is quite an inspiring tale. I have occasionally worked with the disabled. You have my utmost respect for the course you took.

 I was a physics major in college. I felt that I would never make a major contribution to the field and decided to pursue biophysics in medical school. Unfortunately, I fell for anatomy and became a surgeon instead.

[packsaddle]

boleta, I fell for anatomy too. I ended up marrying her. This is my non-PC 4th of July contribution. Sometimes it's just too much fun to be denied.

[boleta]

I guess I should have said the study of anatomy. But, that might be ambiguous too!

[BPwannabe@137]

I really never grew up.

 

Wanted to join the army and see the world. Two really cool scoutmasters ( mine and a friend) talked me out of it. Told me I had another destiny. One was a pacifist and thought that the army sucked. The other was a Nam vet and also thought the army sucked.

 

Anyway, I became a national park ranger. I love being a ranger but the park service sucks.

 

Go figure.

[Chippewa29]

Growing up, I always wanted to be a Navy officer. After a mishap on the paperwork, my application for a NROTC scholarship wasn't processed (it wasn't discovered until it was too late). I enrolled in Navy ROTC anyway (no scholarship) and was still on my way. When the Navy started to cut back after the first Gulf War, they got rid of all of us that didn't have scholarships. Any other year, I would have been able to continue in the program. With that dream gone, I started looking toward other areas.

 

I worked and coached at a high school for ten years (recently left) and am now focusing on building a business while continuing to rebuild my Scout troop.

 

Once I get more financially secure, I'd like to spend more time helping other people gain belief in themselves and encouraging them to live their dreams. I think that most problems in the world would be solved if people had more confidence in themselves.