What do you want to be when you grow up?

[Hawk Tuah]

On a backpacking trip with a buddy in Central America, we ended up on Little Corn Island in Nicaragua. Our bungalow was less than $2/night per person. We made a deal with the girl who worked there and she would clean and cook the fish we caught for us for lunch and dinner, add veggies and fruit, and in exchange she would sell the remainder of the fish at the restaurant. We caught a lot of fish. So we fished and hung out on the beach, read books, explored, etc. Then I did the math and realized I could have retired with the interest on my savings at the time.

That was like 16 years ago....a part of me wishes I would have just retired and stayed there. I was 23.

So I choose to have been retired for 16 years. I'd have a killer tan.

 

[Malcolm31]

I wanted to move out west and be a cowboy when I was 14. Now 30 years later, I still want to be a cowboy, but I still live on the east coast and work in an office.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

It's fun to think "what if", but I'm not going to lie to y'all. I'm pretty darn happy where I am. I'd love to have moved to Alaska when I was in college, but I know I wouldn't have met my wife and she's amazing. Life sucked for a couple years in my mid 20s, but looking back now I know that God had a plan and all I had to do was trust him. I don't think I would change a thing if I could go back.

** Actually, If I could talk to myself in High School I would say "Hey bud, don't spend the money on that girlfriend. It doesn't work out. Spend that money on something called Bitcoin..."

 

[Malcolm31]

It's fun to think "what if", but I'm not going to lie to y'all. I'm pretty darn happy where I am. I'd love to have moved to Alaska when I was in college, but I know I wouldn't have met my wife and she's an amazing. Life sucked for a couple years in my mid 20s, but looking back now I know that God had a plan and all I had to do was trust him. I don't think I would change a thing if I could go back.

** Actually, If I could talk to myself in High School I would say "Hey bud, don't spend the money on that girlfriend. It doesn't work out. Spend that money on something called Bitcoin..."

Bitcoin…

 

[LopeHunter]

Grew up in a family business and worked there from a very young age. The assumption was I would join the business full-time upon graduating high school or attend college then join the business. I ventured beyond the end of the gravel road in my home town and never joined the business. Zero regrets other than I would have had a lot more time to fish and spend less time in traffic jams.

I started as an auditor after college with an international firm working tons of overtime 8 months per year. I had noticed during audits that the smartest people were often the senior executives at a company or their direct reports but the head sales person was usually very, very well paid though sometimes those sales persons seemed to mostly be street smart rather than book smart though they were usually extroverts. I would say I interacted with more "C" students than "A" students in the sales ranks.

I joined a high-tech leader in tech support then transitioned to sales as a junior member on a large sales team. The tech-company managed earnings so could never have a terrible year but difficult to have a year were doubled your eanring year over year, etiher.

I transferred within the company to a big city, got street smart, left to earn a grad degree and have been the head of sales for a company the past 20 years. Life has been very good.

So, consider sales as an option if you are young.

Sales is a lot of pressure. You need to find a way to manage that pressure and maintain a work/life balance. You are very likely to be fired every few years during business cycle downturns.

I am best at managing key relationships with existing customers but can cold call when needed. I negotiate a lot and deal with critical issues when a deal flounders or goes sideways. The CEO prefers not to be the bad guy with our customers so that makes me more valuable.

As for what would do differently, would not have married so young as that marriage was a train wreck with half or more of the reason because of me. I would have left the high-tech job sooner and likely skipped grad school though was an ego thing as no one in my family had a grad degree and the school was top 10 for that grad degree and a brand name with employers.

 

[Red-Team 98]

My first summer after HS grad went to Army Basic Training at Ft Dix for the NC Nat Guard.
Started my college in Criminal Justice after the next summer wanted to go into Law Enforcement. I went to Rookie school at 21 and on my way to law enforcement in the Local Sheriff Dep.
Then Ronald Regan and a Rotten wife inspired me so much I went Active Duty in the Army with a total of Guard and Active Duty time I spent 26 years in service.
After Retiring from the Army I was soon recruited by Alaska Pipeline Security for 11 years and now a permanently retired with my body and health declining.
I have not had to many jobs in my life you can put them all on one hand. Find something you like and enjoy fortunate mine was with a gun which from a very early age a love affair with guns and hunting.

 

[hank4elk]

I once wanted to be a furniture maker.
Yesterday my sister said she was going to a show of Mid Century great artists in Palm Springs.
She asked me didn't you work with Sam Maloof?

Wow. Flashback. 7th grade I was in woodshop. And Sam came in and gave a talk. I mentioned it at the dinner table. Mom said his son is the shop teacher at her school she was a librarian at. She asked him if he had any yard work for me to do . He said yeah, at my dad's house.
The next weekend I was driven out and I pulled weeds at Sams house. He took me into the garage and there I was put to work cutting blanks on the bandsaw.
I spent a month working for him. Riding my bike out to Alta Loma from Pasadena to work.
Learning from a master how to make a chair.

A few years later they moved when I was overseas and we lost touch.

In 2006 I went to DC and all the museums and such.
There in the Smithsonian was a chair. A Sam Maloof Rocker.
I just smiled and new I made the pieces that made up a chair just like this one. No one will believe this I said to myself.

A blink in time.

 

[Brad]

I spent a month working for him. Riding my bike out to Alta Loma from Pasadena to work.
Learning from a master how to make a chair.

Wow, what a privilege!

 

[hank4elk]

Wow, what a privilege!

Up Date .
Sister just said she is sending me the number to call the Institute Director. They want to interview me.
His son still runs the furniture company.

 

[Red-Team 98]

Spent a small time in the Furn industry at Broyhill Furn typical low cost mass built Furn in the 80’s. I had a chance to see real furniture being built in Lancaster County PA. That was the best Furn I have ever seen !

 

[Big Slick]

Hawaiian tropic bikini team suntan lotion applier… Loyd’s an idiot!