Are you one of the many people who did this...

When we were younger, we were often asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Some of the careers we had in mind at the time were real doozies, from baseball player to fireman to world-renowned singer.

Needless to say, many of us went on to pursue careers that aren't remotely related to those we aspired to as children. Perhaps our interests changed as we got older, or we decided to venture into an area we found more practical.

I guess you can say what I do now doesn't stray too much from what I envisioned as a kid. I always knew I wanted to be a writer, and that I became -- just in a different area. When I was 10, I thought I'd end up becoming a sports columnist. Instead, I wound up as a copywriter in the travel industry.

It is my hope that even if you don't work in the field you set your sights on in your childhood, you love -- or at least can tolerate -- whatever it is you do now. We work too damn hard not to derive some enjoyment from our work.

Sure, there are always factors at play -- from surly bosses to politics and red tape -- that usually prevent us from saying we love our jobs. No job is perfect, and I've stressed that several times in earlier posts.

But if getting out of bed each morning to go to work is worse for you than getting a root canal, you know something is amiss. It's then that you should reassess your choice of career:

Is there something else you'd rather be doing?
Why do you dislike your job?
Is it the low pay? Not challenged? Toxic boss? Difficult coworkers?

If your current job or field isn't cutting it, it's never too late to make a transition. It's always easier to find a new job while you still have one. The only caveat is that you might have to invest in classes/training in order to learn new skills, and the change may call for a few adjustments as far as your schedule is concerned.

I think it's interesting to look back on what we dreamed of doing back in the day and comparing it to what we do in the present. I'm pretty sure that if someone told us at age 12 that we would end up being, say, salesmen, insurance adjusters, or accountants, we'd be mortified!

Do you work in the field you thought you'd be in when you were little?

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