What do you want to be when you grow up?

5 minute read · By Warren Wong

What do you want to be when you grow up? At one point or another we have all been asked this question; whether you remember or not.

When your incessant parents brought you around in your cute little outfits and adults would pinch your cheeks and rustle your hair.

Maybe that was just me.

The Golden Question

My aunts and uncles were relentless. I still fault my saggy cheeks from years of incessant cheek pinching. Besides those fond memories, I remember they would always ask me the golden question adults seem to have for kids.

“Warren, what you do you want to be when you grow up?” my aunt asked.

Such a seemingly harmless question, full of possibilities.

I don’t quite remember what I said exactly. I had a few answers for my nosy relatives. I said I wanted to be a businessman when I grow up, I was around 8 to 9 years old at the time. It was the most realistic and believable answer at the time.

In my head, I wanted to be a superhero, a real life warrior, but that may be a bit impossible.

As a very imaginative child, I would have elaborate battles as a medieval warrior knight slaying dragons and monsters in my head and sometimes I would enact them out. I have since stopped doing that…

The societal construct

We have all heard the common mantra of going to college, getting a stable 9 to 5 job, pay off your student loans, find a spouse, buy a home, have children, continue your 9 to 5, retire at 65, go travel the world and die.

That is what society has ingrained in us and what they expect from us when we grow up. And so, that is the blueprint most of us default to when we do grow up into adults.

While that lifestyle is fine for most, I don’t want any part of it.

Let me explain.

I’m not against having a wife and kids or going to college. I am against the rigid mold that society has placed on us and beaten into us by our parents as the only way to live our lives.

I want to live my life on my own terms.

A hint of truth

When we were a kid, we all had aspirations, dreams and illusions of grandeur. Some of us said, firefighter, astronaut, president and some even said superhero.

Although some answers are more practical than others, they all have a kernel of truth to them.

Maybe if you can’t be a superhero with special powers, you can grow up to be a police officer, safeguarding the rights and laws of the citizens. If you can’t be an astronaut, maybe you can grow up to be a scientist working at NASA.

What I’m getting at is your dream job can take many different forms. Don’t limit yourself just because the likelihood of you being the President of the United States is looking more and more unlikely. Perhaps, running a campaign can bring you just as much happiness.

Creating my own path

You’re probably wondering where I fit in on all of this. Like I mentioned previously. My answer to them was to grow up to be a successful businessman. Suit, tie, the whole nine yards. Seems simple enough.

Have I gotten there yet? No.

My journey has been an interesting one. Like many of you reading, I also took the path of least resistance and listened to my parents and societal mantra. I went to college, got a degree in accounting, but I knew it wasn’t the right path for me.

I decided to join the United States Marine Corps. I did a 180 degree flip.

My time in the Marine Corps has been a fruitful one. I learned many life lessons through hardships, challenges, and making more with less.

Life lessons that have become invaluable to me. Friendships that will last a lifetime. Failures that I will cherish for the longest.

Although I have chosen that it will not be a career for me, I thoroughly enjoyed my time serving. Not everyone can say that or claim the title of United States Marine. It is something I will always hold dear.

Help! What I should grow up to be?

The next step of my life is a little unclear. I know that I want to pursue a career in business. I know I want to help people, but that is the extent to which I know. It’s not a very good answer.

The truth is that it’s OK to not have it all completely figured out.

It may take years or even decades for me to truly know what I was put on this Earth to do; but I rather spend a day doing what I know and love than decades of what I hate.

Conclusion

I want to grow up doing what I love.

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain

As I continue my journey, you will find a little bit of inspiration to go out and find your meaning.

Growing up is a part of our journey, but never forget the wonders of your childhood imaginations, the joy of dreaming big, and the limitless possibilities of this world.

Question for you

What did you say when people asked you what you wanted to be when you grow up? Did your parents have expectations of you when you were young or were they supportive of your, “I want to grow up to be an astronaut.”