Think back to when you were in high school or college. I'm sure you must have had a dream, a goal, a vision of where your life was going. You probably had some plan for the future. What you were going to do, who you were going to be, where your life was going to take you. What you wanted to accomplish.

Then, much to your surprise, along came life, and you found out that thing don't always go the way they are planned, dreams don't always come true, and sometimes the road goes the wrong way.

Those of us in Vintage and most of the people at the little table have been around long enough to look back and answer the question. Did you accomplish what you set out to do? Did you get to where you thought you were going? Better? Worse? Or just different? Did life throw you any curves? How did you handle them? Are you happier than you thought you'd be or not? What happened to your dream?

 

Too many questions....all at once!

Funny, both Kathy and I agree....we've accomplished much more than the modest expectation that we had in high school I never aspired to be 'my own boss', but built a successful business from scratch. Yes, there were some curves....thrown by my former partner....lying & cheating scumbag But I even 'grew' from that experience and have become a more well-rounded professional.

As a result, I'm basically happy but somewhat frustrated that I still *worry* about too many things... One of my 'projects' for the next few months is to re-calibrate 'the dream' for the next decade of my life

 

Good thread Rob. Life threw me many curves. But like a nice summer drive, I learned that the challenging curves turned out to be very rewarding. To continue with the metaphor, the road of life took me to places I could only imagine when I was in high school. High school is kind of a funny reference point. The boys and girls who were so cool and impressive back then are just ordinary people today. I don't mean to sound pompous or egotistical. This is just the view from the road that life took me on.

In plain English, I dreamed about being a lawyer as a high school student. Every year I am amazed at where my career has taken me. Trouble is, sometimes I can't fool around here as much as I would like.

 

I dreamed that one day I would live in the USA and make a six-figure income. Once I got here, it took six years to hit the income level I had set as a goal, and I have since come to the conclusion that my goal was way too small

My wife and I are setting new goals for our family this year, and working towards financial security. Having a job just doesn't cut it for me anymore. I know that in this profession I'll never make what I'd like to, and I don't see myself doing this for another 25 years and retiring on less than I make now.

 

It's been a long, circuitous route, but I'm happy where I am. Life has thrown me several big curves: Viet Nam and being very nearly killed while working for the NYDOC. It took me a few years to get back on track, and now many years later, I find myself at another crossroad. I applied and was accepted for doctoral candidacy in Philosophy, but decided against it because it would have required me to drive about 700 miles a week as well as requiring much more of my time than I was willing to commit. So, now I'm back to trying to decide what I want to do when I grow up since the academic job market is currently in the toilet.

 

I think being a Marine Biologist would be cool, and you're probably a lot closer to being able to do that with your background (and location) that I am.

 

What kind of car are you driving?

 

[QUOTE=ralper,Jan 18 2005, 10:48 PM] Did you accomplish what you set out to do?

 

No one's hiring MBs either. The biggest job markets here are health care and computer related, and I don't think I'm qualified for either.
Not working has given me some time to work on my pet project - a textbook for a History and Philosophy of Science class that I've wanted to teach for years. I'm fortunate in that Martha has a very good job, so we're financially comfortable and not under any pressure. But, since Martha works from home, I don't know how long the poor woman will be able to put up with having my cranky, opinionated old arse around 24/7. If I suddenly drop off the vintage forum, call the cops.

 

Good grief man! Would you have me guzzle Dom Perignon by the magnum too?! The S is to be savored in moderation.
Actually, there was more to it than just the mileage. I would have had to commit to a minimum of five years of very long hours, and because of the university's budget constraints there just wasn't enough money in it for me.