The difference being, of course, that you actually support yourself as an artist.
I have always had a âday jobâ that I canât afford to quit.
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I wanted to play third base for the Cubs (still do at times), then I wanted to be a vet, then I wanted to be a brain surgeon, then I wanted to be a brain researcher, then I wanted to be a beach bum, now I want to be a roboticist
I settled on a job (researcher) that starts whenever I happen to get there, ends whenever I leave and in between the boss doesnât tell me what to do, and some days I even leave before 7pm, so not many complaints
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And as long as youâre good with your boss, you have the regular paycheck I donât have. I really envy the steady paycheck now that Iâm on the outside. 
I really wish better for both of us. 
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No idea how I got the idea but I wanted to train dolphins-on Mars. Then I misspent my youth in the theatre before ending up at culinary school and being a baker. I knew I wasnât interested in any job that required you to wear pantyhose everyday.
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Itâs nice to know I share a birthday with better folk than just trump.
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I remember wanting to beâŚa taxidermist.
Yeah, I really have moved on from my upbringing.
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Despite her misgivings about making it up and back in one piece, my wife has graciously given me permission that if I win the lottery I can buy a launch to space on one of those tourist rides. So now to get to work on winning that lottery⌠
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Cheers!
Me too.
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Same here.
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And to you, too!
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I did not want to be an astronaut, a doctor or an artist.
All I wanted to be as a kid was a Native American.
I always thought (still think) they were the good guys in western movies, and loved the closeness to nature of their life (still do). I was reading books and watching documentaries, though a lot of stuff I knew about the various nations and their history has slipped from memoryâŚ
I soon realized this was not going to happen, so I decided I was going to be an Electronic Engineer, which I am, both for workš and hobby.
Now that I just stepped over the threshold of being closer to my first century than my twenties, Iâm still having fun with that.
š If you use a mobile phone or used a landline in past years there a non-zero chance you are using something I coded, designed or even invented - this still gives me a bit of pride.
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As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a scientist. I love learning things, and the idea that there are things we donât understand just bugs me. After a while, I decided that being a doctor would let me do that and still help people. And so I did. And have had a life where I can honestly say I have touched thousands of lives and made things better. Now my goal is to be my wifeâs arm candy. Still working on that one. 
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I wanted to be a cop when I was a kid until I discovered that making video games was a career. I kept that goal until what was supposed to be my last year in high school (I was on track to finish early) where I discovered I was really bad at high level math and, sadly, computer programming.
Luckily, around the same time, I realized I was pretty good with words. I figured I might as well try being a writer. Looking back, I probably wanted to be a writer the whole time, but no one ever suggested it as a possible career. It never occurred to me that it was something I could do.
Iâm glad I realized it, though, because itâs a good way to spend your time.
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A teacher, and specifically a history teacher, for as long as I can remember. It worked out. Side trips for a lot of other gigs, though. A lot of other gigs along the way, that I think helped me out a lot.
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I enjoyed a variety of music, art, poetry, dance, reading, and writing since childhood. My grandmother hosted parties with relatives and friends who performed for attendees, while we enjoyed good food and discussions about political and cultural topics. So I wanted to pursue a degree in Poli-sci and French before becoming a kind of salonnière working in DC or Europe.
I changed course with my degree after interning in government at the federal level and working at the state level. 
The rise of the Tea Party led me to focus more on languages. So, I pivoted to computing for my major and French for my minor (science and gaming were among my hobbies until that point). 
Worked as a techie for decades instead and planned parties or traveled in my spare time. 
Gotta figure out how to have virtual gatherings with better audio until I can get back into in-person events.
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