I want to be a dinosaur....

That use to work.   Probably from the time you could talk until you lost your front tooth.  Then about first grade things got serious and the dinosaur answer didn’t work anymore.  I’m talking about the answer to that question you’ve heard millions of times, okay an exaggeration, but you know the one.  What do you want to be when you grow up?

It started out simple enough.   You remember the scenario, most likely in the grocery store.  It goes something like...  “Oh what a cute little boy/girl.   And what do you want to do when you grow up.   If you notice the be now changed to do, so dinosaur doesn’t work.  Fire fighter was good.  Police Officer worked.  Teacher.  Or Nurse. Chip N Dale dancer/stripper not so much.  

Then things got trickier.  Starts around the time you enter high school.  You’re standing around after Uncle Phil’s funeral with a plate full of gooey casseroles and a plastic glass of kool aid, in a too tight suit and  Aunt Flora has to say....  What a nice young man.  So tell me what do you want to do when you finish high school?

Okay.  You finish chewing trying to think, even though the tie is cutting off circulation to your brain.  Going to college always works as an answer.  But that could lead to which college and where,  which could bring up the heated discussions of family alma maters.  Would fire fighter work?  Probably not.  Not enough pay.  Too dangerous. Hardly worthy of college or your family legacy.  The Chip N Dale answer might get her to leave.  You stare down at the cup of kool aid and wish they were at least serving Red Bull.

Way back in the dark ages there use to be the most politically incorrect rhyme known to man that went Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Sailor, Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief, Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief.  I tend to think of that when I hear the answers so many young people still spout when asked the dreaded question.  What do you want to do when...  Why?  Because most of the time I hear Doctor, Lawyer and Engineer.  Even though I don’t know what a Tinker is if you at least recited that rhyme you’d have more options available. 

Where’s all that creativity education is supposed to impart.  Where’s the imagination.  Where’s all that information that’s supposed to be floating around in this information age.  

Okay, maybe you don’t answer with one of the three listed at the top of the blog.  Good.  You’ve taken the first first step.  I hope you don’t say, the next most popular thing I hear....  I want to do something with computers.  I never do the eye roll even though almost every job known involves a computer today, and if it doesn’t probably will in the future. 

This blog was started to simply help point out that there is an almost infinite amount of answers to that question  “What  do you want to do when you grow up, graduate, etc.  So I hope you begin to consider opening up the box that contains those answers.  How? 

You ask the questions .  Ask people.  Anyone, anywhere.  What do you do for a living?  A living -- serious stuff. Or if you’re ready to do something on the computer... google.    Interesting careers.  Bizarre careers.  Well paying careers.  Least education careers.  Sports careers.  Any of  a million other options.  Okay, another exaggeration -- but maybe not.