When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I know FIRST was created to generate more engineers, but what about those of us who don't want a career in a technical field?
The VCU Regional that took place a couple days ago was the first competition I've been to, and I noticed that the speakers at the end of the matches on Friday and Saturday were all "our company wants to employ people like you" and "hooray for businesses and corporations". (Except Dave Lavery's speech, which was so much better than the others.)
The way the others had made their speeches, I was kinda expecting Dave to be like "you're all gonna work for NASA, whether you like it or not".
One speaker on Friday seemed to think working for an insurance company (his) was the best thing that could happen to the average person.

I want to write fiction for a living, and I'm well on my way to following and achieving that elusive dream. A career in engineering? um, no thanks.
Is there anyone else who wants to do other things with their lives?

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I want to be an airline or corporate pilot. I'm already a pilot, but right now I'm paying to fly (for training) instead of getting paid to fly. Getting there!

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

*waves hand* Me! Animation/CG/Web Design work in general is what I really want to do.

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

lol that was so random! I already knew what you want to do. Gosh. Wasn't I complaining to you about this topic at VCU?

Anyways, flying is nice. Except I wouldn't pay to do it. XP

Of course, if FIRST has inspired you to become an engineer or whatever, that's cool too. Part of the reason I was willing to join my school's robotics team was so I could expand my knowledge on technical things, because I'm a science fiction writer (mostly), and as such it wouldn't hurt to know techie-stuff, ya know?

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I had an inkling before this semester that I wanted to work in marketing.

Now, partway through the Marketing Scholars program at USC*, I'm pretty dang sure.

*The program takes a group of students and has them execute a full marketing campaign from scratch for an actual client--this year, Bausch & Lomb. There's a budget involved, not enough time, working with different subteams, talking to people who evaluate our campaign...stop me if this sounds familiar.

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

Alex,

As you can see here you're not alone by any means. I'm also living proof that not everyone who is in first ends up in Engineering. I went to college to major in Nursing. Kinda out there huh? Well, not as much as you might think. It's like of like engineering of the body so to say. Plus, about half way through my first year here at Hope I realized that I wanted some of that "technical aspect" into things and started looking around, finding, what I hope to eventually be my job someday, Robotics Nursing Specialist. A Robotics Nursing Specialist gets to work with robotic surgeries helping the doctor and making sure nothing goes wrong. So basically, I'm getting to combine Two loves, complete opposites and not having to know any engineering what so ever! So don't worry you're not alone.:D

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I think i'm gonna go into Civil Engineering. However, i've always wanted to fly/be a pilot since I was a kid, so I don't know if i'm gonna act on that dream. I'm also pretty close to becoming a volunteer firefighter (once I turn 18, and if I don't go away for college).

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

Starting flying is a lot like becoming a doctor. You do training forever, fork out a ton of money and get paid crap when you start out. But it is so incredibly rewarding. There's nothing like the feeling of flying solo for your first time or greasing a landing in a stiff crosswind (or at night for that matter).

There's also nothing like the feeling you get after a near mid-air.. :eek: But that's another story.

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

Alot of you are talking about airplanes, but wouldn't it be cool to design and build them. I want to be an aeronuatical engineer.

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I really do want to go into engineering, mainly mechanical. However, my second choice would be weapons engineering, for Lockheed or Raytheon or something.

If none of those work... Airforce or Marines for me.

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I want to be a police officer, I am about half way there working corrections right now. Just got some applications into local agencies so hopefully by the end of summer i will be starting the police academy sponsored by someone .:crosses fingers:.

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I want to be a lion tamer. I've got a hat...

-dave

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

doctor!

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I have no idea right now. I have several things up in the air. I know I don't want to be "a" I want to be "the" in something.

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I don't really want to grow up... I am having way too much fun as it is. Grownups have way too much responsibility, if you ask me. After all, I'm only 16 (well, my age is now in Celsius, as I've lived in Europe and Asia).

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

Hmm, I'm not too sure what I want to go into myself. The designing and testing is definitely my favorite part of FIRST after 3 years of trying different things. I don't know if I'll end up going into that sort of thing professionally, as I said I really have no idea. I've also been doing Jazz stuff (trumpet) at school in an improv. class, and it's some really fun stuff. I wouldn't mind playing music for a living. Oh well, we'll just have to see how things play out.


PS - I have a new sig now. Thanks Dave! :D

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

If Dave's gonna be a lion tamer, which of his children are going to be the lion? When Sean yells he reminds me of a lion...a toothless one... XD

I'm going to be an author, but I've been writing a lot less since I joined my school's Robotics team. Still, no matter what career you're going in to, I think Robotics can't hurt. After all, I wrote the voiceover script for my team's award-winning animation. And my Journalism teacher made me write an article on the VCU Regional for my school's newspaper this morning.

I'm secretly an ambitious person. XD

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

Umm.. As weird as it sounds Hopefully sometime working for the Office of the Chief of Protocol*.. *if anyone knows what that means*

But first I'm getting a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management w/ a Minor in German *mouthful*

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_o..._United_States - for more information*

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

Andy Baker...

haha, but seriously, I'm thinking EE right now, or something along those lines.

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I've been somewhat interested in pharmacy. I was thinking Albany College of Pharmacy as a possibility, but I've changed my mind with what I want to be so many times that I'm not 100% sure . . . I'm having good vibes about pharmacy, though.

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I actually got my idea of what I want to do from FIRST--I do want to be an engineer. I think electrical.

At the very least, I want to be a FIRST mentor. There's no way I'm never coming back...this is *WAY* too cool!

JBot

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

I will get rich and famous for the science ficiton novel I wrote in november 2006 any day now. Just as soon as it edits itself and fixes it's plot holes.

Seriously though, I want to go into programming (software engineering to be specific). Code is just so fun

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

Heh, I wanna be the person who makes AI androids. Major in Biomedical and minor in Psychology.

Everyone in FIRST will survive the revolution, I'm putting it in the code. :)

Re: When I grow up I wanna be a...
 

Keep on thinking about what you want to do. Most of us will switch careers a number of times before finding what we want to do "when we grow up." I know I am doing (and loving) something (teaching) I *knew* I did not want to do even as late as when I graduated from college. When I graduated I had applied to grad school in math, grad school in history, business school and law school. I ended up choosing graduate school in math, still convinced I would go into some technical field and knowing I did not want to teach. It took trying some things and some deep reflection to get me to settle on teaching. So I guess what I am saying is trying something you think you're going to like. If you like it, great. If you don't, at least make sure you learn something that will make it that much easier to move on to something else.

One of the things I really love about FIRST is the way it teaches teamwork and problem solving. Two skills which are sadly still in short supply in the work force. Even if you end up doing something completely different from engineering you will use these skills. And hopefully you will find something you really like doing.