RE: When you were a kid, what did you tell people you wanted to be when you grew up? Did you come close?
When I was a kid, in the 1950s in France, there were no computers. So, I did not know that you could be a software engineer.
Me too, I wanted to be an Air Force pilot, but not because of Top Gun of course! I was already 36 in 1986.
I changed my mind and instead of an Air Force officer, I became a Navy officer. Not too far.
At the Naval Academy, I discovered computers. If I had known that such beasts existed before, I would never become an officer, but I would have studied computer science and become a software engineer.
And after twenty years in the Navy, that is what I became: a software engineer.
More precisely, a traveling software engineer: a week ago I was in New York City, this morning I was in Paris, today I am in Budapest, and tomorrow I will be in Pécs, Hungary.
That is great! You ended up with two dream jobs.!oh and Top Gun was about Navy pilots. Forgot about that.
Indeed, several of my comrades at the Naval Academy became jet pilots.
It is true that I do not regret anything from my professional life.
It seems like traveling must be in your blood!