What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a scuba-diving, ballet-dancing archaeologist.

I am an archaeologist, so one out of three isn't bad!

How about you?

I wanted to be a secretary. my mother, who studied more than a smattering of gender studies with her theology, was appalled ?

not half as appalled as she was when i tried to explain to her that 'nurse' was the female form of 'doctor'.

she bought me a real stethoscope ?

i studied latin and greek at university (****) and now i'm training to be an english teacher.

An accountant...and a mobile hairdresser of an evening?

I got a D in maths and I'm crap at hair...so no.

I wanted to be an actress. I got a few small roles in things as well, but then gave it all up following an ultimatum from my family who did not approve. [insert silly cow icon here]

Now I work in TV/Films but behind the scenes. That said, for the past 7 years I've been doing bits and pieces of acting work and am now on the verge of quitting the day job to make a go of the acting lark properly.

(Katchoo tries not to stare nervously at the clock and remind herself she has an audition in 2 hours time)

wow, break a leg! let us know how it goes

I always wanted to be a part time Opera singer! I've no idead why.

The only remotely similar thing is that i work part time. I must have known full time was a drag!

I only ever wanted to be a professional footballer. The closest I've got is my season ticket.

Thanks Moomoo. I'm not holding out a lot of hope, but all auditions are good experience. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. ?

Blimey - best of luck!

I wanted to be an astronaut - Now a primary school teacher

A palaeontologist and I'm now a... palaeontologist! I could also class myself an evolutionary biologist and I switch between the two depending on who I'm talking to.

The only other career I seriously considered was astrophysics but my maths isn't strong enough, and besides, I'm too obsessed with dinosaurs.

I also went through a phase of wanting to be a ballet dancer and/or an astronaut when I was about 6.

I've always wanted to be a teacher and that is what I now do, despite my mum and her friends' efforts to put me off by telling me all the bad things!

I have however also always wanted to perform on the west end stage I love my singing and dancing and acting but I never followed it hard enough to even think about really making it.

I wanted to be a software developer which I am. It was only when I was at uni that I decided I actually wanted to be a virologist and then it was too late.

I was so skinny i wanted to be a model ?

so i do nothing like i wanted to and now i am fat

I wanted to be an astronaut too, did a degree and most of a PhD in astrophysics instead. Am now an unemployed science-communicator-wot-lunches. ?

I wanted to either work in a sweet shop or be a lorry driver.

I work for a building society as a trainer.

I wanted to be a journalist or a forensic scientist (this was years before forensics was popular from shows like CSI ?).

I'm a medical writer so it's combined a bit of both.

I wanted to be a mechanic or a mountain climber (is that even a job?!)

I'm a Human Resources Advisor.

I wanted to be a petrol-pump attendant or a lorry driver!

Before I gave up work to be a full time mother I was a Conveyancer.

I am now pursuing my dream to be a published writer

I think I always wanted to be a writer, though I had a fairly lengthy period from my mid-teens to my late twenties when I was serious about becoming a professional filmmaker.

Sharing a flat with a far more talented friend got rid of any ambitions to direct (he's just made his first feature, which I must get round to watching one of these days), and a horrendous experience co-producing a low-budget feature film killed off any further ambitions in that direction.

So now I write about film full time, which combines everything to perfection. And I even get to direct and appear in DVD extras from time to time, so I still get to work with cameras and edit suites on occasion.

Wow! I'm really enjoying this.

So many are doing stuff pretty much that they planned to do.

I think I just wanted to be in charge. ?

To the planners I guess my supplementary question is - are you glad you planned it that way?

I wanted to be a fashion designer or an interior designer, as far as I can remember from the age of 7, and have ended up becoming a home textiles product designer.

I like my career but there are so many others I'd like to try now too.

I wanted to be a journalist like my dad when I was younger. I ended up in retail management and loved it and then did a complete about turn and am now a nursery nurse with 3-5 year olds (the best age!). I get paid to play with gloop and play doh!

A vet and I now work in an office. I still have the vet dream but I'm too old and unfit now!

Money was the main reason I didn't go for it, which makes me a bit sad.

A poet, an actress, an etymologist or a barrister.

I'm not any of those things. I'm a solicitor by profession but would describe my current occupation as part time leech, part time drudge.

I wanted to be a forensic scientist but I ended up being an ICT teacher

I never really had any ambition when I was younger. I wanted to be either a person that changed the colours at traffic lights and when I discovered how they worked I wanted to be someone that cleaned the tables in McDonalds. I did work in McDona;ds whilst trying to decide what to do with my life, so really I fulfilled my life ambition.

I'm a Legal Executive now which will do until I can figure out what I want to do, by which time I will probably be to old to do anything about it.

When I was about 9 I wanted to be a fashion designer, but not just any fashion designer (oh no!), a fashion designer for Kylie Minogue! I've still got my school book which outlines my ambition?

When I got to sixth form, I wanted to be a dentist. Instead, I studied English Lit, then went on to become a trainee solicitor before realising I hated office work. Now, I'm a primary school teacher in my NQT year and I love it.

I wanted to be a train driver - steam trains though, none of this modern malarky.

And now, I'm just starting my Masters in Sports Psychology so not very similar...

I wanted to be an astronaut too! Unfortunately I'm now a number crunching civil servant?. My nephew was asked what he wants to be when he grows up and replied "A meter reader or a drunk guy!"

I wanted to ride my pony in the olympics ? when I realised that this wasn't achievable I wanted to be a primary school teacher teaching reception or a midwife. I am now working as a nurse practitioner if circumstances were slightly different I would love to have gone on to do my midwife training.

I wanted to be an optician, a zookeeper or a train driver, and somehow I fell into accountancy in the public sector, but know I work in internal audit. Which sometimes feels like zookeeping.