What do you want to be when you grow up?

Today’s edition of Wishful Working is a 3 minute read.

Each autumn, I look forward to the deluge of first day of school photos on Facebook. It’s fun to see all the little kids with big backpacks like turtle shells they haven’t quite grown into. Some clutch mini chalkboards that announce their grade level and what they want to be when they grow up. 

The younger the child, the more fanciful this answer tends to be. The preschoolers want to be Batman, Elsa, or the Hulk. Elementary school kids often say things like “ballerina,” “football player,” or “YouTuber.”

My own answer at age 7 or 8 was so fanciful, it became a bit of family lore. I wanted to be an astronaut veterinarian. I guess I figured someone would have to take care of the dogs that go to space. 🤷😂

I know the chalkboard thing is cute and fun and not that serious, but it’s also thought-provoking on a few levels:

1. Isn’t it a bit odd to ask very young children what they plan to do to earn an income as an adult? It’s almost as if school is designed to be a place to train up future workers for a life spent grinding toward retirement… But that could be a whole other newsletter.

2. Isn’t it a bit sad that our earliest dreams for our lives are usually snuffed out by practicality (or, in the case of Elsa and her ilk, reality)?

I don’t remember whether my own dreams of an interstellar veterinary practice were quashed by infeasibility or if I just moved on to other interests — probably a bit of both. 

After a microscope unit in 7th grade science, I set my sights on microbiology. Then, I briefly thought I would follow in my father’s footsteps and become an engineer. By high school, I had decided I wanted to be either a writer or graphic designer.

The thing about growing up is that people stop asking you what you want to be when you grow up. That question vanishes from our conversations, at least partly because we all assume everyone else has it all figured out.

But most of us don’t have it “figured out.” More than ever before, we’re job-hopping, reskilling, and career-pivoting our way to a more fulfilling and meaningful work life. Anecdotally, me and most of my friends and Millennial peers are regularly questioning our career paths and grappling with a vague sense of existential dread.

Why does a kid say they want to be Batman or a ballerina when they grow up? It’s because that’s what they’re interested in. Those things ignite their imagination and bring them joy, and they’re not yet concerned about being realistic. 

As we grow up, we have to consider practicality, and our specific career goals undoubtedly change. But the essence of our aspirations remains the same: Joy. Imagination. Curiosity. Purpose. Fulfillment.

I’m hopeful that political policies and cultural norms will increasingly support people doing what they want to do and becoming who they want to be. Ideas like universal healthcare, universal basic income (UBI), and the four-day workweek would completely transform our relationship to work. 

At the risk of sounding like everyone’s favorite AI overlord, the world of work truly is changing. 

May the future bring more opportunities for us to tap into those childhood dreams and make career moves that are life-enhancing and deeply satisfying.

See you next week,

Kara

P.S. Imagine the Hulk’s LinkedIn posts. 😂 They would be more intelligible than 90% of what the hustle-and-grind bros put into the world. #HulkSmashYourGoals