As a child, one of the first questions you are asked is, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" It puts a lot of pressure on us growing up because we never get to really appreciate the now and only focus on the future. It comes up again in high school and into college. But, are you allowed to change your mind? Is the career you pick at 5 years old what you actually turn into a lifestyle? I asked some of my fellow college friends how their career paths have changed throughout the years and their answers prove that you can do whatever you set your mind to!

1. "I wanted to be a dentist when I was younger and in December, I'll be going to law school to become a lawyer." - Graduated December 2018

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2. "When I was a kid, I wanted to be a singer! Now, I am majoring in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ultrasound) with a minor in Spanish. Wow, the times have changed!" - Sophomore

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3. "First, I wanted to be a singer, until life got in the way and I realized that wasn't practical. Then, I wanted to be a mortician (creepy I know), mainly for job security. At 8 years old, I was worried about if I would have enough money to pay the bills when I was older. I lived with a bare minimum in my childhood years, so I wanted luxury as an adult. I was a smart kid, and I knew people wouldn't stop dying so the job market for morticians would be high. I, now, want to be a theatre teacher and speech and debate coach. I've combined my two worlds and realized that while, yes, I'll have job security and consistency, I can also utilize my skills and love for the arts." - Sophomore

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4. "When I was little, I dreamed of being two things: Either a teacher, or a cheerleader. Cheerleader still cracks me up, I did not in fact end up being a cheerleader. My career path has taken me to the field of writing and editing. I LOVE getting to hear people's voices and put their stories on a page. I also teach English online, so I guess you could the whole "teacher" thing did come in somewhere!" - Graduated May 2019

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5. "I wanted to be a news reporter, then realized I'm not a good public speaker. So, now, I'm working to be in the business world, doing something with marketing and advertising." - Senior

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6. "When I was younger, I wanted to be a professional athlete, specifically softball, but now, I want to run a sports youth and rec program." - Sophomore

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7. "Well, I always wanted to drive a Tonka truck when I was little and was fascinated by big machines and tractors, etc. Now, I drive a legit Tonka truck and lot of different machines, I thought that I'd never get to run." - Graduated April 2019

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8. "So when I was younger, I really wanted to go to Juilliard for dancing and become a professional dancer/choreographer and now, I am planning to be a nurse anesthetist." - Senior

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9. "All my life I wanted to be an art therapist because my passion is art and always had been but my therapist growing up change my life and I wanted to give back to children and create an impact like she did for me. But, when I went off to college, I changed it to pursue psychiatry and I wanted to help people through medicine because I thought it would provide for a family better. But, I was really unhappy pursuing that so that's what lead me back to art and I can only hope it will provide for a family in the future." - Senior

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10. "I wanted to be a teacher my whole life as I would play school when I was a kid. For a short time, I did want to be a dermatologist in my middle teens and then it went back to a teacher!" - Sophomore

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11. "I wanted to be a princess, but I was embarrassed to say so, so I said I wanted to be a teacher and had wanted to be one for the longest time. I would still be a teacher if it meant I could travel somewhere cool but ultimately I'd love to write books or work in the publishing industry. I'm not discounting the princess thing either." - Senior

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12. "Well as a younger kid, I wanted to be a chef or a teacher which is nowhere close to what I want to be now. I still love cooking and I think there's elements of being an RA and my job where I incorporate some teaching aspects but for the most part, editing and writing are pretty far from what I thought I'd be doing as a little kid... I've definitely seen that I love to do editing the most though." - Senior

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13. "I wanted to be a digital animator. Now, I work as a reporter (soon to be editor) for The Arrow Newspaper." - Sophomore

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14. "I wanted to be Hannah Montana and now, I work in Marketing for non-profits!" - Senior

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15. "So, I wanted to be an actress when I was little! And, as of right now, I can't see myself act in front of people at all and so, now I want to be a business woman. Not sure what exactly..." - Sophomore

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16." When I was younger, I wanted to be an actress or singer. And now, I just want to help people and build relationships. I think when I was younger, I was focused on wanting to be famous and doing something I loved (singing and pretending to be someone else) but now I've just seen a bigger picture in what the point of everything is and I want to do what I feel God calls us to do... love others and help each other out." - Senior

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17. "When I was younger, I wanted to be a Disney star (basically Miley Cyrus pre-mental breakdown) but now I want to be a journalist and I really enjoy the writing that I do! I definitely do not want to be in the spotlight anymore! - Graduated May 2019

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18. "I used to want to go into Computer Science, but after realizing that I didn't want to sit behind a desk and code for the rest of my life, I'm now in school for exercise science and working on getting into Physical Therapy school once I'm done with undergrad." - Sophomore

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19. "It's hard to say because growing up I wanted to be so many different things. The first thing I ever wanted to be was a pastor. Then, I switched gears and wanted to be a cop. I always loved beauty so at one point, I wanted to be a makeup artist working with people in Hollywood. It was almost like every year, there was something new I wanted to be or try... when I got to high school, I wanted to be everything from a writer/journalist to anything in business. But in all those years, nothing really spoke to me except one thing... ministry. Still, never pursued it though. Senior year came along and I still had no idea what to do... graduation happened and still, no career path I felt passionate to take. A month after graduation, I ended finding out what an esthetician was and completely fell in love with it. Ended up going to a trade school for esthetics and 2 years later, it's such a deep passion of mine. Yet, still, I had this hunger and thirst for ministry. I left my job as an esthetician to pursue what the Lord put on my heart as a youth/young adults pastor. Now, I'm a part time esthetician talking to my clients about skin and the gospel of Jesus and becoming a pastor for the youth. It's crazy to me because I would've never seen myself working with teenagers, let alone kids. I used to want nothing to do with them. But I love how the Lord softens our hearts and uses our weaknesses to showcase his glory..." - Graduated

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20. "When I was younger, I was so set on being a nurse. My mom is a nurse, so naturally I thought that's what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to help others, but in my heart I wasn't fully sure if I wanted to do this through nursing... When I reached the end of my freshman year of college, I began to really process what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to love others deeply-especially teenagers, and I wanted to be in their brokenness. And that's when I decided I wanted to do counseling." - Senior

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While every one of us wished to be a fireman or an astronaut or Hannah Montana ( a lot of young girls wanted to be Hannah Montana apparently), most times we don't end up as that childhood dream. And yes, the magic of naivety that comes with childhood does disappear, but our true passions always bring themselves to the surface. These people may not have become international pop stars, but they did pursue something that they love. That should be all the motivation you need to do what your heart is telling you to do!