What I Wanted To Be When I Grew Up

The very first thing I remember wanting to be was...

A doctor.  I remember sitting in our house in Sodus, NY (so I was no more than 5) looking at an anatomy book (really) and thinking I should be a doctor.

And from there I draw a blank until maybe, high school, when I wanted to be in fashion.  So the list starting in high school, through college was:

• Fashion Designer
• Something else in fashion when I realized I was not really a designer
• Architect (still in high school)
• International relations person (no idea what I wanted to do) specializing in Russia (applying to college)
• Domestic security expert (freshman in college)
• No idea (sophomore in college)
• Corporate lawyer (later in my sophomore year in college when I realized I liked to argue and wanted to make a little money)
• Cosmetics industry executive (junior in college; this interest led to an internship at Estee Lauder in London, where I realized I could not focus on lipstick all day)
• Investment Banker (senior in college.  for obvious reasons.  I wanted to make money and live the Wall Street dream)

So what happened?

First job out of college: Kidder Peabody as a junior investment banker.  Kidder was quickly sold to another company - I was in the last analyst class at Kidder!  So I moved to another firm - Peter J. Solomon Company, to be a mergers and acquisitions banker (a junior one - don't be fooled).  I could write a LOT about being a banker.  Bottom line: I loved it.  Worked my tail off averaging 80 - 90 hour weeks for three years.  Amazing training.  Shaped so many aspects of who I am professionally today (I think first jobs really do that).

And then what?  For another post.  But fun to remember where my head was a long long time ago.  Funny thing is, I am still interested in cosmetics, not really in law, definitely in fashion, am bummed I speak a little as opposed to a lot of Russian, would love to design our own house one day (though will hire a proper architect of course), and domestic security...well, no knowledge of that (my experience in NYC on 9/11 does not qualify).

And the story of what I want to be when I grow up continues with a few other things in the past including hip-hop start-up, a variety of jobs in the media industry, and now VC.

Of course, these are only JOBS.  One thing I have learned is that this question is not only answered with what you do for a living.  My current definition is MUCH more expansive.  

How do you / did you answer this question?

Comments

[Joe]

What did you want to be when in Harvard Business School?