When, I was a kid, I watched a lot of War Movies and I always wanted to be an Officer in the US Army to be at least a Lieutenant Colonel or Higher ... A Brigadier General would be nice.

As I got older, I learned that my handicap (hearing) will not let me in the Military Service and I shifted my attention to business mathematics, drafting, and some attention to building and decided to become an Architect. 

Later on, I failed in drafting and understanding of building mechanics and among other things and shifted to Computers, some Programming, and excelled in those areas in my early 20's.

Got a job working as a Computer (Software Testing) Analyst for 20 plus years ...

Retired and enjoying Life as it is ... 

At various points in my life, I wanted to be:

• Zookeeper
• Paleontologist
• Cryptozoologist
• Doctor

Based on my recent educational and professional trajectory, none of those are probably going to end up happening.

I wanted to be James Bond or Indiana Jones

Then I found out that being an intelligence agent or archaeologist isn't nearly that exciting.

I wanted to be an astronaut, then a hockey player, then a writer. At around the age of ten I saw a documentary on French biologist Jean Rostand, who was the epitome of the balding, pipe smoking, grandfatherly scientific philosopher. That made me want to be a biologist.

Since I also loved cartooning, my plan was to draw comics to pay for my biology studies. Eventually it's my job as a biologist that allowed me to do comics on the side, so even if the plan didn't quite work out the way it was supposed to, it all turned out fine.

I wanted to draw comics. I didn't have the discipline to get there.

Mountain Park Ranger

Artist (have/had some small talent but never pursued) and have been paid for doing some art for a high school and college history teacher's who never published their books and through them have done some individual pencil drawings and sketches for others. Had my art utilized for high school newspaper all 4 years doing humor strips/jokes/caricatures/illustrations and was yearbook cover artist/photogorapher my Junior and Senior years.

Astronaut (bad eyes and weak ankles ended that early in my youth)

Cowboy. What boy hasn't had this dream? Slightly fulfilled during Junior High (6-8th grade and high school) when helping a fellow church member who lived a bit south of me was doing professional rodeo work riding/racing quarter horses, barrel racing, calf roping and riding brahma bulls. I spent most every afternoon after school during the week with him cleaning the horse stalls, cleaning the horses, walking and riding the horses through their training and Sundays after church he and i would ride the horses around through the desert river bottom near our homes. That stopped the beginning of my Senior year in high school when his wife passed away and he choose to move to Colorado. 

Professionally: began life as a bag boy at local grocery chain for 3 months, turned 18 and then moved to cleaning the Meat/deli department rooms/equipment (grinders, saws, tables, utensils) for 22 months then began apprenticeship as butcher and became licensed journeyman butcher. Did this at same chain for multiple managers/stores working full time but only a part time employee for 11 years. Saw writing on the wall how stores going to pre-cut/packaged products (use less staff, less hours, no insurance benefits) and went through training school for 6 months and then became licensed Physical Therapy Assistant. Did that for about 6 months and the office i worked never retain a steady front desk scheduler/insurance/billing and they asked if i would take that over. Did that for 5 years then became an office manager/insurance billing for a group of Doctors forming a Orthotic/Pain clinic group of offices. Did that 4 years until found out main owner/physician doing illegal changes to patient billings to insurances and turned him in to FBI and while doing so he found out and fired me. 

Unemployed for 6 months then hired on with another Orthopedic Medical Group of physicians and worked their scheduling and billing for 3 years then an MD that used to work there went to an OB/Gynecology office. They had major scheduling/billing/office problems and this MD called out of the blue and offered me an office manager/billing position so i jumped and worked there about 6 years until the physicians all were having in-house difficulties with each other and again i saw the writing on the wall and left before they broke up the practice 6 months after i left.

I had interviewed and hired on as a Unit Secretary (met/greet/create patient files/phones/etc here at the Banner Thunderbird Hospital and did that for 4 months and then the Director of department (5 units) felt i was being wasted in my role as a Unit Secretary and based on my prior work history moved me into the then new position of Administrative Assistant responsible for employee files both paper and electronically, department purchase orderings for supplies/equipment/etc, managing staff time cards and licenses and education. Been here in same department at same hospital for 14 years and now going into my 15th year.The Position/Role is currently changing and i am only 1 of 3 left within the hospital in this role. I have been voluntold in the last 3 years for taking on this responsibility for 4 more departments which consists of 12 units total with around 175 staff for each department so i track/deal/handle approximately 850+ employees. Scheduled for 8 hour shifts Monday through Friday but the day can be 8-10 any given day depending on what is happening here.

What happens next as my role continues to evolve i have no clue...

As a kid, I was sure I was going to be a detective. I have no idea where that came from, especially as I had only the loosest idea of what the job entailed. I guess I just figured you got paid and praised for being smarter than everyone else. Maybe this is why I got into teaching