February Question of the Month - Join the conversation and receive a badge

Pauline J

When I was a kid I wanted to sing and dance on Broadway! I majored in music in college, and worked as a studio musician and had a full ride music scholarship. I've sung in bands -- performed in 5 countries in South America, Mexico, Canada, and the US. But.... decided to get a "real job" for financial's sake! I love musical theater and try to see every show that comes to my town. My motto: "Life's a musical, sing it out!"

Deowens

When I was young I wanted to be a teacher. Now I am a planning analyst - married to a teacher.

Kathy PPT

During my childhood, I wanted to be an archeologist, go to Olduvai Gorge to dig. My mother would send me outside to dig up dandelions. :) In high school, I found out about Malaria and decided against my archeology quest. I took some Anthro classes in college and went on to a career in Software.

Chris S.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be everything from a superhero, fireman, police officer, doctor, etc. When I look back, the main theme I see is someone who helps people.

As for what I do, in a round about way, I'm doing that. I'm a Project Manager that helps my company implement projects that, ideally, make our customer's lives easier in the healthcare systems.

So limited success. =)

charleenL

When I was a kid I loved animals and thought I wanted to be a veterinarian. Turns out I still love animals, but the closest I came to being a vet is taking my dog to one. Now I work as a Project Administrator, managing over 200 projects from across the country.

mkoch

I wanted to be an engineer and now I'm an engineer.

jelfner

When I was elementary school, Top Gun had just come out and I wanted to be a fighter pilot. My dreams were crushed because I am female and was banned at that time from combat roles. It is all good as I am very happy where my career led me. I work in Construction Ops Management and led our Smartsheet development!

Cassi

As a child, I always wanted to be a teacher and then to create an Early Learning school facilitating grades Pk-2. I currently work in Education as an Executive Assistant to an amazing person! I love my job and working with all the leaders and seeing the way they make a difference in the student's lives is amazing. I do have many degrees that will allow me to start an early learning center for Pk-2 grade but I have not jumped off the cliff to do it yet. It is scary to follow those dreams and make things happen. I know that when I do make that leap, Smartsheets is going to help me navigate the planning, the budgets, and the outcomes of this dream. I do hope someday I am able to make this dream a reality.

John_Foster

I always wanted to grow up and be a solicitor/lawyer or a chartered accountant. However, learning was something I very much tried not to allow myself to do in the latter stages of school.

Since then with a different attitude towards learning and work, I am now a project manager within the insurance industry and love the variety that my job brings. I cannot be certain, but I have friends who do the jobs I had wanted to grow up to do, who very much dislike the career they had chosen and stuck with.

Amanda Winter

I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was kid, a writer when I was in high school, a paleontologist when I was in junior college, and an applications manager when I was in undergrad.

I realized I don't have the emotional fortitude to be a vet and I don't like the heat so digging out tombs was not for me. I have published poetry, am working on a novel and I am the clinical trials application administrator at my job.

Some dreams do come true!

Dixie Morse

When I was a kid - I wanted to be a veterinarian or doctor... organic chemistry put paid to that dream!! Ended up with an Economics degree and an interesting and varied career in banking and start ups - a nice long gap to raise a family - and finally as a PM in a group insurance company. Most proud of my kids for sure!

Joanna C.

Since elementary school, I had wanted to be a doctor and have laser-focused on that goal. Reality hit when I took organic chemistry in college. All those carbon structures and iterations frustrated me, and the first anatomy class I took reinforced that medicine was not for me. My history electives were more exciting, so I switched my major to Contemporary European History. That led to my final major, Foreign Policy, focused on the Soviet Union's military. At my graduation (1992), the Soviet Union no longer existed (they dissolved in December 1991). Ironic.

I worked on political campaigns, then in finance as the only woman on the fixed-income trading desk, and finally as a senior manager at a high-profile tech company before the dot-com bubble crash (for my company) in 2001. I joined my current organization 23 years ago and my career has moved through organizing, campaigns & elections, and finally now in the technology department as an SME for Smartsheet and manager for "surprise" projects AKA "other duties as assigned" which almost involves work outside of my department.

Stephanie Graham

Everything I aspired to all had organization :) I used to play secretary, cashier or librarian as a kid making everyone check out groceries or books every day. After my first flight to a wedding in my teens, I wanted to be a travel agent or event planner, and now I organize processes for a living. No wonder I gravitated towards Smartsheet like a moth to a flame!

RachelJaneen

When I was a kid, I wanted to be one of everything but the most pervasive dream was to be a teacher because I had so many impactful ones. I'm now a project coordinator and a mom! Between the two I get to hit some of the same training/teaching/planning/organizing/fun that I thought a teacher would.

nfatolitis

I'd say, I didn't know what I wanted to be, but I knew what I liked. Communicating and Communications, technology and helping others.

When I was younger, I enjoyed my GI Joe figures and they went on many missions with my friends. However, my group of figures always went out with a medic and computer guy. I always resonated with the support troops, but I loved that guy with his computers, and he saved the day more than the guys with guns. He had access to data and plans, or he could hack anything. My medic guy didn't do to much, but I couldn't fathom going on a mission without him. I guess at young age I knew i liked computers and helping others. It wasn't till later in life that I learned that making lists (like my GI Joe teams always had a prep list) would be so valuable to tracking tasks.

Now, I work in IT and enjoy helping others.

Nick F