What was your dream growing up before life kicked you in the nuts/vag?

Vinen

Vinen

God is dead
2,783
490
Noodleface_sl said:
I do wonder if one day i could get into game programming but I've never tried.
Click to expand...
It's not worth it. The pay, hours and job security are complete trash.
I wanted to makes games at one time then I saw the $$$$ in Enterprise Software.

One day I'd still like to break the golden handcuffs that bind me and work for a startup again on something new and interesting.
 
Khane

Khane

Got something right about marriage
19,879
13,395
Cad_sl said:
You and me are about the same age if you're 38 now, so we were on a similar track. I was told even if I went to the academy that the chances of getting a flight spot were slim. Definitely a huge kick in the nuts
frown.png
Click to expand...
You quoted the wrong post. So you were gonna be a pilot too huh?
 
T

Tenks

Bronze Knight of the Realm
14,163
606
My dad was an air traffic controller in the Navy so I had a brief stint of wanting to be a pilot as well flying Tomcats. But back then you basically had to be born with 20/20 vision to be considered. I'm sure now with lasik it isn't a requirement.
 
Shonuff

Shonuff

Mr. Poopybutthole
5,538
790
Echuta_sl said:
Perhaps it's mid-life crisis settling in early but I can't help but stare out the office window at my well paying IT job everyday and wonder, "How the fuck did I end up here and why am I miserable"
Click to expand...
I used to dream of making videogames as a kid. I did get an offer for one about five years ago, but turned it down. So I guess I got close. And it was a good call, as the company announced huge layoffs a year later. I wanted to do it when I was younger, but got ignored. The company in question was one I established a relationship on FOH, and eventually, they were like, everything you said about this game ended up happening, why don't you come work for us.

I own a business and it's done well. There's no way I could have turned down the money I was making and moved across country for a lot less money. And the industry is just rife with layoffs.
 
Joeboo

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
8,157
140
Lyrical_sl said:
I used to dream of making videogames as a kid. I did get an offer for one about five years ago, but turned it down. So I guess I got close. And it was a good call, as the company announced huge layoffs a year later. I wanted to do it when I was younger, but got ignored. The company in question was one I established a relationship on FOH, and eventually, they were like, everything you said about this game ended up happening, why don't you come work for us.

I own a business and it's done well. There's no way I could have turned down the money I was making and moved across country for a lot less money. And the industry is just rife with layoffs.
Click to expand...
was it Curt Schilling's 38 studios? You avoided quite the trainwreck if you passed on that one. Good call.
 
mkopec

mkopec

<Gold Donor>
25,424
37,545
I always wanted to do what I do, except not digitally but be a true draftsman on the board with pencils and shit. One time my pops took me to his work, General Motors, at the time he worked for Pontiac, I think I was about 11 or so mid 80s. Well I was walking past all those drafting tables with dudes drawing on steel plates with gold! Thats how they used to do it. And ever since I saw that its what I wanted to do.

I took all the drafting classes I could in High school, even won a vocational clubs of America 2nd place award for state of Michigan in drafting. Then went to college for the shit, took that along with mechanical engineering. Most drafting even in school was all on the board, with some computer shit thrown in. Took all sorts of classes like surface design, panel tipping, descriptive geometry, shit like that. Got hired by an engineering firm my first year of school and have been working ever since as a design engineer but mostly on the computer. In the early mid80s- 90s most of the boards went away and got replaced by computers, I still love it though.
 
Shonuff

Shonuff

Mr. Poopybutthole
5,538
790
joeboo_sl said:
was it Curt Schilling's 38 studios? You avoided quite the trainwreck if you passed on that one. Good call.
Click to expand...
Given that the person who offered me the job is no longer there, and the company has changed hands, I'll say it. I was offered a job as a dev on DCUO about five years ago (back during the server hack). Given I'm such a rabid comic book fan and MMO player, it would have been a dream job for me. But I told them, my business is established, and I'm able to live well. I saw how many devs they've run through over there, and didn't think I'd have longer than a year. To me, the weirdest thing about that industry is that people only work on projects for one to two years, and then move on. I'm in my 40's and have only worked for two Employers after college. I just told them I appreciated it, and that I was available to talk about the game at anytime, and I kicked myself in the ass over it (and still do).
 
Borzak

Borzak

Bronze Baron of the Realm
24,709
32,110
mkopec_sl said:
I always wanted to do what I do, except not digitally but be a true draftsman on the board with pencils and shit. One time my pops took me to his work, General Motors, at the time he worked for Pontiac, I think I was about 11 or so mid 80s. Well I was walking past all those drafting tables with dudes drawing on steel plates with gold! Thats how they used to do it. And ever since I saw that its what I wanted to do.

I took all the drafting classes I could in High school, even won a vocational clubs of America 2nd place award for state of Michigan in drafting. Then went to college for the shit, took that along with mechanical engineering. Most drafting even in school was all on the board, with some computer shit thrown in. Took all sorts of classes like surface design, panel tipping, descriptive geometry, shit like that. Got hired by an engineering firm my first year of school and have been working ever since as a design engineer but mostly on the computer. In the early mid80s- 90s most of the boards went away and got replaced by computers, I still love it though.
Click to expand...
Power went off in the office one day but the shop kept power. Anyway I had to draw some templates for the shop. I was using the board and a drafting machine. Some of the other guys stood around going "magic" they had no clue what the thing was even tho it was in the room for the last 25 years. Sad.

A shop that now has 3 full time guys drawing used to be about 8-10 guys drawing on the board all day. Amount of guys to draw it has gone down, quality of work has gone down as well, but it's done quicker. Guys who drew on the board for years thought a lot more about what they were drawing because it took time and you didn't just move shit around. Dad did it till I transitioned him to a computer. He took a lot of shortcuts since appearance wasn't all that a priority. He had stick ons of braces and beams and such and then would just fill in the dimensions and such. I do miss going to some of the larger engineering companies and places like the Exxon engineering department and they had row after row of guys drawing on the table, maybe 25 per room and had room after room of them.
 
Echuta

Echuta

Golden Knight of the Realm
291
147
After my stint in TV/Film and prior to my IT job now I worked with EA for a couple years as a tester/QA. It was a great job but only filled 9 months out of the year due to only 3-4 titles being worked on during the year. Pay was low, hours could get nuts during BETA testing (noon-4am/6 days a week), and job security was non existent. I saw fellow testers get fired at a drop of the hat due to them not finding enough quality bugs. I was lucky that I was good enough to be kept and moved to another game once a title finished. I definitely viewed it as a job and not a career so I left after 2 years. I always kinda regret leaving. Despite the lack of job security, I always felt I was with those who were just like me. We were passionate about games, movies, comics, sports, etc. The conversations in the break room were always epic (think Grandmas Boy DDR scene. Yeah, very true to life). At my job now we bitch about our bosses talk about what forms need to be completed and what antidepressants were on.

I long to go back into video game industry but more as a writer or something for ign or Nerdist. I feel I'm too old for their demographic now.
 
Deathwing

Deathwing

<Bronze Donator>
16,430
7,440
Not really sure I have/had a specific dream growing up. Definitely been metaphorically kicked in the nuts by life. But I don't think I've had any dreams ruined because I can't really coalesce what I *truly* like doing into a job. Not to sound cliche, but I really like doing puzzles. A game throws a bunch of different rules and systems at you, I love puzzling out what's the best way to do something. Modeling a system, iterating errors and input until you reach a relatively good answer. WoW and D3 provided lots of entertainment in this regard. And to be honest, as a test engineer, I get that from time to time on my job(I love programming for performance even if it is a net waste of time), so perhaps I'm already working my "dream" job.

Or even better, finding ways to break their systems to do things that wasn't intended. I don't think I've had more fun than playing some of the aspects of a bard in EQ.

Is there a job that better fits that description? Probably. Worth going back to school and/or switching careers? Likely not. Not worth worrying about and I get what I enjoy in my free time.
 
Khane

Khane

Got something right about marriage
19,879
13,395
Anyone who believes there's a job out there that fits the "dream" description is fooling themselves. That video Borzak linked from Mike Rowe is so spot on.

I think my dream job would be to do what that guy is doing and hope to be as simple and eloquent as he is. He just gets it and he says what he's thinking in plain english without alienating anyone in his audience.
 
T

Tenks

Bronze Knight of the Realm
14,163
606
I think the number of people who if they won the lottery wouldn't just quit their jobs is an absolute tiny amount. Regardless of what you job is there is something that annoys you and if given the option of being able to leave and do whatever you want while still maintaining financial freedom would be impossible to pass up. Even the hosts on Mike & Mike said if they win the lottery they'd probably quit. They acknowledged they love their jobs but unlimited family time and not having to obey a schedule would just be too nice.
 
Khane

Khane

Got something right about marriage
19,879
13,395
Noodle, the key to happiness is masturbation. But everyone must participate.
 
Rime

Rime

<Donor>
2,638
1,613
I wanted nothing less than to explore space. I was sure that I could make it. I was sure that I was smart enough, I had the moral fiber, etc. Turns out, genetics boned me. Oh well. At least I get to explore space in video games, I guess.
 
Khane

Khane

Got something right about marriage
19,879
13,395
Hrmmm. How old are you? Not to be a dick but we haven't had a manned space exploration program since... well pretty much since I was born.
 
Rime

Rime

<Donor>
2,638
1,613
Khane_sl said:
Hrmmm. How old are you? Not to be a dick but we haven't had a manned space exploration program since... well pretty much since I was born.
Click to expand...
I am in my 30s. I was sure that by the time I was an adult, that we would be sending people to Mars or have a habitat set up on the moon. Dreams of a child, I know. Finding out you have a genetic heart condition in your early teens shits on dreams and leads to a self-destructive cycle! At least I cleaned myself up in my 20s and have the 'American Dream' (House, steady job, running car, a bit of land).
 
Khane

Khane

Got something right about marriage
19,879
13,395
Yea after I wrote that I realized I absolutely was being a dick. Just because it hadn't happened since we were kids doesn't mean it was a sure thing it never would have started up again.
 
Burren

Burren

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
4,073
5,368
Wanted to take over my Dad's industrial dry lock valve business. But, mother walked out when I was 13 and left us hanging, so he had to sell. Dream #1 gone.

These days, I dream (almost daily) about being a race car driver. GT2/3, Le Mans, etc. Real race cars (honestly don't think I'm quick enough for Formula 1, plus I'm 34 now, which is way too old). Since work is pretty decent, I may end up being able to have it as a hobby before too long. Kind of turn it into a Paul Newman, Steve McQueen privateer thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.