When I Grow Up I Want To Be...

When kids grow up, they get asked all the time what do you want to be when you grow up? I know I perpetuate this asking my daughter what do you want to major in college, what are you going to do. When I was young, I wanted to be a teacher. I think most little girls want to be that one.

When I was in high school I wanted to be a chemist. A little more exciting job.

When I got out of college I just wanted a job that paid the bills.

So now that I'm 45, I still wonder what I want to be when I grow up. I've narrowed it down to three.

1. Stock Analyst. When I was working on my masters degree, I was accepted into a special course where we had real money to invest in the stock market. We did value investing (where you find the intrinsic value of a stock and if the price is lower than that, you purchase it.) The one recommendation I made doubled in price in six months. So I felt pretty good about that. Later Dan gave me money for Christmas to specifically invest and play with. I doubled that money even with the huge stock crash, mostly thanks to a Korean steel company that went up 500%. But alas, there really aren't those kind of jobs here in the middle of Oklahoma. So I don't think I'll ever really get to do it for a living.

2. Sommelier. I love to drink wine. In fact one of my favorite days of the week is Thursday when my local wine shop has free wine tastings. I love talking to other people about wine. I love learning about wine. I love how over the years my palate has gotten more refined and more open to try things. But my problem is I never can remember wine terms. I never smell or taste what everyone else is tasting. And there are certain things in wine that I really don't like. Earthy wines (why would I drink dirt), aged in oak (I don't like the woody taste it imparts) and heavy tannins (I hate when my mouth puckers and I feel like I need a huge glass of water after one sip). So I doubt I could ever become a sommelier but it sure would be fun drinking wine for a living.

3. Philanthropist. OK this one probably can be obvious for everyone. First of all you have to have a lot of money to be able to give away a lot of money. (That isn't going to happen for me). But the great thing about this job is that you can pick who to help. You can get involved and really make a difference in a big way. I wouldn't want all the public accolades, I just want to be able to help organizations that I think are important in a much larger way than I am able to now.