When I was younger…

Write a CV, they say. Apply for internships, they say. Don’t waste an opportunity, they say. Get a job secured before graduating, they say. Sometimes, the pressures of being a university student gets too much and you can’t help but reminisce about a time when life seemed simpler. As aware as we all are about making the most of studying at Warwick and the importance of having a plan for the future, every once in a while it’s nice to look back and remember what we wanted to be when were kids:

“A younger more naïve version of myself wanted to be Queen of the World when she grew up, but somewhere along the way she realised that the world was much more democratic and holding that position may be a tad trickier than originally planned. Luckily, a somewhat more realistic me discovered (in between ordering my tiara’s to be polished) a passion for journalism and media. Now when I grow up (because 19 isn’t remotely ‘grown up’ enough) I want to create, head and establish my own media empire. Say what you want about 9 year old me, call her optimistic and tell her she had her head in the clouds but a decade later, the label may have changed but we pretty much still want the same things!” – **Maya Westwick**

“I wanted to be a duck because they seemed to have pretty happy lives. It took my teachers a long time to explain the logistics of why I couldn’t be a duck and that simply saying ‘quack’ now and then wouldn’t cut it. Six year old me was heartbroken. Now I want to be a writer or a journalist, because writing is the best way to deal with such dream-shattering trauma.” – **Andrew E King**

“When I was little, I said I wanted to be a writer. My great uncle wrote and so did my father, though he never published, and so it just seemed completely logical to me that I should write also. My grandmother would make up fairy tales for me where the heroine always had my name, and when I was seven I put them in writing. My father typed it for me and gave a copy to everyone in my family. A few years later, I wrote my first “real” book, in a desperate attempt to get my brother and little cousins to read SOMETHING. They did, but just that one book. Today, I still want to be a writer, because I’ve never found anything as cathartic and (to be completely honest) as cool as writing what’s going on in your mind. The question is whether anyone will care. But I suppose that if I could deviate my brother and cousins’ attention away from the Playstation long enough to read what I had to say, then nothing’s impossible.” – **Rita Oliveira**

“I wanted to be a dinosaur, but I don’t want to open that can of worms again.” – **Scott Harris**

“I wanted to be a vet and used to ‘practice’ on my beanie babies. Think red felt tip pen and the occasional amputated ear… Then at about the age of 12 I found out you had to stick your hand up a cow’s bottom as part of the training. I decided journalism sounded cleaner.” – **Nicole Davies**

“I wanted to design a computer game in which Roger, my big white fluffy rabbit with floppy ears, was the main character. Then I started playing Grand Theft Auto and realised the fluffy rabbit might not quite appeal to the computer game target market. What do I want to be now? Unsure as yet, although I do hope bunnies and stealing cars don’t heavily feature.” – **Cheryl Laverick**

When I was six I wanted to be a mechanic or a mum. It hadn’t occurred to me that I could be both! I wanted to be a mechanic because I loved taking things apart and as for being a mum – I didn’t understand the attraction of babies so I wanted to know what all the fuss was about! But engine oil ruins your clothes and baby sick ruins everything, so now I want be a financial consultant” – **Catrin Lewis**

“I wanted to be an astronaut, because apparently I was a six year old boy as a child. I still kind of do. Only I feel my degree in English literature just doesn’t contain enough astrophysics. Seriously hoping space journalism becomes a thing.” – **Chiara Milford**

“When I was 7 I was obsessed with Egyptian mythology, to the chagrin of my very Chinese parents. My love for all things Ra, Osiris and mummies lead me to an ambition to become an Egyptologist. However I decided after a few weeks that a career studying in the desert would be much too dusty and I abandoned those plans. A pity, a degree at Warwick doing Archaeology would definitely put me on that path!” – **Brenda Wong**