What do you want to be when you grow up?

Have you ever been asked that question? I'm sure you have. I started to think about this question when my wife asked our 3 year old daughter what she wanted to be when she grows up. Without a second of hesitation she answered "I want to style people's hair." A month ago she said she wanted to be nurse, and I'm sure it will change several more times between now and when her professional career begins.

But that moment got me thinking about how each of us arrives at the decision of what we will do when we "grow up." How and when did you decide upon your career? 

I grew up on a grain and beef farm between Columbus Grove and Bluffton, Ohio. My brother and I had most of the same experiences growing up. We showed steers at the county fair, helped out with the grain operation, were both active in clubs and athletics, among other things. All these things helped my brother and I start to figure out what we wanted to do for a career. However, our paths were very different. From the time he was in the 7th grade, my brother knew he wanted to be veterinarian, and is a very successful one today. It took me a little longer, as I didn't decide on a career until I was 20 years old. 

In high school, I was pretty good in Math and Science and I really enjoyed my Industrial Tech and Drafting classes that I took. As a result, I started college to pursue a career in engineering. During my sophomore year of college two things happened that influenced my career path. First, I became a TA for intro level Calculus courses, and second, I worked as an engineering intern during the summer doing mostly CAD work. Through those two experiences I realized I loved teaching a lot more than I liked sitting in an office working on mechanical designs. From that point on my career focus was education. 

It doesn't really matter that I'm in education or my brother is a Vet. The point that is important however, is how we all arrive at what we want to do for a living. For most of us, we had to do job shadowing, work part-time jobs, take interesting elective courses and experience things to figure out what we really liked to do. THAT IS WHAT CAREER TECH IS! Instead of just learning about careers, CTE students across the country experience careers by actually doing them. This allows students the chance to figure out if a career is right for them, BEFORE they take on any student loan debt. 

As my own children "grow up" I hope each of them takes advantage of Career Tech classes to help them choose what they want to be.