Would you do anything it takes to reach your dream?

Alas, for me that ship has sailed….put away your tissues, i’m over it you damn fools!
I wanted to be a professional footballer (soccer player) for most of my childhood.
Didn’t quite work out that way, still, we dust ourselves off & start all over again ;¬}

I wanted to be an astronaut, but when Space Shuttle Atlantis landed last Thursday, it marked the end of manned space flight by the United States and I kissed that dream goodbye! Well, I guess I could go with my back-up of getting into amateur porn.

Well, it was a little later than my teen years, but my dream was moving to the Portland, OR area. And we are doing it- next month. I’m leaving my job of 23 years and my family and friends- but I am ready! We have a house, I found a new job…it’s been tons of work but it will be worth it.

To the question in your subject line, no. I will not put my health at risk to reach my dream. Not anymore.

To your details. Yes, since I was about 13 I’ve been wanting to design rovers for NASA. Ages 13–18 I figured the best thing I could do to reach that dream was work hard in school to give myself the best chances possible to get into very good colleges. I was too persistent with it and overworked to the point of illness at times. I’m not proud of that.

Fortunately I swallowed my pride and did not choose to attend the most prestegious college that accepted me, as I saw the atmosphere there was going to encourage me to keep doing what I had been doing before. I chose a smaller school that “felt right” instead. Very glad I did that.

At the moment, I intend to major in robotics engineering when I go back to school, which is the major that will give me the best shot at achieving that unlikely dream. But, having a realistic view, and accepting that it is unlikely, I’m putting a lot of consideration into switching to computer science, a major that plays to my strengths and would be much easier for me and allow me to relax and enjoy myself a bit more. This prospect is seeming more and more appealing.

I’ve always thought that my career would be the biggest source of joy in my adult life, but now I’m realizing how much more to life there is, and I’m no longer certain that I want to commit myself so strongly to chasing this goal at the expense of other facets of life.

I never really had any dreams. And I achieved them all!!!!!

I’d do anything within the laws and using common sense. I wouldn’t betray friends or family just so I can reach my goals. I wouldn’t stomp colleagues just so I be on top.

My dream is to not compromise my ethics, so no.

Maybe if I could find my dream I would.