When I Was A Young One

I can barely remember my ambitions when I was little, but I think I never wanted to be a doctor , a vet, or a cop like many of my friends did (I even remember distinctly not wanting to be a vet because I liked animals). The first thing I remember really wanting to become is a paleontologist. Yes, I even knew that word. I had watched the Jurassic Park movies and I was very much into dinosaurs for a large portion of my elementary school life. I drew them and enjoyed almost anything related to them. So, wanting to become a paleontologist was only natural by that point.

The next ambition I had, or perhaps I had that to varying degrees at the same time, I can’t really remember, anyways, the next ambition I had was becoming a horse whisperer. In addition to loving dinosaurs I was also into horses and horse riding. I loved being around them and being able to handle them, I also read a lot of horse-related literature. One of my favorite book series at the time was the Heartland book series, which was about a girl who lives on a farm and loses her mother, taking her mantle as a horse handler/trainer for difficult cases - I can’t remember if the term horse whisperer was used but it was essentially the same thing, handling the horse on the horse’s terms more or less. Then there was the movie The Horse Whisperer, I think that one was the one that introduced me to the term horse whisperer. But yes, I wanted to work with horses. Even in middle school I was still considering getting training as a horse trainer (nb. not a horse whisperer anymore). Then I moved onto wanting to become a zoologist. But that was a road that seemed to require me to take paths I didn't want to take and I scrapped it.

After paleontology and horse-related occupational dreams and such, I started to become interested in a career as a lawyer or a psychologist. The lawyer option had been there for a longer time, even in the sidelines when I had dreams of being something else, and it’s still somewhat close to my heart for some reason. I even applied to law school, but I was burned out from Matriculation Examination and other exams, so I didn't go to the entrance exam for that one. I still have the books for it on my shelf.

You know, a lot of my occupational ambition choices could be directly connected to the media I was exposed to. Shows I loved, movies I loved. Sometimes it is a bit disorienting: Do I want something just because I like this and that book/show/movie? Or did they just introduce me to the subject and I happened to like it because of what I'm like as a person? But I digress. Those were at least most of the things I wanted to be when I was a kid.

P.S. Hey guys, While I have your attention here, on the NICoA group on YP, I suggested trying have a skype conference with all of us online. You should comment on that thread.

Frequently asked questions

I'll be honest, I was not surprised to see any of these. I get them a lot. Not that that's a bad thing, they're all legit questions, and it's about time I sat down and wrote out well reasoned answers to all of them.

What do you study, precisely? What do you like most about what you learn?
What I'm studying, precisely, is a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Communication Studies and Linguistics - that's two seperate fields. Neither field is especially big at my uni - Comms is smaller and less established here than at some of the other universities here, and linguistics is just obscure full stop.
Communication studies is kind of a mixed bag. It's media theory wrapped up in a handful of practical units - I think last time I checked there was film production, journalism, and game design. Linguistics is basically the study of language, but from a more scientific viewpoint than something like literature. The first one actually led to the second - one of the required units for first year Comms was a Linguistics unit, and since I enjoyed it I picked it as a second major.
What I like about this arrangement is that it covers both sides of the mostly imaginary logic-creativity spectrum. Comms lets me create stuff, and Linguistics lets me pick it apart. And I find both of those processes very satisfying, y'know, inside my brain.

So if anyone feels like asking questions about media, or grammar, or etymology, or why Americans can't tell the difference between cot and caught, fire away in the comments.

What do you hope to get a job in?
Honestly, I'm not sure. I do know that of the options I considered (the others being classics/ancient history and astronomy) this one probably has the highest prospects of getting a job. That said, there is a fairly persistent idea that 'arts students get jobs flipping burgers', even in the faculty, which is a bit scary.
What I would like to do is write science fiction stories, but failing that, journalism, or working in the film/TV industry would be pretty cool.

What is the story behind your name? We need to know! (I know it’s nothing to do with your degree, but I don’t care :P)
That is a secret, guarded by a sect of monks high in the Himalayas. In order to earn it, you must pass the six ancient rites, unite the amulet of destiny, and win the heart of a fair maiden. Only then will you be deemed worthy to enter the Temple of the Name, and do battle with the High Master on a single pillar of glass suspended over the vent of an active volcano. He will whisper in your ear the the secret only on his deathbed, and from that day forth you and you alone may bear the burden of The Name as the new High Master, until someone slays you and tosses you into the lava in your turn.

Still want to know?

You’re a squirrel, a boxer or a lab creature with a golden speedo? (No, there are no other possible answers)
Squirrel. Or lab creature. Possibly both. Not the boxer, never actually seen the movie. I know, I know, it's like being called Oliver and hating olives. I actually know someone called Oliver. He hates olives. Go figure.

Also, I made a thing. Enjoy.

EDIT TO ADD: Sorry to hijack what I'm sure will be an otherwise totally on-topic thread, but do any of you have Steam (the gaming platform)? If so we should totally look at doing a NICoA multiplayer game of something sometime. Just a thought.