When I Grow Up | Teen Ink

When I Grow Up MAG

April 24, 2009
By Sara Dickinson BRONZE, Wyckoff, New Jersey
Sara Dickinson BRONZE, Wyckoff, New Jersey
2 articles 3 photos 3 comments

In kindergarten, my class was asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Crayons danced across sheets of ­paper to illustrate our dream occupations. Our drawings were hung in the hallway for our parents to see at Back to School Night. I remember looking down the line and seeing pictures of ballerinas dancing, firefighters putting out a blaze, and astronauts leaping across the moon – careers that were seen as typical dreams of five-year-olds.

My picture showed a stick figure with brown hair holding a carton of orange juice over a large rectangle that was supposed to be a counter. Underneath was my barely legible handwriting: “When I grow up, I want to work at the Market Basket because it would be fun to swipe orange juice across the scanner.” To this day my parents won’t let me forget that out of everything I could have aspired to be, my five-year-old self wished to work at the local grocery store.

When we are young, questions of what we want to be when we grow up are common. Yet we are not expected to respond with an answer that is likely to come true. However, when we become teens, we are asked the very same question twice as often. The difference is, now we are supposed to ­answer with confidence.

Teens are expected to know exactly what we want to be and how we are going to achieve that goal. Not all of us can be so sure. Even though I am in high school, I ­cannot answer convincingly. But I don’t ­consider that a bad thing. How am I supposed to know what I will want to spend my time doing at age 40?

When I think about the future, I definitely don’t see myself working at the Market ­Basket, but in reality, if that was what would make me happy, I would do it. So, the next time someone asks me what I want to be when I grow up, I will simply say “happy.”

Happiness is a destination for everyone. We may want to walk different paths in life, but we all want to be happy wherever we end up. Choose your path, but don’t worry too much about choosing wisely. Make a ­mistake or two and try new things. But ­always remember, if you’re not happy, you’re not at the end of your journey yet.



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This article has 207 comments.


CurlyUnicorn said...
on Feb. 5 at 9:22 am
CurlyUnicorn, New Cumberland, West Virginia
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
This is exactly my thoughts when anyone asks me what I want to do (I’m in 8th grade). I’ve run through the idea of working in many jobs but as expensive as the world has become, I’m not even sure what will pay enough for me to not be homeless.

Lillerz said...
on Mar. 14 2022 at 7:09 pm
Lillerz, Kalispell, Montana
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

This is a great way of looking at things!

on Jan. 6 2020 at 8:16 am
HarnessTheWords BRONZE, Colorado Springs, Colorado
1 article 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”
~Audrey Hepburn

I can't even tell you how much I love this! Honestly, I couldn't say it better. Oh and how funny is the memoir you began with? lol.

NinjasHyper said...
on Feb. 21 2019 at 10:40 am
NinjasHyper, Hartford, Connecticut
0 articles 0 photos 3 comments
GAAAAAARRRRRRRRBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOO

NinjasHyper said...
on Feb. 21 2019 at 10:40 am
NinjasHyper, Hartford, Connecticut
0 articles 0 photos 3 comments
I hate this

NinjasHyper said...
on Feb. 21 2019 at 10:38 am
NinjasHyper, Hartford, Connecticut
0 articles 0 photos 3 comments
@jennifer_cornejo this

on Dec. 8 2016 at 1:36 pm
Jenifer_cornejo SILVER, Sacramento, California
6 articles 0 photos 5 comments
this is really well written this makes younger teens believe in their dreams and to choose a great path. I like how you described why you wanted to work at the Market Basket

on Sep. 10 2016 at 12:21 pm
FangirlFrazier,
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
This was truly amazing and well-written. Kudos to you, dude.

jaya prakash said...
on Jun. 19 2016 at 10:14 pm
I think many of the teenagers to careless about our future.after the future we can remember about our future

on Jun. 10 2016 at 7:27 pm
sassy_scribe_777 BRONZE, Bellingham, Washington
3 articles 5 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
Friends are God's way of apologizing to us for our families.

That is an awesome quote

on Apr. 26 2016 at 8:00 am
Emily_3645 BRONZE, Columbus, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 3 comments
I think you have covered a great topic here. Many teenagers spend their time worrying about future occupations that are seen as suitable to others rather than themselves.

on Apr. 18 2016 at 8:14 pm
itsrainingcats GOLD, East Hampton, Connecticut
16 articles 0 photos 25 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Suess

I thought of that when I read this XD. Great essay by the way.

Josh27 said...
on Apr. 1 2016 at 10:29 am
That it's true happiness is always something for every when all the people need they try to look for it but when they cannot find happiness the people give up, but you can never give up always search for it.

Cgreen BRONZE said...
on Mar. 3 2016 at 7:28 pm
Cgreen BRONZE, Hockessin, Delaware
3 articles 0 photos 5 comments
So much stress is put on teens to pick a "rational" job choice, without worrying about what makes them happy. A job is something that you have to drag yourself out of bed for, a true career is something that you enjoy doing.

on Jan. 3 2016 at 11:20 pm
ColdplayForever BRONZE, San Jose, California
1 article 0 photos 62 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Coldplay fans are the best in the world. If you like Coldplay, then you're obviously very intelligent, good-looking, and all-around brilliant."
~Chris Martin

"When I was five years old, my mother always told me happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote don, "Happy." They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." -John Lennon Happiness truly is the key to life, so no matter what occupation you want to have, make sure that you are happy.

on Dec. 30 2015 at 12:07 pm
Shadowboxer SILVER, Charlotte, Vermont
7 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do what you feel in you heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Great piece - lots of truth. However, is happiness always the destination? As a child, a lot of us achieve happiness in simple things, yet we still must "grow up" and start to change. If we achieve happiness as younger ones, why do we grow up to achieve other things and call it the pursuit of happiness? If happiness is the ultimate destination ("Happiness is a destination for everyone..."), why do our physical and emotional selves move on to things in the future past the happiness we experience in the past? How does occupation tie into this? Must we have occupations?

on Nov. 19 2015 at 4:30 am
Rehannah1 BRONZE, San Fernando, Other
4 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
It's not about who you were, but about who you are.
-Unknown

Thanks for this story because a lot of people go through challenges of picking their careers and dealing with the pressures of people's expectations

on Nov. 5 2015 at 8:37 am
terialexander BRONZE, Plaquemine, Louisiana
3 articles 0 photos 3 comments
The line “But ­always remember, if you’re not happy, you’re not at the end of your journey yet” stands out to me the most. My parents always bother me about knowing what I want to do for the rest of my life but when i tell them they say I need a backup plan because it is not “realistic”. This line gives me confidence in my decision on what i want to do.

aoliver BRONZE said...
on Nov. 5 2015 at 8:37 am
aoliver BRONZE, Plaquemine, Louisiana
3 articles 0 photos 3 comments
I like this story because it tells how people put pressure on us as teens about what we want to be. “So, the next time someone asks me what I want to be when I grow up, I will simply say “happy.” This is my favorite line in this story because that’s all I want when I grow up too, happiness.

abby.v BRONZE said...
on Nov. 4 2015 at 2:51 pm
abby.v BRONZE, Plaquemine, Louisiana
3 articles 0 photos 5 comments
I've always thought about what I've wanted to be when I grow up. I've always based my choices on whether I'll be good at the job, or if I'll get lots of money, or if I'll make people proud. "So, the next time someone asks me what I want to be when I grow up, I will simply say “happy"." This quote here changed my views on my own future. It made me realize that in the future, my priority is happiness. Not money, or love, or pleasing others. The writing is great, and it taught me an important lesson.