--- description: George Clooney wanted to be a baseball player title: What 25 Successful People Wanted to Be When They Were Kids image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7000547cd6634b14/69887614e20a8795c3a8ebb4/oprah-winfrey.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Parenting](/tag/parenting/) ## Parenting Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What 25 Successful People Wanted to Be When They Were Kids by [Steve Schiff / Fatherly](/author/fatherly/) ## Steve Schiff / Fatherly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 29, 2015 8:00 PM CUT  Oprah Winfrey at An Evening With Oprah tour in Melbourne, Australia on Dec. 2, 2015. Oprah Winfrey at An Evening With Oprah tour in Melbourne, Australia on Dec. 2, 2015.Scott Barbour—Getty Images by [Steve Schiff / Fatherly](/author/fatherly/) ## Steve Schiff / Fatherly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 29, 2015 8:00 PM CUT _This article is a part of the larger_ [_Fatherly Imagination Report_](https://www.fatherly.com/what-kids-want-to-be-when-they-grow-up-1463191840.html "undefined")_._ No parent wants to limit their child’s ambitions … until your kindergartener’s classmates start talking about how they plan to save the world and yours announces, “I’m going to be a dinosaur!” When that happens, refer back to this list. You might recognize a few names — business moguls, Oscar winners, billionaire entrepreneurs, and even a President. Turns out, the Oracle of Omaha actually was an oracle, but most of these folks wound up pretty far from where their childhood self intended to go and the world was better for it. All of which is to say that “dinosaur” is a perfectly reasonable thing for your kindergartener to want to be when they grow up. **Oprah Winfrey** **Wanted To Be:** **An** **Actress** Technically this one [came true](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/printmember/win0int-1 "undefined"), although everyone knows where Oprah really made her money in [beekeeping](http://beesbeesbees.com/ "undefined"). **Jeff Bezos** **Wanted To Be:** **An Archeologist** Then an astronaut. Then a physicist. Then a computer programmer. Figures, Mr. Amazon [wanted it all](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/bez0int-1 "undefined"). A new career is about the only thing you can’t buy from Bezos on a drunken whim. Yet. **Mitt Romney** **Wanted To Be:** **Rich And Famous** [Noble aspirations](http://www.cc.com/video-clips/j4mvqf/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-moment-of-zen---mitt-romney-s-boyhood-dreams "undefined"), indeed. You think he would’ve added, “President” if he’d known the other 2 would definitely happen? At the very least he probably would have thrown in, “Guy with a better name than ‘Mitt.'” **Warren Buffett** **Wanted To Be: A** **Stockbroker** [Really](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren%5FBuffett#Early%5Flife "undefined"), Warren? You couldn’t have at least said, “Astronaut” for a couple of years? Just to give everyone else a shot? **Goldie Hawn** **Wanted To Be:** **Happy** She may not have originated this quote (maybe it was John Lennon, maybe it was Linus, [nobody really knows](http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/05/29/grow-up-happy/ "undefined")), but Goldie definitely said it once. At least according to Goldie. Quotes are confusing. **James Earl Jones** **Wanted To Be:** **Doctor** He’s [not one](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/jon2int-3 "undefined"), but he has played one on TV! And in the movies. **Bela Fleck** **Wanted To Be: A** **Science Fiction Writer** Fleck chose music in high school when his boss at the library reacted to his time off request for a gig with a career [ultimatum](http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/08/musician-childhood-dream-jobs.html?a=1 "undefined"): music or library shelving. The rest is jam band history. **Ted Turner** **Wanted To Be:** **A** **Navy Officer** He settled for starting cable news, creating superstations, and basically running TV. Plus, there was that time he was married to Jane Fonda. But sure, the [Navy](http://www.biography.com/people/ted-turner-9512255#synopsis "undefined") would have been good, too. **Denzel Washington** **Wanted To Be: A** **Journalist** Presumably a celebrity journalist, like Perez Hilton, who always portrays Denzel and his contemporaries kindly. Denzel, care to [confirm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZvxdBkL%5FxE "undefined")? **Jennifer Lawrence** **Wanted To Be:** **A** **Doctor** Just how difficult is it to become a [doctor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o%5F07ArKMzQE "undefined")? J-Law would rather try to survive the _Hunger Games_ than medical school. **Will Ferrell** **Wanted To Be: A** **Sports Broadcaster** Which begs the question, did Ferrell really want to be [Champ Kind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6UHOT8HfEA "undefined") and not Ron Burgundy? **Kareem-Abdul Jabbar** **Wanted To Be: A** **Baseball Player** Kareem didn’t quite achieve [his goal](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/abd0int-1 "undefined"), but it was eventually fulfilled by fellow freakishly tall human Randy Johnson. Meanwhile, things worked out ok for Jabbar on the sports front, too. **Jimmy Carter** **Wanted To Be:** **A Navy Officer** And [he was](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/car0int-1 "undefined"). And then he was in charge of all of them. And all the guys in the other branches, too. Incidentally, nobody has ever answered this question with, “Peanut Farmer.” **Bill Gates** **Wanted To Be: A** **Business Man** So ironic, then, that he runs [the largest non-profit in history](https://www.fatherly.com/melinda-gates-on-raising-charitable-kids-1368850390.html "undefined"), instead. **Mark Zuckerberg** **Wanted To Be: A** **Computer Programmer** [Nailed it](http://www.biography.com/people/mark-zuckerberg-507402#early-life "undefined"), although let’s put to bed this notion that he coded the original Facebook in 2 weeks. Nobody’s first Facebook binge ends that quickly. **Kerry Washington** **Wanted To Be: A** **Killer Whale Trainer** Washington even studied [marine biology](http://www.zimbio.com/Celebrities%27+Dream+Jobs+Before+They+Were+Famous/articles/QkFBkXypVLN/Kerry+Washington "undefined") in high school until AP biology class convinced her to pick the stage over Sea World. Solid choice — always opt for the fictional _Scandal_. **George Clooney** **Wanted To Be: A** **Baseball Player** He even [tried out](http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2015/05/06/122710430/did-you-know-that-george-clooney-tried-out-for-the-reds-in-1977 "undefined") for the Cincinnati Reds. Must have seen Derek Jeter coming. Although “Sexiest Man Alive” isn’t a bad Plan B when “Most Eligible Bachelor In Sports” is unavailable. **Matthew McConaughey** **Wanted To Be:** **A Lawyer** Does it count that he’s most famous for drawling like a southern lawyer? **George Lucas** **Wanted To Be: A** **Race Car Driver** Until a near-fatal accident got him off [that path](http://www.biography.com/people/george-lucas-9388168#early-life "undefined") right quick. He still managed to make his way to light speed eventually. **Martha Stewart** **Wanted To Be:** **A Teacher** You could say this one came true. Martha sure has [taught people](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ste0int-1 "undefined") a lot over the years, like how to make a pretty radish rose or how to decorate the whole prison camp for Christmas with just $50. **Mike Wallace** **Wanted To Be:** **A Lawyer** He still [interrogates](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/wal2int-2 "undefined") people, but people actually like him. Win win, Mr. Wallace. **Francis Ford Coppola** **Wanted To Be:** **A Scientist** It was either [science](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/cop0int-1 "undefined") or stories, and Coppola chose stories. [Silvio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCFVfwJZJT8 "undefined") and the guys say, “Thanks.” **Amy Tan** **Wanted To Be:** **A Doctor** If reading is therapy, Tan achieved [her goal](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tan0int-1 "undefined") to some extent. If reading puts you to sleep immediately, Tan still appreciates you buying her books. **John Grisham** **Wanted To Be: A** **Baseball Player** He settled for using the millions made from bestselling novels to [build a college baseball power](http://www.buschleaguesports.com/index.php/a-phoenix-from-the-ashes-john-grisham-and-the-rise-of-the-university-of-virginia-baseball-program/ "undefined") so a bunch of other kids could live out [his dream](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/gri0int-1 "undefined"). _This_ [_article_](https://www.fatherly.com/what-famous-people-wanted-to-be-when-they-were-kids-1462723868.html?utm%5Fsource=Time&utm%5Fmedium=Post&utm%5Fterm=none&utm%5Fdevice=all&utm%5Fcampaign=Syndication "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Fatherly_](http://www.fatherly.com "undefined") _More from Fatherly:_ * [This Is What 2015 Sounded Like If You Have Kids](https://www.fatherly.com/2015-year-in-music-for-families-1504024075.html?utm%5Fsource=Time&utm%5Fmedium=Post&utm%5Fterm=none&utm%5Fdevice=all&utm%5Fcampaign=Syndication "undefined") * [An Open Letter To The Parents Sharing Every Minute Of Their Kid’s Life On Facebook](https://www.fatherly.com/dont-share-your-kids-on-social-media-1492213530.html?utm%5Fsource=Time&utm%5Fmedium=Post&utm%5Fterm=none&utm%5Fdevice=all&utm%5Fcampaign=Syndication "undefined") * [Everything You Need To Know About Parenting In 9 ‘Star Wars’ Quotes](https://www.fatherly.com/star-wars-quotes-may-the-fourth-be-with-you-1125452145.html?utm%5Fsource=Time&utm%5Fmedium=Post&utm%5Fterm=none&utm%5Fdevice=all&utm%5Fcampaign=Syndication "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/"},"headline":"What 25 Successful 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