--- title: What 25 Successful People Wanted to Be When They Were Kids description: George Clooney wanted to be a baseball player canonical: https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-29T20:00:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:10.439Z article:section: Ideas og:title: What 25 Successful People Wanted to Be When They Were Kids og:description: George Clooney wanted to be a baseball player og:url: https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7000547cd6634b14/69887614e20a8795c3a8ebb4/oprah-winfrey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Oprah Winfrey at An Evening With Oprah tour in Melbourne, Australia on Dec. 2, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What 25 Successful People Wanted to Be When They Were Kids twitter:description: George Clooney wanted to be a baseball player twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7000547cd6634b14/69887614e20a8795c3a8ebb4/oprah-winfrey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What 25 Successful People Wanted to Be When They Were Kids > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=7654c489-355f-4cb8-b0dc-fc0b2f7411a0&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Attachment Parenting: Dr. Sears and the Origins of a Movement [Watch (HLS stream): Attachment Parenting: Dr. Sears and the Origins of a Movement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yMNteD4K.m3u8) (4:11)  _Published 2012-05-10. TIME reporter Kate Pickert explains how 'The Baby Book' author Dr. Sears' controversial ideas on parenting have trickled into the mainstream_ by [Steve Schiff / Fatherly](https://time.com/author/fatherly/) ## Steve Schiff / Fatherly Contributor Dec 29, 2015 8:00 PM UTC  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](https://time.com/author/fatherly/) ## Steve Schiff / Fatherly Contributor Dec 29, 2015 8:00 PM UTC _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)_._ 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), although everyone knows where Oprah really made her money in [beekeeping](http://beesbeesbees.com/). **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). 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), 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), 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/)), 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), 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): 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) 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)? **Jennifer Lawrence** **Wanted To Be:** **A** **Doctor** Just how difficult is it to become a [doctor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o%5F07ArKMzQE)? 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) 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), 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). 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), instead. **Mark Zuckerberg** **Wanted To Be: A** **Computer Programmer** [Nailed it](http://www.biography.com/people/mark-zuckerberg-507402#early-life), 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) or stories, and Coppola chose stories. [Silvio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCFVfwJZJT8) 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) 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/) so a bunch of other kids could live out [his dream](http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/gri0int-1). _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) _originally appeared on_ [_Fatherly_](http://www.fatherly.com) _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) * [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) * [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) ## Transcript Attachment parenting has really shifted mainstream American parenting, because the ideas have kind of filtered down to every modern American parent. Lots of people breast feed even if they're not into attachment parenting now, in fact, breast feeding rates are at the highest levels since the 1950s when formula was invented. Lots of people actually sleep with their babies in their beds now. Up to 20 % do that at some point which is. Really, really a new phenomenon. I'm Kate Pickert and I'm a staff writer at Time magazine and this week I wrote our cover story, about attachment parenting. And the, man who basically invented it, Doctor William Sears. So attachment parenting is, child rearing philosophy based on the idea that you should follow your instincts. And that your instincts as basically as a mother would need you be very close to your baby at all times. So there are three basic tenets to attachment parenting. One is breastfeeding and actually people that are into attachment parenting often breastfeed their kids until their toddlers, until their one, two, or even older. Another of the tenets is what Dr. Sears calls baby wearing, which is this idea that you should keep your baby close to your body at all times in a sling. And the third tenet of attachment parenting is [ MUSIC ] What people call co- sleeping, which is this idea that it's natural to keep your baby in bed with you at night so that mother and baby are close at all times. So Dr. Sears wrote a book in 1992 called The Baby Book. And it's really the attachment- parenting bible. So the book turns 20 this year. So we thought it was a good time to go back and kinda see where Dr. Sears came up with all of his ideas. It turns out actually that a lot of what he's taught has been intertwined with his own personal life. Dr. Sears wrote the baby book and, and over 40 other books as well, about parenting, pregnancy. Mostly with his wife, Martha. And it turns out Dr. Sears and Martha both had really difficult childhoods. Dr. Sears was raised by a single mom. His father left the family when he was only a month old. And Martha, her father died when she was four years old. And her mother was, had a lot of mental health issues. A lot of people who are attracted to attachment parenting are kind of reacting to their own childhoods as well. Lots of the mothers that I talked to, had difficult experiences, or just kind of not super close relationships with their own mothers, one of the things I noticed when I was with Doctor Sirius when he saw patients is how he is different then, maybe a typical pediatrician. One thing that seem different is he doesn't take babies and put then on in exam table, [ MUSIC ] He mostly does the exam while the baby is being held by the mother. With older kids he starts each exam by hugging the kids. But even if it seems awkward it usually makes the kids smile. And it just kind of, diffuses the seriousness of, of a you know, a doctor examining you. [ MUSIC ] When piece of criticism that doctor Ceres really fielded a lot is that he is you know, anti feminist, that you can't really be an attachment parent and wear your baby and breastfeed and stay up all night nursing your baby in bed, you have a job. [ MUSIC ] Dr Serious claims that attachment parenting is actually ideal for working moms cuz it's a way of you know being really close and connecting with your baby when you come home from work. But in practice it can be incredibly exhausting in a way that maybe doesn't allow some people to function enough during the day to get enough sleep to perform at their work You know I think a lot of people get into attached from parent feeling like I need to do this for my baby but I think some self examination would reveal that a lot, its a lot of parent own issues to that, that you know feed into that kind of how they decide to parent. And the good news is that in the end, data and research has shown that a kid that feels wanted and feels loved, is sort of on the right track. But there's no evidence to show that you know wearing your baby in a sling or sleeping with your baby is really gonna change how they turn out when they're kids or later when they're adults. ```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 People Wanted to Be When They Were Kids","datePublished":"2015-12-29T20:00:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:45:10.439Z","description":"George Clooney wanted to be a baseball player","url":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/","keywords":["Parenting","Living","society","celebrities","Family"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7000547cd6634b14/69887614e20a8795c3a8ebb4/oprah-winfrey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Steve Schiff / Fatherly"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7000547cd6634b14/69887614e20a8795c3a8ebb4/oprah-winfrey.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Oprah Winfrey at An Evening With Oprah tour in Melbourne, Australia on Dec. 2, 2015.","caption":"Oprah Winfrey at An Evening With Oprah tour in Melbourne, Australia on Dec. 2, 2015.","creditText":"Scott Barbour—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/parenting/","name":"Parenting"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/","name":"What 25 Successful People Wanted to Be When They Were Kids"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Drew Barrymore Says Her Childhood Helps Her Parenting","description":"Drew Barrymore, who became addicted to drugs and alcohol in her teens, told People she wants to use her experiences to help teach her daughters.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1obfoqsJ/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-10-22T13:49:32.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1obfoqsJ.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/","duration":"PT38S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Melinda Gates: How My Children Spend Their Allowance","description":"Melinda Gates talks about how she raises her kids to share her philanthropic values","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/r8wuO4tt/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-11-21T16:52:46.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/r8wuO4tt.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/","duration":"PT48S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Attachment Parenting: Dr. Sears and the Origins of a Movement","description":"TIME reporter Kate Pickert explains how 'The Baby Book' author Dr. Sears' controversial ideas on parenting have trickled into the mainstream","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/yMNteD4K/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2012-05-10T05:12:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yMNteD4K.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/","duration":"PT4M11S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4154997/successful-people-dream-jobs/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```