JD
I had no idea whatsoever, and nor did anyone else. I thought I’d go to art school and see whether I liked it – and of course I did, and stayed.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 4 December 2021 source ↗
The question
As a child, what career or life did you imagine for yourself?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
This is a standing question in The Guardian's decades-long The Q&A and also recurs independently in career and life interviews.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Others on this question
View all 197 →
Edward Enninful
Ghanaian-born English editor and stylist
In African families, you can be one of three things: a doctor, a lawyer or a failure. I wanted to be an Egyptologist, but things worked out in the end.
Richard Coles
British musician, writer, presenter and priest
A great composer. I wrote to Benjamin Britten to tell him this and that he was my third favourite composer. For some reason he didn’t feel moved to reply.
Rick Astley
Singer, songwriter and radio presenter
When I was about 14 and got my first drum kit, I wanted to be a drummer in a band like the Police.
Mellody Hobson
Co-chief executive and president of Ariel Investments
And all the while I was growing up, of course, there were just constant conversations about money and money being tight and how are we going to make ends meet and sometimes not having enough money. And it really just made me committed to living a life with much more financial security.
More from James Dyson
View profile →Very recently, when a graduate at the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology gave the most brilliant speech on behalf of the students at our first graduation.
David Hockney, because he’s so experimental and creative. He continually reinvents himself in a really delightful way.
Creating jobs and opportunities for thousands of people.
An overwhelming sensation of caring and passion.
Changing the way young engineers are educated through the Dyson Institute, and fostering creativity and innovation through our foundation.
More on identity & self
- What do you fear most? 256 answers
- Which trait in yourself do you like least? 239 answers
- What most recently moved you to tears? 192 answers
- What does happiness look like for you when life is going well? 158 answers
- How would you sum yourself up in three words? 114 answers
- What fills you with the most pride? 103 answers
Also answered this
Lucy Lawless, Russell Mael, Imogen Poots, Gino D'Acampo, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Jessica Brown Findlay
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All identity & self questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject