I did it my way Since I was 5 I wanted to be a vet. I actually am a dog person so at 13 I got my first dog as a birthday present from my parents. By 17, I had a handful of friends and acquaintances among dog breeders, vets etc. and was sure I knew what I wanted to be. My grandmother has brought up a question about giving me a hand in my enrollment at the medical university (she was a rather well-known ob at that time) but I defied her assistance and with my parents' go-ahead became a vet-to-be. I have a good head for both biology and languages, so I didn't have to study much and had time on my hands to start something new. I chose German by chance but I believe chances are never as simple as that - are never quite accidental. After graduating I managed to work in a cell culture lab for almost 2 years and also was a part-time vet in a clinic. Then I moved home to St. Peterburg and, of course, quit my jobs. I was looking for either job in St. Petersburg - I coulb be a vet, I could fly a jet etc. )) But it so happened that I became an officer at a translation agency and so began to translate myself. Having several free hours in the evening was out of question, so I decided to study again (that is the only thing I really enjoy doing) and in 3 years' time got my second degree as a German teacher. By now I've dropped the postgrduated studies twice (once in Kazan and once in St. Petersburg), received 3 diplomas and am eager to start my new learning course in September. What I want to be now is a translator or interpreter at an international organisation that really makes the difference like UNO, for one. At 10 I had ho idea about being a translator whatsoever. Maybe I just got cold feet and dodged, because being a doctor involves not only saving lives but also facing music for not being able to do it. I think that under certain circumstances I could also be a decent vet (not a surgeon, though - I'm not squirmish at all but being level-headed under time pressure is not quite my strong suit, which is a very serious limitation). I think that one can never know how any single event can play into his or her future life. And that's what makes life so unpredictable and exciting.