Regardless of what you are doing *right now*, I am curious to know where you see yourself in five or ten years. What are your long-term plans? How do you plan on getting there?

If you feel that you're already there, then please share your story.

I ask this, because I know people who are artists, writers, musicians, designers, public speakers, chefs... and so many other types of skills, and yet they labor away doing work that doesn't make them happy.

Please feel free to join in with your thoughts.

Every time I've had plans further out than three years, they've failed miserably. Too much can happen: surgery, illness, money problems--even your interests and loves can change. So I just chart a course based on a level of comfort I want in my life and chase the things that bring me pleasure, in work and in play.

I had big dreams when I was a teen. I wanted to start a girls' comics publishing company. I worked so hard, but in the end, I had to get a real job to get health insurance to pay for jaw surgery. My comics friends supported and helped me immensely, but I found a new career and colleagues in web dev. Now, five years in, my comics powers are being put back to use, and there is no paper comics publishing industry left to conquer.

I've only ever wanted to play drums. That's it. In reality, however, bills must be paid, relationships happen, and technical (and mental) limitations happen with music.

So, I try to do something that allows me the time to go out and play drums...because, who knows, I could make a living at it someday.

I like to work on multimedia projects, so I do that to pay the bills. I'd LIKE to do certain kinds of projects...but again, clients, managers, and all kinds of other people get in the way to what you'd like to do. So I work on the projects that I don't mind too terribly but pay well. Some are fun.

The older I get the more I realize that time is very important to me. I like to do many things, and work is a small part of that.

It's funny that you bring this topic up, because my story follows this quite well. I've had long term plans for years now to start my own company, already having formed the idea, doing research, etc. and only now am I getting around to (hopefully) making it a reality.

Funny enough, the company hinges on making the ideas of others a reality, among other things. I could go deeper into it, but I'll stay on the topic for now.

Unfortunately, as with the others here so far, I am stuck in a job just to have a job. It's not exactly what I want to be working in and at a place where I don't exactly want to be, but I have to be in order to pay the bills. They lie in high school when they tell you to pursue what you want to do with your life, haha.

I'm not sure, to be honest. I know that my life in web design/development has a shelf life. I've certainly got to give more consideration about life beyond it.

My dream job is working with a group of good people who share a similar vision and life values as I do. The actual what may not be as important as the who and why.