What do you want to be when you grow up? - Response

In response to Dave's post on this topic, I thought I would jot down a few of my own thoughts as well.

I have also struggled with this same question for several years and have even made some bold moves in response to what I 'thought' I wanted to do. I've bought self-help books on the topic, signed up for college classes and created a reputation among my friends as someone who changes their career path monthly. One month I'm going into Aerospace engineering, the next it's GIS, followed closely by architect, robotic engineer, landscape designer and then as the frustration increases I land on ditch digger. Maybe I should have just stayed as an Infantryman, at least there the goal is clear (point gun that way and shoot).

In the end (well, currently at least) I think that radical changes (like switching fields entirely) is probably not something I want to do, mostly due to the time involved in getting qualified in the new field as well as the time I have invested in this one. So what I am pursuing at the moment (sure to change in a month), is to figure out how to move to the next level in the field I am in currently (which happens to be creating web applications for those joining late) and acting on those items. Maybe that way I can at least feel satisfied in my career.

I'll be posting shortly about how I'm trying to advance my career from average ho-hum developer to super programmer extraordinaire, or at least to happy respected developer.