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In the United States， it is not uncommon for a child to be asked by an adult， “What do you want to be when you grow up？” This usually refers to career choice， and the answers are sometimes very amusing for the adult asking the question.
Of course， not everyone knows what they want to do with their life when they’re a kid. Our first ideas often come from our parents and relatives， who may or may not continue to influence us as we get older. When it comes to choosing a career， only some people end up doing something they are passionate about. For others， it takes decades before a person’s talents and passions are realized.
In 2014， the newspaper USA Today co-conducted a poll of American workers aged 40 to 59 to find out where they were in their careers as “preretirees”.2 Nearly one-third of the 1，000 respondents said they wanted to change careers within the next five years. Their reasons？ They said they wanted something with less pressure and more time to enjoy life outside of work.
It is not at all uncommon for Americans to have many careers over a lifetime. However， there have been times—for example， the mid-20th Century—when it was unusual to stray outside the norm of a longstanding career.3 Why risk financial and job security by trying something different？ In those days， practicality trumped4 passion.
There have been rare cases when a person shows a great talent and skill that isn’t revealed until much later in life. This type of person is known as a “late bloomer”. In some cases， there are those who switched careers completely to follow a dream； in others， success didn’t come until later.
Here are some examples：
Anna Mary Robinson Moses was in her late 70s when she made her debut6 as one of the most famous American painters. As a child she loved art. But as an adult she had little time for it—between raising five children， maintaining a small business and running a farm with her husband.
For years， Moses spent her spare time embroidering and quilting scenes of American country life.7 But arthritis8 made it too painful to keep up as she became older. Her sister encouraged her to take up painting instead， so Moses taught herself to depict country scenes on canvas instead of cloth.9 Eventually she gained fame for her simple pictures of folk life. An art critic called her“Grandma Moses” and that was how she was known until she died in 1961 at the age of 101. Over 30 years， she painted more than 1，500 pictures.
Of course， not everyone knows what they want to do with their life when they’re a kid. Our first ideas often come from our parents and relatives， who may or may not continue to influence us as we get older. When it comes to choosing a career， only some people end up doing something they are passionate about. For others， it takes decades before a person’s talents and passions are realized.
In 2014， the newspaper USA Today co-conducted a poll of American workers aged 40 to 59 to find out where they were in their careers as “preretirees”.2 Nearly one-third of the 1，000 respondents said they wanted to change careers within the next five years. Their reasons？ They said they wanted something with less pressure and more time to enjoy life outside of work.
It is not at all uncommon for Americans to have many careers over a lifetime. However， there have been times—for example， the mid-20th Century—when it was unusual to stray outside the norm of a longstanding career.3 Why risk financial and job security by trying something different？ In those days， practicality trumped4 passion.
對于成人而言，职业是生活最重要的组成部分之一，然而在当今压力巨大、竞争激烈的社会中，职业选择似乎往往难以与个人兴趣完美匹配。当大多数人为了安稳和现实的考量而长期从事同一职业时，有的人则在人生的晚年逐渐找到了真正的天赋和热爱的事情。这些大器晚成者的人生华章也许姗姗来迟，但却依然精彩纷呈。追寻卓越的道路有着无限可能，大器晚成也是华丽的绽放。
There have been rare cases when a person shows a great talent and skill that isn’t revealed until much later in life. This type of person is known as a “late bloomer”. In some cases， there are those who switched careers completely to follow a dream； in others， success didn’t come until later.
Here are some examples：
Grandma Moses5
Anna Mary Robinson Moses was in her late 70s when she made her debut6 as one of the most famous American painters. As a child she loved art. But as an adult she had little time for it—between raising five children， maintaining a small business and running a farm with her husband.
For years， Moses spent her spare time embroidering and quilting scenes of American country life.7 But arthritis8 made it too painful to keep up as she became older. Her sister encouraged her to take up painting instead， so Moses taught herself to depict country scenes on canvas instead of cloth.9 Eventually she gained fame for her simple pictures of folk life. An art critic called her“Grandma Moses” and that was how she was known until she died in 1961 at the age of 101. Over 30 years， she painted more than 1，500 pictures.