18 people share the lifelong dream they realized they didn't want once they tried it.

Holding a candle for a dream only to discover that it's definitely not the life path you're meant for can be a bittersweet and illuminating experience in 'oopsie daisies, let's redirect this route'...

So, when a Reddit user asked,' Have you ever dreamed of doing something your whole life only to find out, once you did it, that you hated it? What was it?' people were ready to share the fantasy bubble that was immediately busted.

1.

I couldn't wait to 'pull g's' in an airplane. Then I did. It sucked. - papafrog

2.

Music production which is what I majored in. As soon as I graduated from college I realized how much I hate sitting in a recording studio doing the same thing over and over again, only to scrap it and do it over yet again.

Turned out to be brutally technical, drawn out and boring with very little reward and it took all of the fun out of music for me. Even the pros I worked with who were doing objectively “well” seemed miserable most of the time due to having to work with some truly insufferable people and never getting the recognition they felt they deserved.

And half of them were alcoholics, chain smokers or insomniacs with pronounced depression. - dotskee

3.

I wanted to be an architect so I became one Quickly learned that the only people who actually get to be creative are the people who own the firm. Pay sucks and they grind through young architects but you require a very expensive degree and testing to get your license is expensive and difficult.

Very dependent on the economy and at the first sight of a downturn everyone gets laid off Slow to recover as well as construction sometimes lags.

Long terrible hours doing sh*t work to make some stupid design some partner thought up actually work in a technical sense for months on end only to have a client say it’s too expensive anyway and you end up with a square glass box.

Very deadline driven like “we’re digging a hole on Monday so be done or we’re all fired” so high stress for sh*t pay - Lejanius

4.

I wanted to make it big in tech, like my mother did, who spurred my interest in tech as a child. Then I got into tech, and understood my mother survived in tech because she was one of the megad*cks that make tech so toxic.

Not the I'm here to get along and make money.'' Kind of tech I was. But the 'You can't take my promotion from me if I get you fired.' Kind of tech she was. - Surprise_Corgi

5.

Being a dog groomer. I love dogs and working with my hands. What a load of sh*t. Owners are arseholes, some dog were arseholes, horrible bosses, unrealistic targets, you get scratched, bitten, shat on and hair gets everywhere even you eyes. Unless you work for yourself it’s a crap job. - posh-old-bird

6.

Visiting Vegas. I loved the idea of a city based on games. Turns out, I like fair games. - CaptinLazerFace

7.

Being a cop. I quit after 6 months - Ok_Advance6558

8.

Being a veterinarian. I never became a vet, but one of my first jobs in high school, having wanted to be a vet my whole life, was in a vet clinic. I was ecstatic. Vet clinics are depressing AF.

Dogs and cats hit my cars coming in to the clinic in horrendous pain. It always smells like sh*t from fecal floats (checking for worms), pets that got put down but could have been saved if only their owners could have afforded it.

2 freezers in basement- one for dead dogs, and one for dead cats. They get hauled to the basement freezer in trash bags in case they release waste after they die. I couldn't take after only a few months and left. - Competitive-Ad-9662

9.

Being a Chef, I left highschool in year 10 too get a cert ||| in commerical cookery as I loved cooking and making dishes at home. Loved it for the first few months than realized how draining it is. I do split shifts 9:00am-2:30pm than 5:00pm-9 sometimes 9:30pm.

It's exhausting after doing it for 4 years. You loose your appetite completely. I recently had a knee injury and have been off for a few weeks its really made my anxiety and depression calm down after not being torn too bits by chefs who have had 20+ years of experience and 'know' everything. It's making me realize I've chosen the wrong career choice. - Acats3

10.

Being a lawyer. Wasted 5 years of my life. Now trying to figure out what I want. It sucks out here. - SecureAd1981

11.

Moving to another country. I loved the romantic idea of moving to a new place and finding out about the culture. Turns out it's expensive, it's complicated and it's tiring as f*ck. Only silver lining is that I'll have a few good stories to tell...To no one since I basically lost all my friends - nico87ca

12.

I grew up feeling passionate about physics and always planned on being a professional physicist. Got my undergrad, started a Ph.D. program, and spent a good time in the program before absolutely hating it.

The politics, the narrow spectrum of novel research, the terrible grad school pay, being far from home, etc. Got super depressed and had to reevaluate my career, even though I spent so much time on this path. It all wasn't worth a field in which I lost my drive.

Ended up leaving the program and working for the government for a few years before returning to grad school for statistics. Best time of my life, and I got a permanent research position at an R1 university in my home state (where I have been to the day). - Troutkid

13.

Being the boss of people. Boss is a title, but being an effective leader of people is an emotionally draining, often thankless roller coaster - DingbatDarrel

14.

All my life I wanted to make cartoons. I fought with tooth and nail to reach the top. Then I interned for an old studio in Burbank specializing in cartoons about a certain yellow family. Then, after college, I became a mechanic and never looked back. - DreyfusBlue

15.

'I want to be an environmental lawyer when I grow up! I'm going to help save the world!' F*cking kill me dude, I don't even have the energy to save myself anymore. - Superseriouslyguys

16.

Working in a lab. Wanted to help cure viruses and disease. Turned into monotonous days of pipetting, plating germs and tediousness that was soul sucking. - deoxy75

17.

Med school. I was sooo excited to observe a surgery. I fainted... - dandylioness13

18.

Working construction... growing up my dad was a brick mason, and I always thought it was cool driving around and hearing 'I built that house' or 'I built that fireplace.' Then in High School I did summers as a laborer for him, and f*ck that sh*t. - UncleGrako

17.

Being an EMT. I had planned on it being my lifelong career since middle school. I loved the medical field and wanted to save lives but knew I wouldn’t have the stamina to get through medical school.

I got into training as soon as I graduated high school and I was top of my class in the educational sense, but as soon as I started doing ride-alongs everything just kind of fell apart on me.

I didn’t fit in well with the firefighters, which sounds stupid but I think I really needed that brotherhood if I was going to survive in that field. The real problem, however, was my empathy.

I knew quickly that I would not be able to see people on their worst days everyday. I could deal with broken bones and blood, but I hadn’t prepared myself for the screams. I work for a museum now lol. - Livingroxets