Chixe

Last week, the answer would have been yes, but this week the answer is no. I didn't expect the company I work for to close shop by the end of the year, which I found out on Monday. Ah well, sometimes being forced to change can be good, at least I can start working toward where I want to be as opposed to where I expect to be five years from now.

Nope. 5 years ago I didn't think I'd be married, didn't think I wouldn't be running my own company, and didn't think I wouldn't be working as a journalist. I also thought I'd be thinner, be living a bit further north, and would have already traveled to Japan.

5 years ago I was 22. Now I'm 27. While I'm by no means unhappy about what I've done in the last five years -- the largest part of which has been an unprecedented expansion in my writing activities and artistic expression, and getting married to a girl I chased for more than 4 years before she even agreed to a date -- I can't help but realize how far I still have to go, and how much less time I have in which to do it.

Life, I've discovered, is like toilet paper. The closer to the end you get the faster it seems to go. Of course, I still expect a-good-nother 70+ years, but that's not all in my hands.

No. Five years ago I was 19 and frankly, I didn't have any idea of where I'd be at this point. I figured I'd be done with college by now, but at that time I was so passionate about journalism I expected to be working at a metro daily. I work at a paper, but I'm most definitely not writing.

I've never been good at envisioning my life on the horizon.

Five years ago, I was 21. And I was going to a local university to do Marine Biology, something I had not a single idea of. And I guess that all I wanted then was to graduate.

Now, five years later, I've graduated with my first degree, and I'm on my way to completing my Master's. And I still don't know what I want in the next five years.

*shrugs*

5 years ago I don't overly remember what I wanted to be. I did want to be happy, but I could never have imagined how things would have worked out. I'm writing this from the USA and whilst I always meant to visit here I never thought I'd get here through a client. I sort of like to not predict life as it always changes that is just the way of life really and something I like. I love the fact that lately I don't really know where or what is going to happen week by week - that's nice in many ways.

I always hoped I'd still be with my husband but certainly didn't think he'd be my husband - I was still thinking marriage was not for me. I was 26 and 30 seemed still far away for me. I now face 32 loving the 30s (an age before I considered with dread).

I can't see where I'll be in 5 more years but I know that life has ups and downs and is a bit of a rollercoaster - it's fun though.

Five years ago, I was about six months out from graduating and stressing over my senior seminar project, living in a POS apartment with a closeted religious boyfriend and no idea of what I was going to do or where I was going to go after college. Now I'm single, working as a web designer, living in a decent place, and ready for the next five years.

No, five years ago I was just turning 19 which means I was still a freshman in college. My goals still consisted of "creative director at some big design firm somewhere" since back then I never considered working for myself as a viable financial option.

5 years seems like a lifetime ago. While I am working with building websites.. somewhat. It's alot of maintenance jobs with only a little original design work. The company I work for is heading more towards backend SEO projects as the primary bread and butter. I thought I'd be well on my way establishing myself in a great design shop. But then again, I also didn't see myself still being in school. It seems the most of my work is coming off my programming skills rather than design, which is what I've wanted for the last 10 years.

I'm 'over 20ish' by several decades. Five years ago seems like a blink. I live and own my same home, I work in the same traditional career, I volunteer for similar type programs, my son and my parents are in good health and our relationships as well as with my sisters is strong and I garden. So yes, my life is exactly the way I figured it would be and I am usually content, always safe and cozy.

I never thought I'd be where I am today, realistically, but suppose I had hoped for something similar.

I think I exceed my expectations by a long shot.

5 years ago I wanted to be in ministry, traveling across the nation doing young adult conferences, speaking and playing drums.

I am doing exactly that. Not quite the way I originally pictured it, but since hindsight is 20/20 I'm glad things are the way they are now instead of how I had imagined them.

5 years ago, I was 27 and going through some pretty intense personal growth. I had a practical, realistic scenario for the next 5 years (keep my well-paying government job, get my own apartment, maybe actually date someone, keep doing creative stuff on the side) and a dream scenario (shack up with woman of my dreams who chooses to take a risk on me and keeps us in bonbons while I write plays all day). Turns out it pays to dream! I'm 32, I write full time and my ladyfriend and I are getting hitched in November. So I'm not where I THOUGHT I'd be but I'm where I WANTED to be, which is pretty amazing.

5 years ago I was 3000 miles away from where I am now but going for the most important job interview of my life. Coincidently, the same thing is happening this coming week. Ironic, I suppose.

Absolutely not because I was in a bad place. Having lost loved ones 9/11 I was bitter, angry and frustrated watching those I cared about trying to put their lives back together. It took a good while to get past that, partly because it was on TV for months after the fact. Hard to put something behind you when it's constantly talked about.

Cheating a tad to 4 yrs. (skipping that), I accomplished some goals (bachelor's degree) and not accomplished others (I'm not Oprah rich yet). Oh wait, I am...sorry...continue talking...

Five years ago I lived in an environment that I didn't want to be in, and my goal was to move out of state, to a place that suited me, in every respect (physical environment, ammenities, location, arts and cultural aspects, et.). I reached that goal, and two years ago, I sold my house, packed hundreds of boxes, got rid of several items, hired a moving van, and off I went. I moved 2,200 miles away, and love where I am. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

It wasn't easy. I am over 50-years old, but my motivation drove me to reach my goal, and I am where I want to be.

I was sixteen but I'm pretty much where I figured I'd be - graduating college in a month.

I'd thought I'd be painting or teaching art in an inner city school or in some foreign country after college. Majors change and goal change I guess.

I imagine in five years I could be doing something totally different.

Life is large so there will be many in and outs and changes.

Five years back wasn't a great place for me. 9/11 through a spanner in the works for me and mine and left an aftermath we're still working our way slowly through. On top of that I was on the downward spiral of a depression that took me pretty much as deep down to the dark places as you ever want to go. I was at a university I hated, in a city I loathed, doing a course I didn't want to do, surrounded by people who weren't very nice. Forget looking five years into the future, back then I couldn't bear to look five minutes let alone five days.

Then I shaved off my hair, got a tattoo, asked for (and got) some help, got a First in my degree just to show the bastards that I could, and then got an MSc because I found out I actually DID enjoy the subject after all. Along the way I also discovered a joy in writing and the realisation that actually, I'm quite a groovy person to know.

So now I'm officially in my 'mid-twenties', my hair is long again, and I have another tattoo. More importantly I'm alive so no, I'm not where I thought I would be five years ago.

Five years from now?! Now THERE is the scary question and the person who can answer that for me gets my undying love and devotion ;)

Five years ago for me was graduation from college and boy was it exciting to have a whole new world to explore!! Five years prior to THAT was the experience of having moved to a whole new city and state, but the experience was pretty much limited to the college bubble, which for me was Westwood (sans a car in LA--preposterous...or a savior for my grades, really). And so the last five years was a great time really experiencing the real world of LA, and it's been quite frankly, really awesome.

I'm not making as much money as I thought I would be, but I don't think I'm alone in that respect. Socially, culturally and emotionally, though, I've come leaps and bounds further than what I could possibly have imagined. All the resources in LA that I didn't know were possible, either--I think that's what's most rewarding. I'm looking forward to having that career and money thing come around, though, in the near future. :)

Five years ago... That would be 2002..

At that point I was in my second year of college, had thoroughly sold my soul to the campus newspaper and was regretting my decision to attend college more and more each day as I feel the advertising program I was in was more of a "how to convince people to buy stuff" than "here's how to be a good designer and how to design"

It seems like ages ago now. How times have changed.