Ali Abbasi: As a child, what career or life did you imagine for yourself?

The question

As a child, what career or life did you imagine for yourself?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

This is a standing question in The Guardian's decades-long The Q&A and also recurs independently in career and life interviews.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

@aliabbasi

builder

first published 1 Sep 2026

I always wanted to be a pilot

2 versions

Earlier wording is kept rather than replaced. This is the record of how the answer moved, not evidence that it should not have.

Version 1 superseded 15 Sep 2026

A pilot
Version 2 Current

I always wanted to be a pilot

Others on this question

View all 197 →

Anna Paquin New Zealand actress

I already had a career when I was growing up.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 27 July 2019 source ↗

Ralph Ineson English actor and narrator

A Yorkshire cricketer, but I wasn’t good enough.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 24 February 2018 source ↗

Patricia Hodge English actress

A ballet dancer, but it changed to being an actress when I got put in a school play.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 8 September 2018 source ↗

Julie Andrews English actress, singer and author

A botanist or a florist.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 October 2019 source ↗

More from @aliabbasi

View profile →

Question What thought won't let you sleep? Daily life

Working on new ideas and driving

Question Which book do you recommend most often to others, and what makes you pass it on? Taste & recommendation

The power of the mind by Josef Morphy

Question What would you most want to leave your children? Death & what remains

I want to leave my children three foundational tools to navigate the world: Life skills: The practical capability and independence to take care of themselves, solve everyday problems, and handle adult responsibilities with ease. Confidence: A self-belief rooted in resilience, knowing they have worth, deserve to take up space, and can handle failure without letting it define them. A sense of humor: The ability to find levity in life's absurdity, laugh at themselves, and keep perspective when things don't go according to plan. If they leave home with these three things, they'll have everything they need to build a meaningful life.