For those who have a job in this economy of ever-rising unemployment, under employment and general malaise, it seems almost ungrateful to complain about anything that produces a paycheck. But over a 50-year span, the average American spends about 100,000 hours working. With so much of our lives spent at our jobs, sometimes it is important to stop and consider a question that may sound childish or unrealistic in this job market: What do you want to be when you grow up?

It's not an easy question to answer for most. More than half of all students change majors at least once, and a recent survey found that the average American man changes jobs every four and one-half years, the average woman every three years. The model of employee and employer forming a lifelong relationship no longer fits. And with 42 consecutive weeks of unemployment over 8 percent (using the most optimistic of job numbers), many have found that their job loyalty meant nothing in a bad economy.