Remember when you were a kid and people constantly asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And how’s that working out for you? Do you already know?

There was an ad on Dutch television that asks this question, and it always triggers something in me. Mostly mild confusion—and the sudden urge to lie down.

First of all, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. There are so many wonderful things to do: play golf, go to a spa, solve complex VAT questions (yes, I’m serious). But turning those into a full-time job? That’s not easy. I’m lucky—I actually get to do VAT stuff and enjoy it. But let’s be honest: I didn’t sit in kindergarten thinking, “One day, I want to interpret Article 44 of the VAT Directive.” If anything, I probably wanted to be an astronaut. Or a wizard. Or both.

Secondly, the question assumes that you must do something—and more importantly, that you must already know what that “something” is, preferably by the time you’re eleven. That’s a lot of pressure. When you’re a kid, your career plans usually depend on what you like that week. One week it’s firefighter, the next it’s astronaut, then it’s professional LEGO builder. But at no point does anyone say, “I want to advise businesses on cross-border VAT compliance and ECJ case law.” (Well, maybe the truly gifted ones.)

The truth is, we evolve. Life takes turns. Sometimes wild ones. I’ve seen VAT people become garden designers, and pilots become VAT advisors. Honestly, I’m still waiting for a sushi chef to turn up at a VAT conference. Anything’s possible. Career paths aren’t straight lines—they’re more like spaghetti.

Thirdly, there’s this idea that you need to be ambitious. That if you’re not aiming for “partner” or “CFO” or “Global Head of Serious Faces,” then you’re not really trying. But ambition doesn’t always mean climbing a ladder. Sometimes it just means finding a rhythm that works for you—whether that’s managing a team, running your own thing, or becoming the office’s go-to person for weird VAT questions. (Hi!)

So maybe it’s not about knowing exactly what you want to be when you grow up. Maybe it’s just about doing more of what you like, and turning your hobbies into something you can share. Like VAT. (Yes, I said it again.)

When I was young(er), I never imagined I’d become a VAT enthusiast. But here we are. I may not be a wizard or an astronaut (yet), but I can tell you exactly when to apply the reverse charge mechanism.

And that’s something too.