my dream

My dream may be somewhat boring, and I know that I'll probably be thought of as someone who conformed to the world, but I really think that God gave me a brain for a reason, and it would be a shame not to use it. I want to be a chemical engineer and either work for oil and gas to develop alternative fuels or work in the medical field in research and development. I hate to sound like a materialist, but I still want a nice house, and be able to afford the things I want. Too many times we dream about what we want to do without taking the necessary steps to accomplish those dreams. I would love to say I want to live like Emerson and Thoreau and live the penniless, hippy life, but that doesn't fit my perception of my American Dream. I think dear old Walt Whitman said it best:

OH ME! O life! of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities filled with the foolish, Of myself forever reproaching, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?) Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renewed, Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me, Of the empty and useless years of the rest, and with the rest me, intertwined, Q: O me! so sad, recurring - what good amid these, O me O life?
Answer: That you are here - that life exists and identity, That the powerful play goes on, and YOU may contribute a verse.