"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Fortunately, I have never been asked this question by a job interviewer or personnel manager, but Graybeard has, and he gave the best answer I have heard of.

True story: I've mentioned before I work for a big company. Like the majority of the herd, we do annual performance reviews, which is a comparison of goals you submitted a year ago, goals you were scheduled to meet, with what you actually accomplished. This year they asked us to submit a development plan. The first question was, "What do you picture yourself doing in three to five years?". In my mind, I wrote, "In the best case, I'm retired, living someplace with dark skies, on 10 acres I own free and clear, with plenty of recreational opportunities, playing to my heart's content. In the worst case, I'm crouched in the rubble that used to be my house, wearing a loincloth that some animal I killed was wearing, and defending my wife and I with a rifle. With two bullets saved for when all other options are gone". Then I decided not to submit the form until they tell me I have to.

Ah, the pleasures of following back link referrals!