In that case, I retract my original statement. I'm only doing it for the uniform.
Seriously, I completely agree with you. I can't imagine anything worse than being trapped next to someone whose sole conversation topic is aeroplanes. I got a scathing comment the other day when I couldn't instantly spot the difference between an A320 and a 737 with a quick glance at the nose cone. Should I be worried? I doubt it.
If I just wanted to fly I'd have got a PPL, not thrown an anchor of debt around my neck and embarked on a full training course. I don't think, however, that it's wrong to take an interest in something that you've wanted to do your entire life - provided, as you say, you don't forget that you're employed to do a job.
But this thread is asking whether people have known that they want to fly since their childhood, not whether they have a spotter's obsession with aircraft. Are you suggesting that it might be better if the upcoming generation of pilots chose their occupation by closing their eyes and sticking a pin into a list of jobs? ("Ooh, a pilot. That sounds interesting. Maybe I can be like Jack Sparrow?")