We had a local man that tells this story about being a cowboy. 

 He said all his young life, when some adult asked him what he wanted to do, he said he wanted to be a cowboy.  Now, this is not some city kid, his folks actually farmed, and had a small herd, like everyone used to have in this area. 

When he graduated High School, he went west to become a cowboy.  Asked around, and got a job as a cowboy.  The first day, he fixed fence.  He thought, that's ok, I used to fix fence a lot at home.  The second day, he fixed fence, the third day, he fixed fence, the fourth day, he fixed fence, the fifth day, he fixed fence and got paid. 

He quit the cowboy job, saying now he knows what a cowboy does, he fixed fence!