As for the science thing, capacitors (the real ones, not the sticks you draw in a circuit diagram) really persuaded me to stay away from experimental science.
Lifetime chance missed... there aren't many big episodes, it's more like a sum of several little things, words said/not said, family background. My biggest mistake is probably the fact that I never played any sport, despite my mother proposed me to practice karate (or something like that) when I was a kid. This greatly hampered my social skills later on (and probably my physical growth too). In hindsight, I should have done either that or a soccer school (it's the most popular sport in my country).