What do you want to be when you grow up?

Who says our childhood dreams can’t become a reality – even if we’re already on another course? Isabella Silvers reminds us it’s never too late

Was your childhood aspiration to become a pilot? A dancer? A vet? You’re not alone if the occupation you dreamed of didn’t come to pass. Many of us were encouraged to get a foot on the career ladder. But there’s a growing realisation that you don’t necessarily have to follow a traditional path to fulfil your ambitions – or give up on pursuing your ideal job because it seems the moment has passed. In fact, taking a few sideways steps might be more beneficial in the long run.

Be inspired by Barbie – who, for the past 65 years, has represented over 260 occupations (and counting!), helping to tell stories that encourage women and girls to believe they can be whatever they want to be.

The (career) path less travelled Perhaps the key to career success lies in having a diverse CV rather than climbing very specific rungs of a ladder. We don’t mean hopping from job to job, rather adopting a mindset that enables you to grow while embracing opportunities that align with your strengths and values. This might mean taking a few diversions on your journey towards your dream job.

Otegha Uwagba, bestselling author and journalist, agrees that the idea of having just one type of job over your lifetime has become ‘pretty obsolete’, adding that not only are we more open to other avenues of work, we’re more confident calling out unfairness. ‘There’s more scrutiny now of gendered dynamics holding women back,’ says Uwagba. ‘This has empowered us to push back.’

Paving the way

While we’re seeing this shift in real time, many blazed the trail for us. Take astronaut and CEO of X Prize Foundation, a nonprofit tech organisation, Anousheh Ansari. Growing up in Iran, she longed to be an astronaut but, after moving to the US as a teenager, she began a career in electrical engineering and telecommunications. Decades later, however, armed with a wealth of professional experience, she

found her way back to her childhood dream when, in 2006 – aged 40 – she became the first Iranian in space.

Ansari hopes to inspire women and girls to pursue their ambitions, no matter how male-dominated certain industries seem. Stories like hers are vital in transforming statistics highlighted by Mattel in its Barbie Dream Gap Project research, which found over a third of girls aged 12-16 thought most scientists were men, and only 5% of girls aged 5-11 were interested in space careers*.

Lending her weight to the gathering momentum for change is elite disability gymnast Natasha Coates, who has 27 British titles and 42 medals to her name. Growing up, she saw herself becoming a paramedic, not vaulting a pommel horse. But after being diagnosed at 18 with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), a rare immunological condition that can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions, Coates was forced to change the course of her story. (‘You’re not much use as a paramedic if you spend more time as the patient.’)

Gymnastics, which had always been a hobby, became a profession. ‘I now do disability gymnastics as a career,’ says Coates. ‘I want to pave the way and inspire others to know that life can throw you curveballs, but you can learn to adapt.’

Talking about her personal success, she adds: ‘It’s easy to feel intimidated by a complicated move, but I set small goals and build up. It’s only when you look back you can see how far you’ve come.’

See it to be it

With only 41% of school-aged girls able to identify more than two female role models in their lives*, it’s essential they see women like Ansari and Coates on screen, in books – and even in the toy box.

The Barbie doll has represented over 260 careers, including a gymnast and an

‘Barbie was an astronaut before man walked on the moon’

astronaut (fun fact: Barbie was an astronaut before man walked on the moon). ‘Since 1959, Barbie’s purpose has been to inspire and show girls their limitless potential,’ says Kim Culmone, head of dolls design at Mattel. ‘We’re proud to give girls the resources to believe they can be anything,’ she adds, noting that the team spotlights roles often underrepresented by women.

Barbie has also diversified in physical appearance, challenging preconceptions of who can succeed in certain careers.

For Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme, one of the UK’s leading aesthetic doctors and founder of Adonia Medical Clinic, a career in medicine was initially deemed out of her reach. ‘I was told I wasn’t the “right fit” for medical school. Luckily, I had a mother who told me to reach for the sky because if I fell, I’d land in the clouds. It’s true – if you only reach for the treetops, you’ll never get off the ground.’

Despite her success, Dr Ejikeme didn’t always know she wanted to be a doctor, proving that your dream job might not be obvious from the get-go. ‘It can feel as if you have to decide at 18. I just took the first step, then the second,’ she says.

Prepare to dare

So, are career ladders redundant? In 2024, there are definitely more paths available, and exploration is more accepted than ever. But when almost half of girls aged 12-16 think they might not be smart enough to do their dream job*, is a lack of self-confidence clipping our wings? Any shift takes hard work but, as these women prove, following your dreams is always worth the jump.

Since 1959, Barbie has helped girls raise their voices, tell their stories and realise that they can be anything they want to be