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
