Since 1985, roughly 5.4 billion people have been born worldwide. Of those, about 4.36 billion made it past age 6—and I’m convinced that virtually every single one of them has heard the classic question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The expression began circulating in the mid‑20th century, at the moment families stopped assuming children would inherit the family trade. It boomed between 1965 and 1980, as the rise of the middle class, new technologies and mass media spawned a surge of fresh occupations and professions.
The intention behind the question is noble—we try to spark early vocational guidance so kids can pursue big dreams. Yet I see one flaw: the way we phrase it suggests singularity. It implies “You can only be one thing in life, and once you become it, you shouldn’t change.” As a result, ever‑growing numbers of people feel stuck at work—Gallup (2024) puts global job dissatisfaction at 77 percent. Depression and anxiety rise, but many do nothing to pivot, convinced that whatever path they chose (or drifted into) must be permanent. The idea of a wholesale adult career switch seems abnormal—or even wrong.
History’s great minds would disagree. They rarely fit in a single box. Yes, they’re remembered for a signature achievement, but most wore several hats: composer‑writers, scientist‑essayists, artist‑diplomats. Genius often emerged from combining domains. For them, professions were vehicles to explore interests and create impact, not fixed end points.
When I started digging into this “question problem,” I remembered that Nordic countries treat career change far more casually than many cultures. In Danish, the equivalent query is “Hvad vil du arbejde med?”—literally, “What do you want to work on?” The focus is on tasks (flexible), not identity (rigid). Perhaps that nuance explains why only 26 percent of Danes stay with the same employer for more than ten years, compared with 41 percent in countries like Italy that mirror our own mindset.
So, two takeaways:
For adults: Periodically ask whether your current work still lights you up. If not, design small experiments—side projects, new courses—to realign your interests.
For parents: Reframe the question. Offer kids a menu of non‑exclusive options. Highlight processes, interests and the value they can create, rather than locking them into titles that may lose meaning over time.
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This article was written for El Faro newspaper—May 2025 edition, and you can view the original Spanish version here.