You may dismiss those childhood aspirations as unrealistic now you’re an adult with responsibilities and bills to pay, but that role reflected what you enjoyed doing and who you were at that time.
“The dream jobs we aspire to as children are a window into our passions and talents,” says LinkedIn’s career expert Nicole Williams. “Identifying and understanding those passions are key to improving our performance and enjoyment of the jobs we currently do, even if they aren’t specific to the careers we dreamed of as kids.”
So, what influences our childhood aspirations?
“When we’re small most of us have a limited idea of what’s out there,” explains career coach Meredith Haberfeld. “It is shaped by the exposure we have — the people that have a big impact on us and the standards and social expectations around us”.
Our families greatly influence our outlook on life. If we look up to one family member in particular, we tend to be drawn to their careers as we want to be like them. Indeed, when Meredith was a little girl, she wanted to be a librarian because her grandmother, who she admired, was one.
And it’s not just our relatives’ roles at work that can influence children’s aspirations. The gender roles that our parents take on at home can also dramatically impact our childhood career choices.
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“I haven’t checked the box on any of those specifically, [but] I feel lucky that my current role blends a lot of different disciplines.”
When we were children, our aspirations were limitless and anything seemed possible; by recapturing that excitement and allowing it to inform your research and networking, 2015 could be the year you find your dream job.
Read: Can failing be good for your career?
Watch: Stella McCartney’s advice to young women
Inspire: Leading Women’s most inspiring women of 2014
