'Healthcare professional' has dethroned 'influencer' as the dream career for young adults

Alix Earle is a top influencer.

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images What do teens want to be when they grow up? Influencer or doctor? The two careers are top choices, with healthcare edging out creators by 0.2%, per a new survey.

The influencer dream might be facing a reality check, though.

Influencer, YouTuber, content creator .

In recent years, these have been the top answers to the age-old question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" That dream might be losing some of its luster.

A recent survey of American teens and young adults found that medical and healthcare careers came out ever-so-slightly on top of becoming a creator and influencer.

Clothing brand PacSun and analytics company GlobalData surveyed more than 6,000 US teens and young adults ages 11 to 24.

The survey asked which careers respondents were interested in pursuing, and they could choose multiple career paths.

Last year, PacSun's survey found that the influencer career was the top choice (22.2%), while medical careers came in second (19.4%).

In 2026, however, influencer declined to 18.8%, slightly behind healthcare at 19%.

Healthcare careers are seeing broad growth.

Jobs from nurse practitioners to psychiatric technicians could witness a boom in the next decade , according to a recent job projections report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Is the influencer dream fading? Fancy trips, free things, and millions of fans — just for posting to social media? From the outside, the influencer lifestyle can seem like a dream come true.

However, being an influencer is ultimately a job, whether it's a full-time gig or a side hustle.