The highly anticipated Barbie movie is finally out, and it’s almost everywhere you look. Whether you like Barbie or not, you have to admit that she is iconic, and very influential for women worldwide.
Let’s cast aside the controversies about Barbie’s physical appearance and how that impacts society for a moment, and focus on what we do love about Barbie: her range of careers. Nowadays, you can find Barbie in almost every career - actor, photographer, chef, businesswoman, and teacher, to name a few. But if the usual job roles aren’t your thing, let’s take a look at how else you can become more like Barbie.
Introducing the Game Developer Barbie
That’s right, Barbie’s career has transformed from traditional, or stereotypical job roles to some highly-skilled, niche areas. Game Developer Barbie is perfect for those who love gaming, but specifically the technology and data skills required to design, develop or programme a game. If you have an analytical, problem-solving mind, then Game Developer Barbie may become your new favourite.
This doll steps away from the usual blonde Barbie look, opting for a casual jeans and jacket outfit with trainers instead of high heels. With long, red and brown hair, the doll also comes with realistic accessories for those interested in the gaming or technology industry. These accessories include a silver computer headset, a laptop with a representation of coding/data on the screen, an ipad, and some trendy glasses so that she doesn’t strain her eyes while working so closely with computers!
Game Developer Barbie is perfect for those tech-savvy individuals who struggle to see themselves being represented through toys or in the media, and Mattel did quite a great job in representing the ‘look’ of a female game developer with this one.
The rise in data and technology
The Game Developer Barbie has never been so relevant. Employers worldwide are seeking highly skilled professionals within the data and technology sectors, and individuals are aiming to keep their skills new and up to date to avoid being left behind.
As technology continues to progress, the line between the technology sector and other industries are starting to blur as these skills are required at almost every organisation. Not only this, but the demand in skilled workers in the data and technology industry is much higher than the amount of workers actually available.
Robert Walters paired up with Total Jobs and Jobsite to survey 550 technology professionals. Some of the results showed that:
- Over half of employers find that candidates lack the right technical skills
- Over one quarter of technology hiring managers face competition for skilled candidates as they receive multiple job offers
- Over 20% of technology employers noted that they need to encourage more females into the sector.
While technology advances, it’s inevitable that skilled professionals in data and technology are going to continue to rise in demand. The current skills shortage is a better time than ever to get ahead of the competition, gain those skills and excel your career.
Women in tech
Aside from the evident demand in technology professionals, the lack of diversity is clearly a concern that has been noticed across the industry. Diversity is important in all workplaces, as it encourages new opinions, mindsets, experiences and opportunities. So, Game Developer Barbie represents one step towards a much more diverse and inclusive industry where women can thrive.
While Game Developer Barbie is breaking stereotypes, the technology industry is still stereotypically male. Reducing the masculine language in job descriptions for technical roles and encouraging younger females to go down a technical career path can help with this. But still, only 26% of technology workers are women.
How to be more like Game Developer Barbie
Unlike Barbie, you can’t just get a headset, laptop, and some cool glasses to become a game developer. Maybe if you just want to look tech-savvy, but the skills come with hard work!
Game development can be considered as an umbrella term to describe all other areas related to gaming. However, if you want to focus on your technical skills, a game programmer route is a great one to take.
With game programming, you have the opportunity to create efficient software within the constraints of real-time graphical environments running on contemporary gaming platforms, as well as applying all the logic and coding skills to your work. Key skills that employers are looking for, including C++, are also great to have as it will significantly increase your efficiency, productivity, and confidence in your work.
So, if you want to be more like Game Developer Barbie, you’ll need to develop your confidence and efficiency in this area, and put in the hard work and dedication to showcase your skills and talent in the industry.
Not only is it fun for those who love gaming, but if you have an analytical mind, are interested in coding or just want to know more about data and technology in general, becoming a game programmer is an amazing opportunity.
The next steps
Barbie can be a controversial character, but we have to love this one! If you want to be more like Barbie, all while excelling in your career, get ahead of the technology wave, and become much more tech-savvy, then be more like Game Developer Barbie.
Research shows that women may be put off working in the technology industry if there are less opportunities for promotions. So, the first step to take is to browse through our Game Programmer Level 7 apprenticeship. You’ll receive plenty of support, guidance and real-life experience to apply to your workplace, so your newfound skills and expertise will open up many opportunities to progress your career.
You can also read more about other game programmers and how they’ve found the apprenticeship.
Alternatively, if you’re interested in kickstarting your exciting career with the Game Programmer apprenticeship but unsure where to look, you can browse through our current vacancies or find out how to talk to your current employer about starting an apprenticeship.
* All photographs of the Game Developer Barbie doll are courtesy of Amazon UK.