The Grey's Anatomy Effect

Sometimes people choose careers for odd reasons. Take for example the results of a poll that were recently released by Junior Achievement and Verizon. According to the poll, which surveyed 1500 teens between the ages of 13 and 19, the top career choice for girls was doctor. There has been an increase in the number of girls who want to be doctors since 2004, a change perhaps due to, according to a Junior Achievement press release, the popularity of the medical drama Grey's Anatomy. The number two career choice was businessperson, maybe a result, the press release proposes, of teens watching The Apprentice.

I'm not a fan of people making career choices based on information they receive from television shows. What you see on television, whether on a prime time drama series or in a reality show, is a glamorized version of what goes on in real life. So making a decision based on this is not a good idea. With that said, it is a good thing that television shows expose people to careers they may not have otherwise considered. I wonder how many people decided to become crime scene investigators after being exposed to this occupation on the CSI series. I can even remember wanting to be a nurse after catching bits and pieces of General Hospital when I was very young.

Where you get your career inspiration is not as important as where you get your career information. A real life career is usually very different than the way its portrayed on tv. Use these Career Exploration resources to help you learn more about the occupations that interest you.