Do Shows With Exposure to Hard Jobs Inspire Adolescents to Strive for Them?

Commentary by Paris Murray. Photo courtesy of Forbes.

September 28, 2022. Grays Anatomy, The Good Doctor, Better Call Saul, Law and Order. What do these shows all have in common? They are about hard, high paying, and very rewarding jobs. Hundreds of thousands of people each day tune in to watch these shows. According to Fast Company, a site on all things work and life related, and a recent study by ZenBusiness, “58% of workers say their career choice was at least somewhat inspired by a movie, TV show, book, or other form of media." So, with that in mind, could the copycat effect apply for teenagers? After all, it looked fun or interesting in that one show didn't it? 

The copycat effect is a term used to describe times when murders or crimes are done in inspiration of previous crimes or the media. It was first coined from copycat killers of Jack the Ripper in the early 1960s. I propose the same could be said about jobs. Many people have wanted to imitate things they see on TV since its creation and that extends to jobs they see characters have. While I can't guarantee you'll be fake slipping on drum sticks like Saul Goodman or having fun arguments with crazy bosses like in The Community you could still crave that experience.

Don't just take my word for it though! I took it upon myself to ask my peers at Friendship Collegiate Academy if they've ever been inspired to get a job because of a show and this is what they said. 

Junior Malik Vann said, “Yeah, I watched Last Chance:U which made me want to play basketball.” 

World History teacher Mr. Kelso said, “I watched iZombie and I wanted to be a coroner and mortician. I thought it was cool to be a zombie detective kind of.” 

Ms. Buch, who teaches drama, told me, “Any show with like… a female detective makes me really interested.” 

Junior Desiree Jennifer said, “I watched Sugar Rush and I wanted to work in a bakery.” 

TV shows have an impact on teens and the working population. In the future, if more adolescents are shown diverse jobs on TV, they may stop seeing them as just boring, hard work but a future career that can impact the world. 

Paris Murray is a junior at Friendship Collegiate Academy.