TV Series that can inspire career choices?

I am wondering what I must have watched as a child to make me think that accountancy was the profession for me

My brother and I were both put off accountancy by Monty Python!

I remember being inspired to study geology by a glamorous geologist in Dallas (or was it Dynasty?) - maybe because she was the only female with a brain and gave one of the male leads short shrift when he tried to chat her up!

Then at uni I realised most geologists were beardy-wierdies who took photos of field-dumps and passed them round in lectures. It put me off, and I switched to a different path.

Now if I'd gone to the same uni as Ian Stewart things might have been different!

Just noticed that the Rhod Gilbert jobs show is on its 7th series - might actually be informative to work through them all, lol.

You tube for my ds! He wants to be musician, teacher, scientist, palaeontologist at the moment.

It's not quite the same field but I'm a children's book illustrator. When I was about 12 I saw Quentin Blake drawing on Blue Peter. It was then I realised that it was a 'job'.

Lots of work, tenacity and bloodymindedness later and here I am.

Sometimes all it takes is one tiny thing.

All jobs have boring/less pleasant elements. (Ex nurse - recruiters conveniently avoid mentioning the likelihood of getting covered in piss/shit/vomit/blood/snot/food, the lack of breaks for drinks/loo let alone an actual meal )

I've also worked in shops and offices, some of it boring and some of it more exciting/fun than you'd think.

I don't think op is ONLY using tv drama just using that as ONE tool to open discussion.

I don't often watch medical shows but when I do 'spot the mistake' can be fun X-Ray's wrong way round (surprisingly high number of actors with hearts on their right side you know), poor needle practice, poor obs practice...

There are a real lack of dramas about accountants... and mechanical engineers, research scientists, actuaries structural engineers, financial advisors, admin clerks, HR business partners, software development managers etc etc.

Even the programmes we do see are nothing like the actual job. I'm particularly thinking of Silent Witness, The Coroner and Doctors.

The reality is that most jobs make for very, very boring TV.

I still maintain that it's a strange way to do career counselling. I looked at each child and suggested things based on their characteristics - introvert/extrovert, conscientious or a butterfly, office / outdoors, team player / solo, preferred subjects - that sort of thing.

FaithAgain said "I don't watch any medical TV dramas any more because the inaccuracies irritate me!" which is spot on. You know from drama based on your own profession that scriptwriters generally haven't got an idea what goes on. And if they have, they will bend it if it suits dramatic purposes.
Much better to have a generalised chat about any/all drama and ask "would you like to do that job" and, more importantly, follow it up with "what's your reasoning for your answer?"

^ way s/b what

This seems like a pretty terrible way to try to find out about careers Most young teenagers don't have much clue about how many different jobs people do. (e.g. There's teacher, doctor, nurse, vet, police officer, fire fighter, work in a shop, work in an office, train driver, zoo keeper, barrister, hairdresser, and that's about it. I guess CSI et al have added forensic scientist to that list!) And tv shows don't show much else in the way of variety, and aren't particularly informative about the jobs they do show - if you're a tv lawyer, you're a barrister arguing in court, never a boring solicitor; tv nurses all work in acute hospitals rather than any other of the many roles; etc etc.

You'd do better to start making a list of specific jobs that people you know actually do (or ask on here about jobs) and then investigate those if your dc doesn't know way they involve. I'd bet that most people do jobs that aren't portrayed in a tv drama series

Op said law and forensic science,not many doing that in our neck of the woods.

As a kid/teen I watched all things medical: Casualty, Holby City, ER, Scrubs...I also loved Ally McBeal and This Life. I considered Law but didn't think I would enjoy the research it takes before you get to court! I am now a nurse (ironically I don't watch any medical TV dramas any more because the inaccuracies irritate me!).

DS wants to be a fireman. He's called Sam and watched Fireman Sam a lot when he was a toddler.

I'm sure Call the Midwife has inspired a few people.

Senua many kids won't have contacts,friends or family in top career jobs.

Who said it had to be "top" career jobs?

I grew up with All creatures and wanted to be a vet. Then Ally McBeal and This Life made me want to be a lawyer. I am neither. Cracker made lots of my generation study psychology.

She thoroughly enjoyed it. She has some quite funny stories about where criminals have MASSIVELY underestimated her. She's 4'11", in her late 60's now, not glamorous, wears specs etc

The most common mistake they've made is assuming due to her age that she's not as familiar with computerised records as their accountants

In fact not only has she decades of experience, she has been consulted in the development of some accounts software in the early days and has used computerised accounts in some cases 'before their accountants were born!'

Several thought they'd cleverly hidden profits of crime/that should have been taxed in the various tax havens worldwide. That because the money is being held in accounts in eg Switzerland, Cayman Islands etc that she won't 'find' it. Not only has she found it, they've usually forgotten it has to have LEFT a uk account at some point (criminals aren't as clever as they like to think they are) even if that account doesn't belong to the criminal it can still be linked.

I've had VERY interesting discussions with her on the banking crisis (predicted within many financial organisations apparently), tax evasion/avoidance and the lack of investigation into these, how much money she reckons uk could REALLY save/make if it were properly clamped down on, capitalism (there are several other economic models that could possibly work better and remove our reliance on oil barons too, she's recommended several books that I've TRIED to read on this).

There was one very amusing anecdote where the accused basically went 'ah! She's wrong I haven't used that account in 5 years!' oops - he'd previously denied any knowledge of the account which was in stepsons name (without the stepsons knowledge)

Broadchurch

Senus many kids won't have contacts,friends or family in top career jobs.

This is not a good idea for law IMO, as a lawyer with a sideline in recruitment. So many people come into law because of its sexy portrayal in Suits etc, and leave not long after. For law I think the closest viable thing is 24 Hours in Police Custody, where they sometimes have the duty solicitor on.

Graphista, there's an exciting wing to accountancy!

BikeRunSki I think you have touched on what television shows demonstrate about jobs. It isnt what it is like to actually do the job, more the environment of the job. This can be quite negative sometimes.

I remember my DD swore blind she could never work in an office having seen all those shows where people work in little cubicles. I was able to wangle her onto a business trip where she found out that an office is just a place of work (and where accountants go to swear, a lot)

I always wanted to be a vet, totally influenced by All Creatures Great and Small, which had the 8pm Sunday slot on BBC1 when I was about 12+. I did the right A levels etc, but actually I don't really like animals. I did a different degree, and now work in that field. I do drive around the countryside in a land rover though, I think that's what I really wanted to do.

Haha gnome accountancy doesn't have to be boring. My aunt was a forensic accountant. She has as a result dealt with several celebrities, gangsters, famous ceo's... And of course was regularly giving evidence in court.

I am wondering what I must have watched as a child to make me think that accountancy was the profession for me. I am guessing that I looked at all the suggestions above and thought 'that all looks far too racey for me!'

Scrubs is good for all things medical. AND it's suitable for an 8yo.

Whereas Big Bang Theory is rubbish in 6 different ways, as well as its terrible portrayal of what it means to be an academic or a scientist.

The King's Speech for speech therapy?

Call the Midwife/OBEM

Very old and dated now but I think And The Band Played On at least makes lab science and management of public service look real and as if they are done by reasonable people who enjoy their jobs. Possibly not in year 8, I see it's a 15 and there are a couple of quite harrowing scenes.

Field of Dreams for writing, farming and librarianship??

Watching Police Interceptors repeatedly has encouraged my son to consider the police.