The media and your career choice: can't wait to become a brain surgeon? Great! But in the meantime, don't let the media play with your mind! - Focus

In 1992, Mae Jemison, the first black female astronaut, blasted into space. She thanked Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek. Jemison told Nichols that her TV character inspired her to pursue a scientific career.

"Watching TV, playing video games, listening to music, and surfing the Internet have become a full-time job for the typical American kid," says Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation. The foundation studied 3,000 children ages 2 through 18. It learned that kids spend more than 38 hours a week using the different media.

TVIs Tops

Television is the favorite pop-culture. medium for eighth graders and younger kids. TV shows generally reflect our society, but the picture isn't always an accurate one. For example, doctors, lawyers, entertainers, and law enforcement officers are featured on the majority of TV shows. The reason? Hollywood believes these careers have more status and are more glamorous and exciting than other occupations. In real life, most people do not work in these fields.

"Often people forget [that] a show is fiction and accept it as real," says Michael Asimow, a law professor at UCLA and author. Asimow says that television presents a better image of lawyers than films do. Georgetown University law professor Carrie Menkel-Meadow agrees. She says The Practice constantly deals with ethical problems, but the lawyers usually seem like morally upright professionals.

"Ally McBeal is like a giant cartoon," says Mary-Lou Galician, Ph.D., associate professor at Arizona State University's School of Journalism and Mass Communications. "This [law] show talks about relationships rather than the legal skills you need to succeed."

Medical shows can help introduce people to health care careers. ER probably is the most realistic show. That's thanks to the program's creator, Michael Crichton, who is a physician himself. Still, it's far from perfect. For example, the show is not realistic when it comes to infection control. For invasive procedures such as a spinal tap, doctors would wear masks, full gowns, and gloves. A pre-med student who volunteered at his local emergency room discovered big differences. Instead of thrilling challenges, doctors often deal with repetitious duties, unpleasant people, and depressing situations.

Good Cop, Super Cop

Mother popular category of TV show is law enforcement. Programs such as NYPD Blue, Law and Order, and Third Watch are examples. Detectives and police officers shoot guns, rescue victims, and chase cars driven by suspects at high speeds. TV portrays police officers as daring and courageous crime fighters instead of practical problem solvers, says James Hendricks, a criminal justice professor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. "These shows would not be on the airways long if they presented realistic portrayals." TV also staffs its fictitious police forces with more women than are usually found in actual police departments.

Nevertheless, Nelson Andrews got interested in law enforcement by watching the detective cartoon Scooby-Doo as a child. The show led to his earning a degree in criminal justice.

Network vs. Cable

The field of forensic medicine also suffers from hype. TV shows such as Profiler and Law and Order often portray forensic psychologists. But these TV professionals tend to deal with Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs) types, not ordinary criminals. Also, real FBI agents--unlike those on The X-Files--don't waste their time hunting for aliens or coming up with conspiracy theories. They're too busy tracking clues and examining evidence.

Shows such as Boston Public, a drama set in a large, urban school district, may not remind you of what a typical school day is like for you. But viewers take from it the notion that teachers are caring and committed to their students, nonetheless.

Viewers of The West Wing watch the White House speech writers, advisors, and press secretary engage in complicated political maneuvering each week, but the decency and competence of the characters and the president shine through.

These and other shows that depict positive role models can have an impact. Take Tim Taylor, for instance. "When I was young, I watched NOVA," says Taylor, a chemist for Dial Corporation. "It presented programs on physics and physical science. The featured scientists were strong role models who indicated the types of careers I might choose." Today, Taylor develops cleaning products.

Gable channels such as Animal Planet and The Discovery Channel show nature and science shows. They mention careers such as veterinarian, zoologist, animal trainer, animal behaviorist, and ichthyologist (someone who studies fish). Reptile expert Steve Irwin, who appears on Animal Planet, handles crocodiles and snakes. He entertains while presenting a wealth of information. The channel also airs an emergency vet show and animal rescue programs. Young people get to see nonprofit organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States in action. They also see the kinds of careers these organizations offer. Discovery Channel shows such as When Dinosaurs Roamed America, Inside the Space Station, and Living Pulse (on Discovery Health) provide positive images of scientists. And other cable channels that air criminal justice shows for middle school students can also trigger career interests. (Cable News Network and Court TV are examples.)

In fact, teen girls might be smart to tune in to educational cable stations. Networks usually skip any mention of science and math careers for women. "Women need a series with a woman engineer who gets things done," says the director of public relations for engineering at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Flicks for Kicks

Movies make millions of dollars and provide entertainment, but they also shape society's mindset. Moviegoers absorb each film's message. Diane Warren, for example, learned about songwriting from movies. A Hard Day's Night starring the Beatles impressed her. So she started writing songs at age 11. Now she has a stack of hits, including soundtracks from the films Stuart Little, Pearl Harbor, and Gone in Sixty Seconds.

Film messages about a specific career may vary a bit. But movies about mathematicians seem fairly consistent. Mathematicians are either misfits or mentally ill, say authors Janell L. Wilson and Carmen M. Latterell. In the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon stars as Will, an angry young math genius--who works as a janitor.

A math professor mentors him, but wants him to devote his life to math. In .A Beautiful Mind, Nobel Prize winner John Nash copes throughout most of his academic career with schizophrenia Hollywood seems to imply that math can make you unstable.

Lawyers generally come across in films as bad people. In The Firm, My Cousin Vinny, and Liar, Liar they are selfish, greedy, rude, or unprofessional.

Educators usually emerge as stereotypes in films. School principals are seen as strict, obsessed with administrative duties, or stupid. Teachers are often saints or savants. In Dangerous Minds, Michelle Pfeiffer plays a noble, selfless teacher who saves kids' lives. In The Face in the Mirror, Barbara Streisand plays a college professor--a wonder-woman type who lectures to 200 students and calls everyone by his or her first name.

Scientists frequently star as villains or fools. In the classic film Frankenstein, the careless scientist gets punished for his foul-up. The monster destroys and kills the scientist's loved ones. in the film Honey, I Shrank the Kids, the scientist acts like a total idiot!

Another career group stuck with a negative image is nurses. In the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Nurse Ratched is an evil enforcer of rules. In Nurse Betty, Renee Zellweger stupidly believes she's a nurse on a daytime television show. Susan Woods, associate dean of academic programs at the University of Washington School of Nursing, says the media limits the definition of a nurse: "[Today,] nearly 6 percent are men. Nurses are also researchers, scientists, and teachers."

Print Portrayls

Magazines, books, and newspapers also can affect people's career perception and choices. Women's magazines show female athletes competing. And some stories deal with college teaching positions, careers in business, science, math, and medicine. That's progress for women. But too many magazines still emphasize weight, dating, clothes, and romantic relationships instead of meaningful careers. Advertisements don't help either. They usually portray gender stereotypes.

Few careers have been more negatively stereotyped in print and in film than that of the librarian. Either they are unhappy, frumpy, ill-tempered old maids who yell at students, or they appear in mystery books as villains, suspects, or nuisances.

In contrast, lawyers in fiction have the "right stuff," such as in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and John Grisham's The Street Lawyer. In past decades, friendly fiction about lawyers motivated people to go to law school. Or it influenced students' choices of specialization. Magazine, newspaper, and television coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial made stars of the prosecutors, defense team, and judge.

Pick up any newspaper and you may see "What's Hot, What's Not" articles. These provide information about popular or moneymaking fields. As a teen, Mark Greenawalt, who now runs his own engineering company, noticed that his newspaper reported engineering as one of the top-paying careers. "And (based on TV and movie portrayals), I didn't want to be a doctor or lawyer," says Greenawalt.

Russell Martin became a technology consultant because magazines and TV news channels covered the space race. "The media were excellent tools to convince a naive youngster that becoming a scientist would be respected and profitable," he says.

Musical Messages

About 96 percent of teens listen to the radio each week. Most play music on the radio, CDs, and videos between three and four hours a day. The National Institute on Media and the Family also says many teens consider musicians more important role models than athletes. Puerto Rican pop-rocker Ignacio Pena says that hearing Bryan Adams' variation of "Summer of '69" on MTV convinced him to become a musician.

Sex Stereotyping

According to a report by Children Now, the media (TV, movies, ads, music videos, commercials, and magazines) are doing a better job of portraying women than they have in the past. The good news is that audiences now see women acting more intelligently and independently. For example, they found that 35 percent of women on TV and in movies solve their own problems.

There is still room for improvement, however. The study says the media continue to send some stereotyped messages to women. These are mainly about appearance, careers, and relationships. For instance, 37 percent of the articles in teen magazines focus on appearance. And between 26 and 46 percent of women (in all six media) are portrayed as thin. The media typically show men spending more time on the job than women. What are women doing while men put in all that extra time at work? The media show women dating and being interested in relationships. Most magazines marketed to teenage girls focus on boys and dating. Little space, if any, is devoted to careers.

Internet Influence

The Internet encourages communication. People learn through Web sites, chat groups, listservs, and usenets. And television and radio stations use their Web sites to get audience feedback. Unfortunately, Internet information about careers varies in accuracy. The best choices are Web sites run by professional associations, government agencies, and large companies.

Adam Christopher Scott, now a computer programmer, researched his career at the Bureau of Labor Statistics site on the Internet. Movies such as War Games first triggered his interest in computers. But he also followed up with solid information.

It's a Mad, Mad Media World

Paying too much attention to the media can be "time wasting," warns Galician. In TV and movies, crises fuel the story lines, often at the expense of accuracy, unfortunately. Other media may nurture stereotypes or promote a distorted version of the truth. Students must learn to evaluate, question, and critique what they see, hear, and read.

Soli Canella, a parent relations coordinator for schools, says her college professors and advisors influenced her more than the media. But media influence can be subtle. Be sure to examine your own interests, aptitudes, and values first. Then do your homework. Research any career you intend to pursue. Interview people already in the field you've chosen, and arrange to shadow them. Call it "Mind Over Media!"

For More Information

Center for Media Education, www.cme.org

RELATED ARTICLE

How have the media influenced your career choice? You may be surprised. Think about the way the media depict a career area you're seriously considering--and how that may have shaped your perceptions and attitudes. Then answer the questions below.

1. What careers are you seriously interested in?

2. What first drew you to the career(s)? (If you're interested in more than one, just choose one to complete this exercise.)

3. What TV programs, films, documentaries, commercials, news shows, etc., have you seen that feature someone in this career?

4. Which of the characters (or an actual person) depicted in the media do you identify with most? Explain.

5. What qualities does this character or person (see previous question) have that you admire?

6. What qualities does this person have that make him or her good on the job? Which of these qualities do you share?

7. Do you think that the depiction of the character's job is a realistic one? Consider these things:

* Does the character fail in his or her job occasionally?

* Is the character shown doing routine tasks (writing reports, filing papers, etc.)?

* Is the character shown dealing with frustrations on the job?

* Is the depiction of the job consistent with what you personally know about it?

Explain.

8. Has the depiction of this character raised any questions in your mind about the career or the training needed for it? If so, what? (For example, after viewing a law show, you might want to know how real lawyers cope with an obnoxious client. Are law students required to take psychology courses?)

9. Does the program show anything (problems, frustrations, limitations, etc.) that you consider negative about the career? What?

10. Where can you go or whom can you ask for reliable information about the career?

Students will develop awareness of career portrayals in the media and their ability to shape attitudes.

REVIEW/DISCUSS

* What careers are shown most on TV and why? (law, medicine, entertainment, and police work because these careers are seen as most glamorous and exciting)

* What can make a TV show's portrayal unrealistic? (giving a one-sided view, slanting facts, portraying relationships more than work, overemphasizing excitement, exaggerating characters' personality traits)

* How do you think young people are influenced by careers shown in the media?

* Where do you think you can find accurate career portrayals on TV?

ACTIVITIES

* Ask students to identify the career messages that each of these TV shows sends. Then have them compare two shows depicting similar careers.

Scrubs

The Agency

Law & Order

Boston Common

Frasier

Spin City

Houston Medical

CSI

The Guardian

Just Shoot Me

The West Wing

The District

* Show a few minutes of a videotape of one of the above shows. Ask students to answer these questions:

a. What jobs are portrayed?

b. What job responsibilities are depicted?

c. What impression of the job does the TV show give?

d. Is the job portrayal slanted in any way? Is it realistic?

* Ask small groups of students to debate which careers are portrayed most realistically on TV and in film. Ask them to give examples of characters who provide positive role models and how they do so.

* Poll students on whether they think their attitudes about different occupations are molded by the media.

* Ask students to interview two adults and ask if TV or film influenced their career choice, as well as if their career is portrayed accurately in the media.

* Have students interview a police officer, lawyer, doctor, nurse, or scientist about how realistically his or her career is depicted on a specific TV show.

* Have students list cable TV shows that provide information about careers. Ask students to report on their impressions of science career portrayals on Discovery Health or criminal justice career portrayals on CNN or Court TV

* Encourage students to make lists of positive media role models for the careers they're interested in. Ask how they formed their impressions.

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