Heidi, we love you, but get real.

There have always been television shows that glamorize the profession of their characters. These programs give the illusion that their occupations consist of environments filled with scandalous drama, striking colleagues and, most importantly, easy and trouble-free labor.

It’s easy to fall in love with these programs when they project a great, easy lifestyle with a huge salary. But do these shows give audiences a false impression of the real-life careers? Given the poor job market that graduates face, it’s probably a mistake to pick a career based on what you see on TV.

Here are some examples of top television shows not to use as career guides.

Project Runway – Fashion Design

Although this is one of my favorite television shows because of the designs and amazing guest panel, the general concept is not very realistic. The fashion industry is one of the most harsh and critical industries to try to, um, fashion a career. As Heidi Klum mentions on the show, “one minute you’re in, the next, you’re out.”

Well-known fashion consultant Tim Gunn stars as a mentor and assists the competitors throughout the design process. In the real world, you wouldn’t get as much feedback as the participants on the show do, especially from world-class designers. And you certainly wouldn’t receive money to buy exquisite fabric or be offered the expensive tools that the contestants use.

Damages – Law

Damages is a television program about lawyers in New York City and the difficult court cases they take on. Studying to become a lawyer is one of the most difficult and costly tasks a college student can encounter. Because of the amount of years it takes to become a lawyer and the expense of additional schooling, it would be foolish to base your decision on studying law based on what you see through the profession of these fictional characters.

Hawaii Five-0 – Criminal Justice

The revived show follows investigators solving serious crimes and putting their lives at risk in the process. True, putting your life at risk is part of becoming a specialized criminal investigator. False, you most likely won’t be on a gorgeous island and get as lucky solving every case. Although we are blessed with advanced technology to solve crimes and arrest criminals, it’s never like this.

I don’t mean to discourage anyone if you believe any of the professions above are your real calling, more power to you if you’re succeeding in any of these majors. But because of the cost of education (not just in terms of tuition, but also time and effort), students should put more thought into their career and major choice than a few hours in front of the tube.

You might also be interested in:

1. Graduating from Undeclared U: Tips on how to pick a major
2. Did you pick the right major?
3. Pick the wrong major? How to navigate a quarter-life crisis
4. How to choose the perfect major
5. “A philosophy major… who now works full time at Sears.”