What ever happened to being a lion tamer or shark wrangler? A rocket designer or a chocolate taster? Those careers were among my many ambitions as a child, but somewhere along the way I guess they stopped seeming realistic to me. But as I flip through the stations on my satellite TV, I am happily reminded that there are still a lot of wild careers in this world. There are the inventors who made my plasma HD TV possible, and the artists who make the logos for television stations. There are shows about scientists and travelers, ice-climbers and deep-sea divers. Some of the wildest careers are even featured with their very own programs. These shows are good no matter how you watch them, but I like to watch them as career guides and imagine what life would be like in one of these professions:
Crocodile Hunter - Sure this fast-paced nature show is dominated by the charismatic Steve Irwin, and he paid for his adventurous career with his life, dying in 2006 as the result of a stingray's barb -- but imagine what life must be like as a crocodile hunter! The HD close-ups are jaw-dropping on my TV screen, but they must be even more thrilling in real life. Irwin scoured swamps, deserts, and every other imaginable corner of the earth in search of fascinating creatures. Sounds like a pretty good life to me.
Iron Chef - I think I would be happy to have any career that was preceded by "iron." Just think - the Iron Pilot, the Iron Salesman - it lends such a mysterious je ne sais quoi to just about any title. That being said, being a chef has never looked so good as it does with these iron experts. I think most of us aim for bare competency in the kitchen, so having the skills to concoct gourmet creations out of any ingredient - in a timed, competitive atmosphere, no less - is itself a dream. This is one of the best shows there is on satellite TV.
American Idol - The appeal of this career is pretty obvious by how popular the show has been since it first appeared. Who doesn't want to be the king of rock and roll or the queen of soul? Imagine filling out the forms at the DMV and when you come to job title you get to write "Idol of the American people." Too bad it takes a whole lot of natural singing and dancing talent (and the ability to still look good in high definition) to get this job.
American Inventor - It might not have the same sex and glamour appeal as being an idol, but I think being an American inventor sounds just as good. The word inventor brings to mind crazy gadgets and Rube Goldberg machines with lots of pulleys and gears. To some extent that's exactly the kind of project that gets proposed on this reality TV show, though other inventions are simple and streamlined. I'm not sure what I would invent, but I think if I could, I would go back in time and invent the NFL Sunday Ticket myself.
Find yourself a new dream career on satellite TV. Who knows, if you come up with something new and wild enough, maybe you can get your own show one day!
