1. Archaeologist

Made exciting by: Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, and “The Mummy”
In real life, being an anthropologist is pretty exciting, but not nearly as exciting as it looks in the “Indiana Jones” or “Tomb Raider” movies. And I’ve known several anthropologists and archaeologists, and none of them have ever been attacked by a mummy… or had to run away from a giant boulder… or opened Pandora’s Box.

2. Spy/CIA Agent

Made exciting by: James Bond, Jason Bourne, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
I happen to know someone who’s an analyst at the CIA, and she swears her job is incredibly dull, mostly involving paperwork and sitting at her desk, not in a van on a deserted street listening in on a plot to assassinate some political figure. And she doesn’t get to wear anything Kevlar, or even fabulous stilettos. Darn.

3. Lawyer

Made exciting by: All of the John Grisham books and movies
If you’ve ever seen any of the movies that were based on John Grisham novels, then you have a very skewed idea of what being a lawyer is like. BORING. Lots of paperwork, lots of filings, and lots of annoying, petty clients.

4. CSI/Police Officer

Made exciting by: CSI, “The Bone Collector”
Most times, CSI investigators spend their days poring over dull phone records and credit card bills, or digging through computer files looking for information that’s just not there. It’s nothing like what you see on TV, and by the by, DNA tests NEVER come back that quickly! It can take MONTHS.

5. Hacker

Made exciting by: “The Matrix,” “The Net”
By far, the coolest computer hackers ever were Trinity, Morpheus, and Neo from “The Matrix,” but in real life, they’re usually just bored nerds writing code - legitimate code - for websites andvideo games.

6. Nurse/Doctor

Made exciting by: House, “Blade,” “The Fugitive,” Dr. Jean Grey
Doctors and nurses have plenty of excitement in their lives, but they rarely get as much action on the job as the ones in movies do. And though my boyfriend is both a hottie and a cardiac nurse, I’ve never seen him look soulfully at a patient and say, “breathe, damn you!”

7. Call Girl

Made exciting by: Vivian Ward (Pretty Woman)
OK, just so you know, the life of a prostitute in NOT glamorous, and the men who use their services are not as nice, attractive, wealthy, or love-struck as Richard Gere. Most have been abused as children (and now as adults), are addicted to drugs, and are riddled with diseases they can’t afford to treat.

If only these jobs were as exciting as they look on TV or in the movies! Then there wouldn’t be any shortage of nurses or librarians, would there? Have you ever seen a movie where your job was depicted? How accurate was it? Please let me know!