It's important because, on a lot of shows, the character's career is part of their identity. Yes, it's an unrealistic portrayal for dramatic effect. But that do

It's important because, on a lot of shows, the character's career is part of their identity. Yes, it's an unrealistic portrayal for dramatic effect. But that doesn't mean it's not a reflection of society. Even in shows where the career is not a big part of the plot it's still pervasive. On Modern Family everyone has upper middle class white collared jobs; small business owners, real estate agent, lawyers. On How I Met Your Mother; architect, news anchor, etc. Interestingly I don't think upward mobility is a big part of it. It's career achievement for the sake of career achievement. You hardly every see characters' lifestyle changing when they get big promotions.