Unless you’re talking about short videos presented by head hunters and military recruiters, there are very few Hollywood movies about recruitment.
However, when one is on the cusp of selecting a career and or field of study in college, watching inspirational films about real life persons can do a lot to inspire.
This list of top 10 movies will include films about technology geniuses, men and women with dreams and purpose, fighting apathy and corruption and even a look into a future society:
1) Tucker: The Man and His Dream:
This 1988 biography film of Preston Tucker was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starred Jeff Bridges. Set after WWII, Tucker challenged the big 3 automobile makers in trying to develop his 1948 Tucker Sedan.
Uplifting elements include that he was a man who could not be bought, bullied or broken.
2) The Pirates of Silicon Valley:
A 1999 movie starring Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates. Based on the book Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer, this film tells of the relationship of the 2 technology giants through college, founding businesses, and building global empires.
RELATED: Life Lessons by Steve Jobs
3) Ender’s Game:
A totally Sci-Fi movie, made in 2013 and set in a futuristic society, brilliant strategies are displayed by Ben Kingsley and Harrison Ford while preparing for a future alien invasion.
Asa Butterfield, a young man with untapped genius plays the man to lead them, Ender Wiggin.
4) The Recruiter:
Hooray! A real recruiting film by Propeller Films. This movie is based on the life of Los Angeles’ Sgt. 1st Class Clay Usie, one of the most successful Army military recruiters ever.
The movie deals with 4 teenagers for a 9 months period of time in LA – from finishing high school as students to becoming soldiers.
RELATED: How the Swedish Army Uses Social Media to Recruit
5) Norma Rae:
Sally Field’s acting is inspiring in this true story of Norma Rae who took on the Union big boys.
6) Stand and Deliver:
Facing apathy with little to no support, this inspirational true story about transforming gang members from the ghettos to mathematical aces is truly amazing.
Edward James Olmos won the best actor award for his portrayal of James Escalante. This movie was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2011.
7) Erin Brockovich:
Righting wrongs, this true story of Erin Brockovich cutting through legalese is another win for the good guys.
8-10) Diner, Tin Men and Avalon:
Director Barry Levinson made a trilogy of movies (set in Baltimore, MD) that were all semi-autobiographical, dealing with life from 1914 to 1963. All 3 warrant a place on this list:
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Diner – 1982 movie about the 1950s for college buddies starting the journey to adulthood with a diner being a meeting place.
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Tin Men – 1987 movie set in the 1960s about aluminium siding salesmen debating issues about professions, the phoniness of sales and material gains.
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Avalon – 1990 movie but historically set after WWII with Jewish immigrants coming to America. Working their way from manual labor jobs, to respectable sales jobs and then opening their own business depicts the American Dream.
