The Books and Films That Changed the Way Readers Thought About Their Jobs

I can’t see the Staten Island ferry without thinking about “Working Girl,” an 1980s film about striving for success in the competitive world of New York City (although some of the messages are a bit questionable from a modern perspective). The plot and the stirring theme song remind me why I’ve always loved living and working in New York, and how the energy of the big city is my engine.

While there are books that have profoundly changed employment in the U.S., and iconic movies about the workplace, it’s often a more-casual encounter with a book or movie that resonates in our professional lives.

We asked our readers: What book or movie do you think has had an impact on the way you view work?

Here were some of the works that made a big difference.