Could 'Rock of Love' boost your career?

Navigating the workplace can be tough. Luckily, reality shows and old-school newspapers can teach plenty of important job lessons. Two Gen Y writers debate which strategy works better for 7 key career challenges: watching 'Supernanny' or scouring the New York Times.

Fortune's Nadira Hira says: What better resume-builder is there than the New York Times? There's the actual careers coverage, of course, but take the people profiles, or even something like the Vows section. Every Sunday, it forces dozens of couples to distill their lives into a few hundred choice words, a skill we could all use, especially on a resume.

Jake Greene, author of Whoa! My Boss is Naked: A Career Book for People Who Would Never Be Caught Dead Reading a Career Book, says: The Vows section? Really? Reality TV is a better teacher: It shows viewers what happens if they don't take their resumes seriously. Take Erik from Survivor, who's identified on the show as "Ice Cream Scooper." My guess is Erik - who's also an Eastern Michigan University student and athlete - listed his part-time dairy duties a bit too high on his Survivor application.

NEXT: Lesson 2: The importance of showing initiative