After joining in on the hype of the HBO comedy-drama television series Entourage these past few days, I wonder: who says entertainment can’t teach you something more about life than clothing styles, activities and past times, and in Entourage’s case, themes of friendship and wild life in Hollywood?

Watching 22 episodes of the seven-season series, I have caught on to a few things from the show that might just help me find a lifestyle/job similar to those like the characters in Entourage. Or at least a few things that might show me how to go about starting to attain such a successful career.

The power of your entourage

Who is always going to have your back and keep you heading in the right direction ?

First lesson learned: having an entourage will help you. At times it may feel like you’re taking on career goals or the job search all by yourself, and it may be intimidating. But as the characters in Entourage have proved, a job well-done is easiest achieved and best celebrated when you are surrounded by an entourage of friends or co-workers that support you; an entourage that can see what’s best for both the individuals in the group, and the group as a whole. In Entourage, Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), a young A-list movie star, and his best friend and manager, Eric “E” Murphy (Kevin Connolly), show a relationship of two best friends battling the business world together. They show that though it can be very tough to mix business with true friendship, it is possible. And when the two, plus the rest of the Entourage (Vincent’s older brother Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillon) and old friend Salvatore Assante, known as “Turtle” (Jerry Ferrara)) succeed, all four prove that there is no better way to celebrate than with those who support and back you the most.

I’ve learned that even in college, it’s important to know who will really come to the events you set up as an intern, who will support the philanthropies and organizations you are involved with, and who will be there to support you even when your best ideas and hardest work don’t get you where you thought they would take you. Your entourage, whether it’s in your social life or in the workplace, is your backbone. It’s important that you support your friends and your co-workers through the ups and downs so that if given the chance, they may end up doing the same for you.

Work hard, play hard

If anyone can do this, it’s the men of Entourage. Their flashy toys, numerous women, and carefree attitudes are most entertaining because it seems as if the characters are living the dream without really working that hard. But if you really take a look at what the characters are doing throughout each episode, having free time and “living the life” play as their motivation and inspiration for their own hopes and dream careers. Coming from little, each character wants to keep the privileged lifestyle they have gained, but hope someday it won’t just be because of Vince’s fortune and fame. Each character seeks a goal and strives to achieve their own goals within the Entourage and with the help of Vince’s connections and relationships. “Drama” is Vince’s chef, trainer and bodyguard, but he is also seeking an acting career. “Turtle”’s official role is as Vince’s driver and assistant, but he strives to become more independent with goals like becoming rapper Saigon’s music manager.

In the workplace, sometimes the best ideas come from playtime outside of work. Marketing strategy ideas, PR, networking, writing inspirations; the Entourage characters show how playtime feeds into their work time and their career goals, and vice versa. I think they show how important it is to balance your work time with your playtime, maybe even a little too much.

Stick up for yourself, and your friends

Take risks. Put yourself out there. And when it comes down to it, do what’s best for you, and in some cases, your entourage too. When Ari, Vince’s agent, finds he has his own problems within his agency and is later fired, Ari leaves the office with respect for himself and forms goals even the day after to open his own agency. When Ari moves, Vince goes along with him, and the line of support from the entourage continues.

Throughout Entourage, each character and the relationships between characters show that a little failure never hurt anybody, and if anything, it made them stronger. It also opened up opportunities that later better satisfied their original interests and hopes than before. Again, if you back your entourage, there’s a higher chance of them backing you.

Keep your head in the game, but add a little humor

The search for an ideal job and the “perfect” lifestyle will be a long journey, no doubt. As I browsed Wikipedia for more information about Entourage, don’t think I didn’t see in the overviews of seasons to come that many of the characters’ initial attempts at achieving their goals weren’t successful at first; Ari’s agency, Turtle’s career as a music manager, Vince’s role in two of his biggest films. But throughout the first two seasons, I’ve watched the characters bounce back from fights with friends, managers and publicists, and failed attempts at becoming something that they originally thought they wanted to be. Whether it be in the beginning of the job search after college or even when you “have it all” like Vince, failure and disappointment will always be a part of the game. The best thing that you can do if you fail is to keep your head in the game, pick out what parts from your failure will help you grow as a person, and move on. Oh, and don’t forget, a little humor never hurt anybody either. The characters of Entourage have definitely shown that humor can help make any situation a little easier to handle. The humor displayed in Entourage has gained fame that I think both the characters and the show as a whole deserve.

As for me, I have 66 episodes of Entourage left…let’s see what else I can learn.