When to stop and try out something else?

[jt214]

Hi everyone,

 

I moved to Los Angeles almost 2 years ago from the East Coast because I've had a lifelong passion for film and wanted to be in the entertainment business. I had a lot of mixed experiences with internships until landing my first job at a small independent film production company. There were stressful times but I had great bosses and overall enjoyed it. 7 months later, the company ran out of money (unfortunately not that uncommon in this business) and I was out of a job. After about a month of being unemployed, I got another job for a small talent agency, which I knew I would hate but I took it because I was desperate.

 

What I was not prepared for was how much I would hate it. I've hated it every day for the last 7 months, and it got to the point where my doctors and therapist told me to make a change because I was experiencing symptoms of depression (which also included a trip to the ER). After not being able to sleep/eat for about a week, I finally put in my 2 weeks notice yesterday. My boss was pretty unhappy, but I know I'll be out of there soon.

 

I've missed the East Coast, my parents, and my friends like crazy since moving here, and I'm now feeling pretty fed up with this industry (and LA in general). It seems as though I'd be stuck being an assistant for at least another 5-7 years before maybe, MAYBE, getting an executive job at a studio (which is what I initially wanted). But I'm starting to feel like I'm better off as an admirer than a participant. I love movies but I've already started to watch them differently, like I can't lose myself in them because all I think about is the pain/suffering that went into making this thing.

 

My parents offered to pay for graduate school starting next year so I could get my MBA and change career paths (something probably in market research or consulting). I guess my question is, would I be squandering my passion by doing this? I could always go back to this industry after getting an MBA, but I feel as though I wouldn't want to given my experience with it so far. My question is am I giving up and being defeated or making the choice to leave? I just don't want to look back on this in 15-20 years and wish I had stuck with it, but it's really, really hard to stand with it right now.

[SophieGrace]

I hear your frustration, and it sounds like your current job is not a good fit for you. But MBA or "current crappy job" aren't the only two options to choose from.

 

You are NOT behind some curveball because you haven't made it to the executive level at a Hollywood studio in less than 2 years. There are no 24-year-old studio executives; in fact, there are very few 29-year-old executives except those on the lowest rungs of the hierarchy. If I were you I'd ask myself what, exactly, you think "studio executive job" means and what it entails. I'd bet you don't yet really know (watch "The Player" - there's a hint of it there). The entertainment industry covers a wide swathe, and while an indie film company that went bankrupt and a small talent agency are a part of it, they are nothing close to a studio position - they are on the periphery.

 

No one can tell you the best decision to make for you - only you know in your heart what feels right. But if you do decide to go forward with an MBA, I would suggest you make the most of your time left in LA by learning everything and anything you can about the craft(s) you thought you may want to do (which isn't the job you are in that is making you miserable.) Ask questions, ask advice from the people who are doing what looks intriguing to you. Put it all out there. That way there will be no regrets.

 

If you can type and file, temp work will get you inside. There are temp agencies that specialize in longer-term studio placements.

 

PA work is easy to find and it will put you on the front lines giving you the chance to watch and learn and ask questions about people making movies in the field.

 

Cold call people you admire in the areas that interest you and ask if you can interview them for a college paper - yes it's a lie, but it's a great way to get "in" and learn more about what you want to know. People love to talk about themselves and give advice, and information is the key to creating a vision for the future you want and then making a plan to achieve it.

 

There really is no wrong decision to make jt214 - it's all just part of the journey. If an MBA on the east coast is calling to you - go for it. If you want to do both, know that there are a lot of MBAs in the business. But I think you will feel like you have a lot more control if you can get a handle on your vision and make a plan - even if you decide to modify it later. And the only way to do that is to take the initiative and start from where you are.

 

Best of luck to you!

[Man with Dog]

If your boss is unhappy you are leaving, it means he must value something about your contribution!

 

Sometimes in life, we have to say "I tried, it didn't work". This applies to career, marriage, sports, just about anything.

 

A lot of people have steady day jobs and follow their passion in their spare time. As an example, I write in my spare time. Due to a particular set of circumstances at the moment, I'm not writing but hope to start again soon.

[catfeeder]

CongrATs! The MBA sounds like a fabulous opportunity, and most people aren't lucky enough to have it sponsored.

 

Why not embrace that and milk it for everything it can be?

 

One of the things nobody teaches up is that our lives are NOT a stage or screen, so nobody's watching all that closely. The stuff we tend to magnify into giant failures or successes aren't even blips on anybodys else's radar.

 

That's not cold and cynical, it's liberating. You get to try out anything you want, and YOU get to decide whether to view any learning that comes from that as a success in and of itself. Nobody else cares enough to get a vote.

 

In your shoes I'd be proud of my courage to try out my wings accross a continent. Sure, the industry did not prove to be the playground you'd hoped, but your observations are valuable and will continue to serve you a more realistic picture of where everyone needs to start in any industry. We build a rep through experience, and it's rarely a simple thing to do. We can view our grunt work as 'suffering' or we can adopt appreciation for the small stuff along the way.

 

You didn't fail, as everything you learned goes into your pocket and nobody can take it from you. It will serve you when it's needed. You also succeeded in learning what your best next steps can be. EnjOy those.

[j.man]

I'll be frank. Do you think the line cook at McDonald's has a passion for flipping burgers? Or that the used car salesman at the corner lot has a soft spot for 1980s Hondas?

 

The whole "make a living doing what you're passionate in" is a notion that is almost exclusively reserved for those of us with the safety net in place for ourselves to afford to be so picky. Now that's not to say to settle for a job that makes you miserable simply because it gets you a paycheck, but for most of us, the best we'll hope for is a job that pays our bills and leaves us content enough to not bring woes home with us.

 

Even with the hours Americans work, most of us in industrialized countries have never had so much free time on our hands. No, you may not get a job that's within your field of passion, but that doesn't mean you can't keep pursuing that passion in your time outside of it.

 

Take a look around you on the streets of LA and you'll see no shortage of people who wanted to play professional basketball, who wanted to star in a Hollywood film, who wanted to make it on Broadway, who wanted to be a pilot, fire fighter, or President of the United States. But it's not the people who simply fail to make a career out of it who are failures. It's the people who are unable to continue following that passion when it ends up not being their source of financial success who are the failures-- at least when they go as far as to pity themselves. There are numerous ways to follow and express your passion for something without requiring that it be your career.

 

Now if you're content being broke and without assurances so long as you're in the field you enjoy, then by all means, stick with it. But it says absolutely nothing less about your level of passion for something if you decide you just may have to find another way to keep the lights on at home.