How many of you post-graduates have a job doing what you love to do? If not, why are you working at that job? Do you "work to live"?

I'm wondering how long I should go on chasing a dream. The jobs that I want to get are those that deal with my passion but are very difficult to come by.

2/19/2007 1:03:06 PM

I bet those who suck it up and keep going are those who get the difficult-to-come by things.

2/19/2007 1:06:16 PM

Yeah, I know.

The problem is that everyone is telling me to just get a job and stop trying.

For example, I want to apply to NYU for graduate film school. My parents are giving me the whole "you'll never make it, you can't pay for it, don't even try" rap.

2/19/2007 1:07:05 PM

unless you have a kid to take care of, why would you consider giving up your dreams at the age of 22?

2/19/2007 1:16:07 PM

no risk, no reward.

2/19/2007 1:17:10 PM

^^ because I can barely afford to pay the bills, while my engineering graduate friends have new houses, lancer evos (actually all 3 of them do) and make 60k a year.

2/19/2007 1:17:44 PM

^^^^ Let them give you that rap and just try for what you want. At least apply. Just make sure you ahve a back-up in case it falls through.

^That's life. But don't try to live the life of a friend and expect to be happy. Just probably won't work.

[Edited on February 19, 2007 at 1:19 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on February 19, 2007 at 1:21 PM. Reason : .]

2/19/2007 1:18:00 PM

You should at least apply to some grad schools...but even a graduate degree in film studies won't really get you anywhere. I'm assuming you want to make movies rather than talk about them. NYU film school would be a good place to go.

2/19/2007 1:18:52 PM

^^^, well not everyone can have an engineering job making bank right out of school. That doesnt mean everyone has to be poor for the rest of thier lives.

2/19/2007 1:24:26 PM

i love what i do - and it seems to pay the bills

2/19/2007 1:29:42 PM

Easier to say than do, but...

Is film a hobby or a profession/passion for you?

Decide.

Then, if profession/passion, screw everyone else and try as hard as you can. Then laugh at them when you accomplish what you want. Nobody said it would be easy though...

2/19/2007 1:30:56 PM

To me, basically all "work" where you just walk into the corporate world like every other drone can never be "what I love." Basically, anything that pays the bills isn't something I love.

Some folks I know would honestly still find some occupation if they won the lottery. Me? I've invest/save 70% of it so I could live off the interest forever, I'd travel to every remotely interesting place in the world, and wouldn't so much as lift a finger to do any form of paid work (read: for-profit activities) for the rest of my life.

I'm come to this conclusion: if you're working and actually "LOVE" what you do, one of two things are happening: 1) you're being grossly overpaid, so it's just a fabulous deal for you to show up everyday or 2) you have a job that everyone covets [movie star, MLB player, etc.], even though this somewhat relates to #1

But to answer your Q, I wouldn't go into TOO much debt if there wasn't a decent shot at you doing what you wanna do. The only thing worse than being broke is going into more debt only to just get more broke.

Before everyone jumps on me & calls me a downer, let me say that I'm leaving my great-paying, 8-hour per day job where I have it MADE, selling my house for a loss, and living in some friend's old 1945-built house until I can find somewhere decent, all in order to move back to Raleigh, a location I actually will enjoy life at. So yeah, go for your dreams, but I wouldn't bank on your JOB providing the joy in life -- relationships, yo.

2/19/2007 1:32:10 PM

Quote :

"The problem is that everyone is telling me to just get a job and stop trying."

And you can't do both? Get a job to pay the bills and keep the dream active on the back burner.

2/19/2007 1:39:28 PM

Quote :

"but I wouldn't bank on your JOB providing the joy in life "

Yeah but.. 8 hours out of a 24 hour day... that's a third of your life that you're going to spend doing something just to pay the bills.

2/19/2007 1:40:00 PM

^ Yep, and I'd wager 90%+ of folks in the world won't have the opportunity to "have a job they love." (Also, "love" is a strong word -- I "think my job is okay," don't hate it but don't love it) If everyone could, we'd all be fat, rich, and happy. Harsh reality.

[Edited on February 19, 2007 at 1:43 PM. Reason : .]

2/19/2007 1:42:46 PM

I'm a little torn right now between having a good job at a bank with great benefits and having a job on a river.

2/19/2007 1:43:11 PM

undergrad + diploma = job


so


undergrad + graduate school + (diploma)^2 = rewarding career

2/19/2007 1:46:42 PM

At some point even a job you love will become just a job to pay the bills. Making a career out of a hobby has a habbit of killing the enjoyment you get out of that hobby somewhere down the road. That said, I chose to compromise. I started school as a marine biology major, but realized that even though I loved doing marine biology, I'd be poor and I couldn't picture myself working for 50 years and retiring in that field. I switched to engineering, and am quite happy with my job, and it has given me the opportunity to buy things like motorcycles and a house right out of school.

At the end of the day, you really are working to live and not living to work, so strike a balance between what you love, what you like, and what will give you enough money to do what you love. Going to graduate school for film studies isn't a bad idea at all, just keep in mind that 6 months after you finish the money to start paying all those loans has to come from somewhere. If you're only responsible for supporting yourself, there is no shame in being a bartender at night while trying to land the day job of your dreams. Once you have a wife and a kid its time to accept film as a hobby and take a more mundane job that you are satisfied with, even if it isn't perfect.

2/19/2007 1:52:13 PM

Gronke, if I were in your situation, I'd put school first, and constantly be looking for jobs/employment that pay the bills, and perhaps put a little extra aside. I've done it once before already.

Quote :

"I'm come to this conclusion: if you're working and actually "LOVE" what you do, one of two things are happening: 1) you're being grossly overpaid, so it's just a fabulous deal for you to show up everyday or 2) you have a job that everyone covets [movie star, MLB player, etc.], even though this somewhat relates to #1"

You need to meet more people. Looking at my friends and family, I see more than a few people whose careers are something they're passionate about and really do enjoy. Some of those careers pay an obscene amount, and some leave them dirt poor (hell, one moved to a 2nd world country just to take a job she loved in a country she loved). This might just be because I've befriended people with similar values and priorities, but to say that one can't have a job that one loves says to me that you're missing out on something. What, I don't know.

^Yes.



[Edited on February 19, 2007 at 1:54 PM. Reason : lksdjr]

2/19/2007 1:53:21 PM

NCSUDiver said exactly what I was trying to say in a less negative light.

Even hobbies you adore will become painstaking if you rely on it to pay the bills.

^ You're actually reinforcing a lot of what I said -- it's about relationships. You say your pal went "to a country she loved." I promise you she wouldn't have been so thrilled to take a lame paying job in a place with geography / people she didn't like.

The bottom line is you work 8+ hours a day to have money to actually get out and LIVE the other 16. Being "passionate" about a job and honest to God "loving" it are two different things ENTIRELY. I'll be passionate about my jobs forever, because passion means promotion, and promotion means more awesome crap I can afford to play with once work's done. If you've nothing or nobody (and no means to acquire anything) to enjoy after work, that's the sad state. Again, I'm not saying people somewhere don't "love" their job, but by and large most folks don't and won't. Striking a balance is the key, and relying entirely on one's job to fulfill happiness demands is a risk I wouldn't recommend taking.

2/19/2007 2:00:13 PM

^^^is that sarcasm? or do you actually believe that post?

2/19/2007 2:00:40 PM

Quote :

"I'm wondering how long I should go on chasing a dream. The jobs that I want to get are those that deal with my passion but are very difficult to come by."

Always chase your dream. I don't think you'll be truely happy in the long run if you don't. You'll be saying your "shoulda/coulda/wouldas" later in life.

Quote :

"The problem is that everyone is telling me to just get a job and stop trying. For example, I want to apply to NYU for graduate film school. My parents are giving me the whole "you'll never make it, you can't pay for it, don't even try" rap. "

I'd be willing to bet that most people have jobs that are "ok" or to just pay the bills, so they're giving advice from their experience. At the same time, look at the fruit on the tree of the people telling you to do stuff (parents, friends, etc) and see if they have what you want (I'm not just talking about money/stuff. Your parents/friends could be making $Texas, but if they don't seem happy then thats something to consider).If they don't, think long and hard about taking career advice from them. My advice, find someone who is fairly successful in what you want to do and ask them how they did it.

Quote :

"because I can barely afford to pay the bills, while my engineering graduate friends have new houses, lancer evos (actually all 3 of them do) and make 60k a year. "

Its called keeping up with the Jones'. Personally, I would like to kick the crap out of the Jones'. As nice as it would seem now to get a starter home and new car, if those things prevent you from achieving what you want then they aren't worth it. If you can afford it, then go ahead and get them. If not, I'd stray away from them for now.

[Edited on February 19, 2007 at 2:20 PM. Reason : .]

2/19/2007 2:17:54 PM

i enjoy what i do every day - i doubt i'd be here very long if that changed - there are too many jobs out there - that being said, i do travel a lot and it has a shelf life in my opinion - i won't be doing what i'm doing right now in ~5 years once the kids deal starts to come into the picture

you are too young to give up chasing your dream

2/19/2007 2:38:04 PM

go for film. definitely keep chasing the dream, so long as you are actually working towards it.

2/19/2007 3:03:08 PM

Well I didn't get into grad school last year so I have a job that is okay and I like the people and definitely pays the bills but I couldn't do it forever. But I did get in this year so I will also be doing something that I love!

2/19/2007 3:03:20 PM

i got my job out of luck, thank god my first real job ended when it did or I would of never found it....now I am in Texas(just relocated 2 months ago). I really enjoy my job, I love being able to wear jeans to work and polo shirts, really laid back atmosphere! All my dress clothes are so old I probably wouldnt fit in them anymore....lol.


This job started out just temporary and I never thought it would last more than 3 months(I was really burned out with the first job, I hated it so much toward the end). I just pasted my 2 year mark with the current job, and will get benefits etc next month(have had my own, bcbsnc)

You never know!

[Edited on February 19, 2007 at 5:14 PM. Reason : w]

2/19/2007 5:13:29 PM

very few people "love" what they do, but you have to at least enjoy it somewhat. if you wake up every day dreading going to work, then you probably need to look for another line of work.

you should at least attempt to go to film school if you know that's what you want to do.

2/19/2007 5:18:32 PM

exactly

and the people that tell you that you won't make are people who cashed in their dreams for a steady paycheck long ago.



keep going, even if you have to eat ramen noodles and drink water every night for a year. if you love it, and you work hard, you'll get it. the ones that don't are the ones that give up and settle for something else.

2/19/2007 5:24:07 PM

my job isn't just a job

it's what i do

and it's great




don't stray away from the path that presents your opportunities and you'll be fine

2/19/2007 7:21:21 PM

Apply for grad school. Assuming you'll start in Fall '08...go out, get a job that pays the most you can get...even if you hate that job, it's only for the year until you start school. Bank as much of that paycheck as you can. In your spare time, do a couple projects and see if you can get into the Full Frame or another local film fest. It'll give you something to look forward to in the off hours, and should help your application for NYU.

2/19/2007 7:50:19 PM

Most people don't have their dream jobs. In fact, almost no one does. What usually happens is that your job is something you do while you do what you love in your free time. In fact, my father once told me that it seemed like all his hourly employees had all the really cool hobbies, shit like restoring cars, triathalon, whitewater rafting, etc. Work paid for their passions.

Finding jobs in a lot of fields (like film for example) is damned hard to come by. Even with tons of hard work you usually need a lucky break or two to get into a lot of things. Unless your passion is designing newer, smaller, faster widgets you'll most likely end up only somewhat liking your work, but loving the stuff you do outside of work. By no means does that mean you should hate your job or do something that you don't like, but realize that most people aren't lucky enough to be doing something they are truly passionate about for a living.

By all means pursue your dreams, but don't feel like your life is a miserable failure if you aren't the next Spielberg.

2/19/2007 10:36:00 PM

I'm in a job that I love. I teach 6th grade. I could have taken other jobs that paid money, but I truly love doing what I do. There are several things you can do in order to improve pay (grad school, National Boards) that I am pursuing, but I can now do whatever I want with what I make.

2/19/2007 10:42:35 PM

i loved my job in the military, but lucked into the positions I had...but the bullshit of working in the military forced me out after my commitment was up

went to grad school and found out that i loved work that put me in a niche - statistics, modeling, and marketing. i have a great job now that I love most of the time. but sometimes there is bullshit, just like the military...but this time the pay is much better, i get to go home every night, and don't have the red tape of the government hanging over my head. so while it is imperfect, my overall quality of life is much greater. there are times where i do miss the uniform and missions thou

i'm getting corporate experience now that is also a huge stepping stone for me. i plan on moving on in a year or two and get into similar work a company that is more in line with what I want to do long term (well at least before I go back to school for my PhD and pursue graduate teaching)

2/19/2007 10:56:05 PM

Well at the moment I am doing what I love which is being a full time Mom

2/20/2007 2:32:46 AM

How are those baby Einstein videos?

2/20/2007 2:38:01 AM

Baby Einstein's Baby Favorite Places is the only one we have at the moment and she loves it She had the playmat by them n it had their lil animals hanging above her and on the mat and she still likes to play with them from time to time cuz they rattle n squeak I am not big on the baby sign language but I figure it can only make her smarter and more well rounded same with the spanish because for me to engage her with that would mean me brushing up on my high school spanish big time...lol I think they are good videos though

2/20/2007 2:55:08 AM

I don't think you understand how trolling works.

2/20/2007 3:23:42 AM

Quote :

"For example, I want to apply to NYU for graduate film school. My parents are giving me the whole "you'll never make it, you can't pay for it, don't even try" rap."

tell that to steven speilberg

2/20/2007 3:27:40 AM

I'm a loser, and I know I'm a loser. So I would never follow my dreams. Shit, I don't even have one.

Are you a loser?

2/20/2007 5:25:26 AM

If the option presents itself, do both. You lose a bit of sleep and might have a bit more stress for a few years ... so what?

Quote :

"no risk, no reward."

You most likely would qualify for the maximum amount of subsidized/unsubsidized loans every year, $18500. I have no idea what your finances are like or where you are considering applying for graduate school but thats a start at the minimum.

Quote :

"Being "passionate" about a job and honest to God "loving" it are two different things ENTIRELY."

Agreed. I can work at a place and enjoy the work I do, but it isn't my source of happiness. I don't know many individuals where it is ... most get it from other things, such as family, religion, etc.

Quote :

"i won't be doing what i'm doing right now in ~5 years once the kids deal starts to come into the picture"

Another good point. You bring family into the picture, it can change the playing field. You are no longer responsible for just yourself ... you are responsible for others as well. That being said, if you don't do this now, it won't be nearly as easy later. Apply, and if you change your mind, so be it. Let them make the offer to you and you turn it down ... don't end up in a situation where you turned down the opportunity before it presented itself.

2/20/2007 5:36:40 AM

I graduated in 05 with a degree in something I wasn't particularly "passionate" about. After working in that field for about a year I realized it wasn't what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life. It paid wonderfully, but there were aspects of my life that suffered because of it. I decided I was going to quit my job and attend graduate school.

I applied this year to go into Student Affairs, a field that I was passionate about when in undergrad. I enjoyed my Student Affairs jobs while in undergrad and I feel that this will lead to a 'job' that I will thoroughly enjoy. However, I am currently in a position until grad school begins to help pay the bills.

I say follow your dreams. If you are passionate about the field, go for it.

Quote :

"don't end up in a situation where you turned down the opportunity before it presented itself"

Best advice to follow. It is always better to attempt something, than to listen to the naysayers and fall into something you don't want to do.

2/20/2007 7:38:32 AM

I went through college thinking that what I was getting my degree in was what i wanted to do, all three different majors.

all it taught me was that I have no idea what I really want to do. I have things I like doing and think would be cool to make a career of, but nothing enough to really do the work to get where I'd actually enjoy it.

Basically all I know at this point now that I've finally graduated is that I don't want to work for anyone else. Surprisingly I have the opportunity right now to become a partner in a company where I'll basically be my own boss. Yeah there's the risk that the business will falter and it won't make me rich or anything, but I'll make my own hours and I don't have to worry about answering to anybody except my clients. But as of right now it'll pay the bills and I will be doing something I enjoy...and that is doing whatever I want to.

I still hope that business booms and I make plenty of money, cause I'm pretty sure that I'd enjoy doing that.

2/21/2007 2:59:13 AM

happy medium is the way to go. theres really no reason to be poor for fun or kill yourself unless you make so much money you can retire at 35.

2/21/2007 9:10:02 AM

i didnt know what my dream job was until i saw it on paper. its almost how they say love at first sight is supposed to be best described as mixing 3 things that im very interested in but never really thought about.

for example i've always been a, for lack of better terms, a "map nerd" - i can play on google maps/earth for hours, used to be the same way with paper maps, ive always had this strange habit of tracking how far away everything is, totally got a boner when i got a GPS enabled phone with mapping software right before i drove to tucson.... but i never thought about doing anyting related to that for MONEY.

so my advice to someone looking for a "dream job" that doesnt wanna wait for it to fall in their lap... think about the kinda odd hobbies you have and combine a few or something. i think most people can find a dream job... and you'll get hired no problem when you show up with that enthusiasm.

this might be obvious to everyone else, maybe im the only one who didnt have the common sense to say OH I LIKE THAT STUFF A LOT. but just in case, think basic.

2/21/2007 9:41:34 AM

As soon as I came out of grad school, my dream wasn't immediately available due to circumstances. I sucked it up and got a job that paid the bills and more. I've been accepted to Michigan for a Ph.D. in the fall, so I'm back on track to get to the dream job. There's no reason you can't pay the bills and still be looking for that dream job. The work experience you get in the meantime can help out.

2/21/2007 9:54:48 AM