Whether or not you’re a college graduate or a student preparing to obtain that degree this spring there is one thing we all have on our minds: the future.
 

 
I belong to the former category of college graduate, having graduated Loyola Marymount University in 2013 with a degree majoring in Screenwriting and minoring in Film Studies. My realm of knowledge expands specifically to the niche world of the entertainment industry. But as I have operated within it I have found that my experiences can echo for others of my generation and their career tribulations.
 

I happened to choose a career that didn’t have a steady path. Meaning, there was absolutely no option of obtaining a steady, paying job (all insurances included) straight out of college. And further, there was virtually no assistance set up for film school seniors seeking guidance for a job following graduation. We were simply all constantly told that our chosen career was a dismal business fraught with difficulty and uncertainty — which our professors assured before giving us a not-so-reassuring-but-mostly-pitying pat on the head and shoving us out of the nest. Perhaps my way of dealing with this overwhelming face-to-face with certain failure was to wrap myself in a comforting blanket of denial.
 

“Oh sure, most people have no chance of making it, but certainly not me,” I asserted.
 

I knew I was different. I had two other brothers (being one in a set of triplets) who also majored in film and pursued film careers. In our summer between Junior and Senior year of college we made two short films that, while being rushed and not exactly the Academy Award winning work we had dreamed of creating when we started, we were proud of. I had a system that could operate outside of that ill-fated machine my professors spoke of.
 

Well, long story short, I was in for a wake up call — not like a sudden splash of cold water to the face, more like a slow submersion into the deep end of a very icy pool. Those two films I was sure would garner all sorts of awards and acclaim and put me on the “map” only made it into a couple small festivals and garnered a few awards (which I was and still am pleased with, by the way, considering the resources available at the time those films were created). Those film festivals, I was certain, would foster meaningful, helpful connections…Yeah… I just exchanged contact with a couple other starving artists who promised to get in touch, but never did. And while those two films were certainly something I could proudly put on my resume and my past experiences from which I learned a great deal, my system that I believed would garner instant success and security in my career and done exactly none of that.
 

So, I was back at square one. While I did continue (and still do) to make short films with my brothers and created our own production company, I came to realize that television was my passion. I set my sights on pursuing a writing career in that industry and went to work obtaining it via the path I was constantly assured was the only way to achieve my goal.
 

It went a little something like this: internship > assistant > writer’s room assistant > staffed TV writer > producer > show-runner.
 

Here’s what I learned that chart ultimately read to me: 1-2 years > 3-5 years > 1-3 years > 3-5 years > 2-5 years > the ultimate goal.
 

In my mind, it would take a grand total of ten years at the very least to get where I wanted to be; as a show-runner. Now, all of this isn’t to say that I wasn’t willing or able to put in the work and time toward my goal. No, what I saw was that I would have to spend half of that time doing work that I don’t want to do, that is not my passion, and that would ultimately kill that drive and passion inside me. This could only happen if I was lucky. That is, if I didn’t bounce from internship to internship for a couple years, if I found an assistant position that had the capability of putting me in contact with a writer’s room, if a writer’s room needed an assistant, and if any of this had the luxury of lasting only one or two years.
 

I came to this realization when I spoke with an assistant at one of my internships who asked me if I was a writer. When I responded with a yes, she then said something along the lines of: “I’m a writer too, but I haven’t had time to do any writing since I’ve worked here. For the last two years.” And she passed it off with a laugh, not seemingly bothered by that realization. I was horrified. Okay, maybe horrified is a bit too strong of a word. But, my eyes were opened in that moment, opened to the fact that it would take a long time to get where I wanted and that I would have spend all that time doing absolutely nothing that I loved, or what I had ultimately paid a lot of money to receive an education in that field. Maybe it’s the Millennial in me, but I decided I wasn’t going to take any of that. Nope, none of it.
 

So, I stopped applying for unpaid internships that quite literally went nowhere. I stopped applying for receptionist positions that constantly turned me down because I didn’t have enough experience (and yet no one was willing to give me experience; I think we all know that age old tale). We’ve all encountered it.
 

”
I decided to focus on my passion and forge my own path.”

I would love to end this tale with a remarkable story about how I am happier than ever, sold my own television show, and am getting paid to write it. That, however, would be a lie. Truth is, I am still struggling. And I am fortunate enough to have the luxury to pursue my own path without surviving paycheck to paycheck. But, trust me, that doesn’t make my life any easier — it just doesn’t make it any harder. I even suffered a career related existential crisis the other day, having arrived at a point where I had exhausted the options I had laid down for myself and faced once more the doomed-to-succeed prophecy of my professors. Yet, this time I didn’t comfort myself with denial and I didn’t crumble under that pressure either. I made a new game plan; this is the path I have chosen and I am going to make it work, no matter how many obstacles are thrown in my way.
 

I share my story with you to hopefully offer up a bit of hope and most certainly a large amount of commiserating; that is, if you haven’t stopped reading in favor of that really good piece on the election results by one of my fellow RIZZARR contributors. I wouldn’t blame you, it is good. But if you do happen to still be with me I want to tell you that it’s okay to go down that path less traveled by. It sucks sometimes and it most certainly is hard.
 

But, you know what?
 

I’m not miserable anymore. I’m not contemplating the best way to end my life as I am piled with busy work after busy work at an unpaid internship that just wants free labor, while I stare imploringly into the eyes of Angelina Jolie on the Changeling poster.

 
Find a way to follow your passion and make your career dreams come true. And, above all, you don’t have to do something just because someone tells you that’s the only way things are done. Take the road not taken.
 

Need A Massage? Learn How To Give One To Yourself And Your Loved Ones

7 months ago by Aaron 4 min read No comments

Receiving a massage, whether it’s given by someone else or self-administered, can help loosen your muscles and establish a better connection not only with your body but also with the people you love.