I was talking to a friend of mine who is really bored with her job the other day and wants out.
She told me that in her job she was mostly reading one of those BS lists like ’10 reasons why Kanye West needs braces’. We joked that there should be a list for her best options on what to do with her life.
So I made it and I decided to share it, because I think there’s a bunch of people out there with the same dilemma.
All the options start with her quitting her current job because the article is called ‘The 5 BEST Options for Rocío’ and not ‘5 Okay Options for Rocío’. And I absolutely believe she can do much much better 🙂
5. Quit and get another job
Difficulty Level: 50%
Success chance: 50%
I understand it. I’ve been here before. It’s scary to quit a job without knowing what’s on the other end.
I know most people, myself included, have tried to look for another job while keeping the current one as a safety. It makes complete sense. But there is a problem.
If your current job is very demanding and/or depressing, you won’t have the energy to look for another one. At the very least it’s safe to say you won’t look for another job with as much energy as if you didn’t have a commitment for over half your awake hours every day.
The trick of course is to find a new job that fits better what you like. It doesn’t have to be your dream job but it has to be something that will help you grow.
Bonus: Take a little break between jobs.
If possible take a short break after you stop going to your current job. You don’t have to, but at least in my case, I always need a few days to recover and get my mood back up after a long soul-sucking job.
Then you can really start figuring out what you really want.
4. Quit and go to school
Difficulty Level: 60%
Success chance: 50%
Going to school is fun when you’re learning something you like. And I hear getting a degree is pretty satisfying if you really want it.
Just know that in a Film and TV career your degree is not really important.
I go deeper into in on this other article. But it basically goes like this: Unlike a doctor or a lawyer, people in film and TV don’t ask for degrees. If you can do the job well, nobody cares where you graduated from.
Don’t get me wrong, the knowledge is important, meeting other people that will become your ‘allies’ in making movies is invaluable, I just think that there are many ways to get those, and film school is just one of them.
But if you really want a degree and you can afford it, go for it!
3. Quit and try anything
Difficulty Level: 60%
Success chance: 70%
This option sounds weird and risky but is pretty straight forward. You do have to figure out a way to make a living in the mean time. However, it can be a lot of fun and a great growth experience.
Think of the R&D (Research and Development) at any company, say Apple or Google. Do you think everything they try becomes a big hit? No. They have to try different crazy ideas and prototypes until one seems promising. Then they go deep into it and develop it into a great product or service. Think of this as your own personal R&D project.
Try writing a short film, making YouTube videos with friends, taking classes in the community college just for fun, etc.
The point is to try different things until something sticks or until you figure out what you really like first hand. And when you do, you stop dabbling and go laser focused into it.
I talk more about it on this other article .
2. Quit and go to New York
Difficulty Level: 80%
Success chance: 65%
New York is a great choice. Lots of films and TV Shows are shot there.
Lots of great people living there love it, including some good friends of mine that moved from Los Angeles.
Plus, going into a city where what you want is happening all the time is the best way to really get a good taste. So go for it!
1. Quit and go to L.A.
Difficulty Level: 80%
Success chance: 80%
That said. I think Los Angeles has more opportunities than New York.
I’ll admit it, I’m biased on this one. I like Los Angeles a lot and I have never been in New York. Plus, it would be nice to be able to hang out with her.
All I know about New York Film / TV Industry is based on what I’ve heard from my NY friends.
There are tons of production companies in New York, but all the big film studios and most of the TV development, which combined hire dozens of THOUSANDS of people, are both located in Los Angeles.
New York still has lots of productions going, which is great. The problem I heard of is that there aren’t as many as in Los Angeles, and their crews are a tighter circle, which means being the new guy is tougher there than it is in L.A. because you need more luck to get a foot on the door.
For all that, I think L.A. is slightly better for somebody starting out.
She of course, doesn’t need to really choose any of them forever or at all. She can give most of them a try for a little while and see how it feels for you.
I can’t guarantee any results and all the options will probably be harder than keeping your current job.
However I can tell from my experience that doing any of these will make you much happier in the long run, and that’s really all I’m going for 😉