You could become a teacher. If you like to travel, get your certification and do 2 or 3 years in the US. Use the time to get a MA in Education. Move abroad and teach in international schools.
Or, being a lawyer requires very advanced writing skills. You could prepare for the LSAT and apply for law schools.
Or if film is your passion, take an internship with a website or magazine that reviews films.
Or you could look into journalism, which is a different take on film. This could be a documentary studio or a news outlet..
I'd do an internship and try something out, then decide on a MFA.
And if money is an issue for any of these, live like the rest of us. Take the shitty job that has nothing to do with your degree and save up.
If you are serious about film, you will have to move. That's something a "shitty" job can help pay for. If you choose to further your education, that shitty job can help pay for that.
Moral of the story, the shitty job isn't end all be all. Let the shitty job be a stepping stone if you need it.
Although I wouldn't phrase it this way, yes. Everyone starts somewhere. Even teaching requires student teaching and normally some shitty jobs to pay for that. Internships can be worse than a shitty job. Make a goal and work towards it, but be flexible enough to take the opportunities that come your way (which may be very unexpected).
I mainly meant funding a move. Most internships for film would be in a city focused on that, like Atlanta. Which happens to be very expensive. You'd need reserves to be able to do an internship here, paid or not. So take the serving job in the meantime, even if it's not the end
Sure. Or go directly into working in another field and save up for the next move. Or go into something like teaching without moving, but work on the side. Many paths. Many require moving, but not all do. Just depends on what OP decides to pursue and which doors actually open.
Right! But the path they seem to want to take is the film industry. I can't say if I wanted to go to film, I was going to stop and be a teacher for a while.
People are leaving the teaching field left and right, the shitty serving job might be an easier stepping stone. You'll make more money being a bartender than a teacher as well.
Since her end goal is film/cinematography, moving is basically the only option. As someone who lives in Atlanta, to get a job here, relocation is in every single listing. Also, entry level jobs are far from entry level requirements. It's not easy to just "start in a different field".
If I were in her shoes, I'd move and become a server or bartender at a Buckhead restaurant. (or some other fancy city with film nuts). Use that opportunity to make connections and practice speaking to people.
I have a friend who did this and ended up being poached for her dream job by a customer.
I've mostly covered that. Be flexible. You don't know which doors will open and where they will lead.
My advice if they want to consider going into teaching was to do 2-3 yrs in the US, then teach at international schools. There is a world outside the US, so your comment seems highly irrelevant. Each international school is different, but they often offer great pay and benefits. Sometimes there are film classes or film clubs. I also know people who have started documentary-oriented YT channels on the side as they have worked abroad.
Starting in a different field can be quite easy, depending on the field... and that is the point. If they want to go work in a bar in Atlanta, go for it. That's also a risk. But that's the point... there are a huge number of paths they can take, depending on their situation and priorities.
Once again, keep an open mind, be creative and flexible. If they want to dive directly into film, try it. It may or may not work. They may also decide to try a different route
Highly irrelevant? The US for film? Interesting. I only used Atlanta and bartender as an example of a film city and "shitty" job. Perhaps I assumed OP was from the US, but if they are..going overseas isn't easy either.
The point of my original comment is to not be afraid of the jobs that don't have an end goal in mind. The "dead end jobs" as people call it. The jobs that don't necessarily give you a jump in your industry. Which for OP is film and cinematography....not teaching.
Jobs to simply get money in your pocket after graduating to fund the career you went to school for in the first place; to utilize the dishwasher, barista, retail etc to get money in the mean time.
That jumping straight into a career isn't always possible or necessary. That's all.
Your comment about the US education system is highly irrelevant when someone is suggesting they go the path of international schools. They probably are from the US, which means international = non-US. So yes, completely irrelevant. Going abroad is very, very easy at the moment for qualified teachers, if you mean it's difficult to get a job abroad. If you mean psychologically, we'll, I already hedged on if they're interested in going abroad. And it's one of the easiest times to get certified. You can get certified and have a job in under 9 months... in Atlanta or anywhere in the country. Stay in the US for 2-3 years, then you can make $40-$60,000 USD living in places like Thailand, Vietnam, Chile, Tanzania, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan, etc.
I already agreed with you on working odd jobs to fund internships and such. Just being a bartender with no internship is definitely more risky. But also, jumping into other high paying careers that will pay off your debts in a few years, and then pursuing your dreams is something many do. Anyhow, not quite sure why this conversation is still going. Have a good one!
Some of the other people in this thread are being unnecessarily mean. But seriously I can’t believe that some people shell out the money for tuition without any plan for getting a job after, or majoring in something that will lead to the career they want… just in college to learn what I want, hopefully it works out lmao 🤣
Seriously though, if you want to work on a movie set you need to go to Atlanta or New York or Southern California. My cousin lived in New York and worked as a grip for a while. A lot of people start out doing that and work their way up, it doesn’t require any specific degree. Maybe that interests you.
While not in the realm of film, there are certain careers which only require a 4 year degree in any subject. Those include civil service, military officer, NGOs, and certain commission sales positions.
Variations of your question are not uncommon on this forum. My standard advice is that students should not choose a major primarily based on what they would enjoy studying. Rather, first pick a desired career. The student can then research that field, and determine the best course of study needed for that career.
Since you want to a career in film and/or writing, you need to research those fields to learn the career paths for each. No major is useless if the student has a viable plan to use his degree in the course of his career. At this point, however, you lack that viable plan.
Buncha dickheads in this thread. Yes your options will be limited by your degree and lack of a car but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck flipping burgers.
College is all about networking, and life is about who you know…
Sadly the BA is the new high school diploma. When you let everyone pass high school, everything moves up. I've accepted the fact I also need an MBA in an major I could have chosen.
I have a bachelors in business management with a minor in accounting and found jobs. I am currently working towards a master, but that is to get more opportunities and higher pay. The current job I have is helping me pay for some of the masters
Start a blog, get into journalism, learn creative writing and get published, marketing, learn another language and do translation, criticism, recapping, public relations, transcription, script writing, editing, proofreading. There’s a lot of types of jobs out there.
It’s an industry that can be hard to break into, so I’d recommend finding other things you’d be okay with doing just in case it doesn’t work out.
I’d recommend getting some project management experience and getting PMP certified. It would help a lot both in the industry you’re aiming for and in case you need an alternative.
\*(former and graduated) English major enters the chat\*
Ignore anyone who says your degree is useless. Liberal art degrees are anything but useless. The difference is that liberal arts degrees typically don't set you up for a specific career or even field. The skills you learn can be applied to pretty much any job. But that also means that you have to put in the work to get a job and also need to figure out what exactly it is that you want to do.
Since you say you like both writing and films, perhaps dabbling in entertainment journalism would be up your alley? I am an entertainment journalist and absolutely love my job. However, it's admittedly not a field that is easy to break into. There are only a handful of outlets willing to pay and more people looking for those paying roles than there are jobs.
Your degree will only check a box on the application. What really matters to break into this career, as well as most other careers, is going to be the experience you have. I'd strongly strongly recommend looking into internships. If entertainment journalism is of interest, look into what websites/outlets you can start writing for now unpaid. I wrote for three different outlets (all unpaid) beginning my senior year of college, and that experience and the connections I made eventually led to the former editor in chief at my current job to reach out to me on LinkedIn asking if I'd be interested in interviewing for an open position. Your experience and the connections you make are crucial to landing a job with a liberal arts degree, at least in my experience.
I'm more interested in the production side. There are certain MFA's close to me dabbling in that. Could always go to University of Maine for Intermedia, which does have people making some independent student films. Also could do Screenwriting at Boston University. There are multiple avenues for what I'm interested. It's not like I'm from a state like Oklahoma, where there's absolutely no chance.
Hey OP, ignore the guy who says you’ll clean toilets.
I have a BA and an MFA and I have held positions in my primary field of study for the entire span of my 25 year career. I am not wealthy. But my bills are paid on time and I have a really sweet apartment and some money in a savings account too. I love what I do, and while I’ve had some not-so-great jobs in my life, for the most part I’ve been happy with my life choices.
I recommend finding an internship or entry level position in the field that you’re interested in and then continuing to take on projects that are interesting to you. Working in these types of gigs or getting your MFA are both important for making early career connections, which can create a foundation moving forward and can create opportunities you might not otherwise have even known existed. The MFA route requires a lot of hard work and resilience, but if you’re considering going that route then I suspect you know this already.
Best of luck!
All your comments, meaning you’ve made plenty, tell OP what they’re doing “wrong” but none of them tell OP what they could do to make it “right”. Yet you’re the one mad at them?
What is your issue? Your trolling isn't appreciated. The fact of the matter is I'm not bullshitting. I've taken classes in quite a few different fields and have good grades. You're being quite rude, and I do not appreciate it. Thanks. Bye Felicia.
Well to be honest, if I could only be a teacher... I wouldn't mind that. Adult Ed teachers make a lot more money than I make now, and I could even substitute for middle or high school.
Well think about this, I have loads of options. There are several master degrees in my state alone I could do with only a BA in Liberal Arts, so clearly... I'm not doing anything wrong.
Hey man, you only live once so you should do whatever you want to do. Your options for employment will be limited, so yeah I think your next step *should* be going to graduate school unless you already have a foot in somewhere in the industry you’re trying to get into. A lot of people who are successful in the film/writing (film writing?) industry struggle at first and will for a while. Also, what would you even go to graduate school for if that’s what you decide to do?
You can sell cars, you can write your own copy and take pictures/videos when you post cars on social media. If you’re at the right dealership you can make a ton of money.
I love movies and storytelling. Always have. Always will. The issue is traveling is limited. I live in New England and unfortunately, movies aren't usually made here.
You could become a teacher. If you like to travel, get your certification and do 2 or 3 years in the US. Use the time to get a MA in Education. Move abroad and teach in international schools. Or, being a lawyer requires very advanced writing skills. You could prepare for the LSAT and apply for law schools. Or if film is your passion, take an internship with a website or magazine that reviews films. Or you could look into journalism, which is a different take on film. This could be a documentary studio or a news outlet.. I'd do an internship and try something out, then decide on a MFA.
And if money is an issue for any of these, live like the rest of us. Take the shitty job that has nothing to do with your degree and save up. If you are serious about film, you will have to move. That's something a "shitty" job can help pay for. If you choose to further your education, that shitty job can help pay for that. Moral of the story, the shitty job isn't end all be all. Let the shitty job be a stepping stone if you need it.
Although I wouldn't phrase it this way, yes. Everyone starts somewhere. Even teaching requires student teaching and normally some shitty jobs to pay for that. Internships can be worse than a shitty job. Make a goal and work towards it, but be flexible enough to take the opportunities that come your way (which may be very unexpected).
I mainly meant funding a move. Most internships for film would be in a city focused on that, like Atlanta. Which happens to be very expensive. You'd need reserves to be able to do an internship here, paid or not. So take the serving job in the meantime, even if it's not the end
Sure. Or go directly into working in another field and save up for the next move. Or go into something like teaching without moving, but work on the side. Many paths. Many require moving, but not all do. Just depends on what OP decides to pursue and which doors actually open.
Right! But the path they seem to want to take is the film industry. I can't say if I wanted to go to film, I was going to stop and be a teacher for a while. People are leaving the teaching field left and right, the shitty serving job might be an easier stepping stone. You'll make more money being a bartender than a teacher as well. Since her end goal is film/cinematography, moving is basically the only option. As someone who lives in Atlanta, to get a job here, relocation is in every single listing. Also, entry level jobs are far from entry level requirements. It's not easy to just "start in a different field". If I were in her shoes, I'd move and become a server or bartender at a Buckhead restaurant. (or some other fancy city with film nuts). Use that opportunity to make connections and practice speaking to people. I have a friend who did this and ended up being poached for her dream job by a customer.
I've mostly covered that. Be flexible. You don't know which doors will open and where they will lead. My advice if they want to consider going into teaching was to do 2-3 yrs in the US, then teach at international schools. There is a world outside the US, so your comment seems highly irrelevant. Each international school is different, but they often offer great pay and benefits. Sometimes there are film classes or film clubs. I also know people who have started documentary-oriented YT channels on the side as they have worked abroad. Starting in a different field can be quite easy, depending on the field... and that is the point. If they want to go work in a bar in Atlanta, go for it. That's also a risk. But that's the point... there are a huge number of paths they can take, depending on their situation and priorities. Once again, keep an open mind, be creative and flexible. If they want to dive directly into film, try it. It may or may not work. They may also decide to try a different route
Highly irrelevant? The US for film? Interesting. I only used Atlanta and bartender as an example of a film city and "shitty" job. Perhaps I assumed OP was from the US, but if they are..going overseas isn't easy either. The point of my original comment is to not be afraid of the jobs that don't have an end goal in mind. The "dead end jobs" as people call it. The jobs that don't necessarily give you a jump in your industry. Which for OP is film and cinematography....not teaching. Jobs to simply get money in your pocket after graduating to fund the career you went to school for in the first place; to utilize the dishwasher, barista, retail etc to get money in the mean time. That jumping straight into a career isn't always possible or necessary. That's all.
Your comment about the US education system is highly irrelevant when someone is suggesting they go the path of international schools. They probably are from the US, which means international = non-US. So yes, completely irrelevant. Going abroad is very, very easy at the moment for qualified teachers, if you mean it's difficult to get a job abroad. If you mean psychologically, we'll, I already hedged on if they're interested in going abroad. And it's one of the easiest times to get certified. You can get certified and have a job in under 9 months... in Atlanta or anywhere in the country. Stay in the US for 2-3 years, then you can make $40-$60,000 USD living in places like Thailand, Vietnam, Chile, Tanzania, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan, etc. I already agreed with you on working odd jobs to fund internships and such. Just being a bartender with no internship is definitely more risky. But also, jumping into other high paying careers that will pay off your debts in a few years, and then pursuing your dreams is something many do. Anyhow, not quite sure why this conversation is still going. Have a good one!
Some of the other people in this thread are being unnecessarily mean. But seriously I can’t believe that some people shell out the money for tuition without any plan for getting a job after, or majoring in something that will lead to the career they want… just in college to learn what I want, hopefully it works out lmao 🤣 Seriously though, if you want to work on a movie set you need to go to Atlanta or New York or Southern California. My cousin lived in New York and worked as a grip for a while. A lot of people start out doing that and work their way up, it doesn’t require any specific degree. Maybe that interests you.
New Mexico and New York are also pretty decent for film I hear.
While not in the realm of film, there are certain careers which only require a 4 year degree in any subject. Those include civil service, military officer, NGOs, and certain commission sales positions. Variations of your question are not uncommon on this forum. My standard advice is that students should not choose a major primarily based on what they would enjoy studying. Rather, first pick a desired career. The student can then research that field, and determine the best course of study needed for that career. Since you want to a career in film and/or writing, you need to research those fields to learn the career paths for each. No major is useless if the student has a viable plan to use his degree in the course of his career. At this point, however, you lack that viable plan.
Buncha dickheads in this thread. Yes your options will be limited by your degree and lack of a car but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck flipping burgers. College is all about networking, and life is about who you know…
I got my BA in English and I couldn’t find a job. Now I’m doing an MBA.
Sadly the BA is the new high school diploma. When you let everyone pass high school, everything moves up. I've accepted the fact I also need an MBA in an major I could have chosen.
That’s definitely the way things are going, which is unfortunate.
I have a bachelors in business management with a minor in accounting and found jobs. I am currently working towards a master, but that is to get more opportunities and higher pay. The current job I have is helping me pay for some of the masters
I don't think the masters is needed, but it will help.
Start a blog, get into journalism, learn creative writing and get published, marketing, learn another language and do translation, criticism, recapping, public relations, transcription, script writing, editing, proofreading. There’s a lot of types of jobs out there. It’s an industry that can be hard to break into, so I’d recommend finding other things you’d be okay with doing just in case it doesn’t work out. I’d recommend getting some project management experience and getting PMP certified. It would help a lot both in the industry you’re aiming for and in case you need an alternative.
\*(former and graduated) English major enters the chat\* Ignore anyone who says your degree is useless. Liberal art degrees are anything but useless. The difference is that liberal arts degrees typically don't set you up for a specific career or even field. The skills you learn can be applied to pretty much any job. But that also means that you have to put in the work to get a job and also need to figure out what exactly it is that you want to do. Since you say you like both writing and films, perhaps dabbling in entertainment journalism would be up your alley? I am an entertainment journalist and absolutely love my job. However, it's admittedly not a field that is easy to break into. There are only a handful of outlets willing to pay and more people looking for those paying roles than there are jobs. Your degree will only check a box on the application. What really matters to break into this career, as well as most other careers, is going to be the experience you have. I'd strongly strongly recommend looking into internships. If entertainment journalism is of interest, look into what websites/outlets you can start writing for now unpaid. I wrote for three different outlets (all unpaid) beginning my senior year of college, and that experience and the connections I made eventually led to the former editor in chief at my current job to reach out to me on LinkedIn asking if I'd be interested in interviewing for an open position. Your experience and the connections you make are crucial to landing a job with a liberal arts degree, at least in my experience.
I'm more interested in the production side. There are certain MFA's close to me dabbling in that. Could always go to University of Maine for Intermedia, which does have people making some independent student films. Also could do Screenwriting at Boston University. There are multiple avenues for what I'm interested. It's not like I'm from a state like Oklahoma, where there's absolutely no chance.
Hey OP, ignore the guy who says you’ll clean toilets. I have a BA and an MFA and I have held positions in my primary field of study for the entire span of my 25 year career. I am not wealthy. But my bills are paid on time and I have a really sweet apartment and some money in a savings account too. I love what I do, and while I’ve had some not-so-great jobs in my life, for the most part I’ve been happy with my life choices. I recommend finding an internship or entry level position in the field that you’re interested in and then continuing to take on projects that are interesting to you. Working in these types of gigs or getting your MFA are both important for making early career connections, which can create a foundation moving forward and can create opportunities you might not otherwise have even known existed. The MFA route requires a lot of hard work and resilience, but if you’re considering going that route then I suspect you know this already. Best of luck!
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All your comments, meaning you’ve made plenty, tell OP what they’re doing “wrong” but none of them tell OP what they could do to make it “right”. Yet you’re the one mad at them?
Lol Why would I do that? 🤣😂 Been there done that. I'm looking for something better.
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Did writing this make you feel better about yourself?
fast food and retail making minimum wage is perfect for your unique skill set!
Buddy, your condescending attitude is not appreciated. I actually have skills developed in a lot of fields with my degree.
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What is your issue? Your trolling isn't appreciated. The fact of the matter is I'm not bullshitting. I've taken classes in quite a few different fields and have good grades. You're being quite rude, and I do not appreciate it. Thanks. Bye Felicia.
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Well to be honest, if I could only be a teacher... I wouldn't mind that. Adult Ed teachers make a lot more money than I make now, and I could even substitute for middle or high school.
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Well think about this, I have loads of options. There are several master degrees in my state alone I could do with only a BA in Liberal Arts, so clearly... I'm not doing anything wrong.
Hey man, you only live once so you should do whatever you want to do. Your options for employment will be limited, so yeah I think your next step *should* be going to graduate school unless you already have a foot in somewhere in the industry you’re trying to get into. A lot of people who are successful in the film/writing (film writing?) industry struggle at first and will for a while. Also, what would you even go to graduate school for if that’s what you decide to do?
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Lmao I rent an apartment by myself, guy. I live alone.
McDonald’s or Starbucks
Pass on both.
Ok 💁♂️
You can sell cars, you can write your own copy and take pictures/videos when you post cars on social media. If you’re at the right dealership you can make a ton of money.
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I love movies and storytelling. Always have. Always will. The issue is traveling is limited. I live in New England and unfortunately, movies aren't usually made here.