I have my degree now, but somehow, it just doesn't seem... well, like it matters. A solid year of writing and what do I have to show for it? An unfinished script, a thousand ideas, and no job prospects. Somehow, I feel more lost now than I did before.
Don't get me wrong, I love writing and I'm proud of myself for being the Salutatorian of my class, but...
What now?
Once again, I find myself in the post-graduate haze, fumbling around blindly.
My problem is the same - I need direction!
There are so many things that I want to do that I don't have any clue where to start. I have a master's degree, doesn't that count for something? Why should I take a job doing something I could've done right out of high school? It just doesn't make sense.
And now I have the added bonus of student loan payments every month. Yipee.
Somehow, I need to find my way. I know what I want out of life... I'm just not sure how to get it.
I wish someone would just give a guide to achieving your dreams (and I'm not talking about the millions of "self-help" books out there -- they're crap). I need a step by step guide, or at least a starting point.
I'm in the right location for what I wanna do, but I still feel shut out. I've searched countless job postings, the vast majority of which do not apply to me, and I see plenty of positions that I would like to have, but they all stab you with that one dagger of a word "experience". Well, how the hell am I supposed to get experience?
I suppose I could try the DIY route, but that takes a lot of time and a lot of money. Not to mention skills that I just don't possess.
Meanwhile I find myself being pulled into a field that I have absolutely no interest in. Never have. So what do I do about that? I mean, it's a job - better than nothing, right?
...or is it?
After all, the whole purpose of me getting the education that I did was so that I could avoid being sucked into a meaningless, toilsome, and soul-killing job.
I want a career, not a job.
I want to enjoy my weekdays, not dread them.
And I want to experience things that, yeah, only money can buy.
So many people talk about money like it's some sort of evil, but the fact of the matter is that in order to enjoy all the wonderful things on this earth, YOU NEED MONEY.
End of story.
Ugh.
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, congrats on completing the Master's degree. Even though things look low now, it's still a great accomplishment.
I know how difficult it is to find a job in your industry- I have a BA in Creative Writing from Binghamton and I've been an internet engineer for most of my working life after college.
I noticed that you completed the MFA Creative Writing program at Full Sail. I've been looking into that program for a while. Apart from the lack of a job, what did you think of it? Did you feel that it was valuable? Did it meet the expectations you had when you started?
Best of luck to you in finding a career, whether that is in screenwriting or in something else. I don't hate my career, but I think I would rather spend my days writing stories than analyzing someone's code (i agree with you about the money thing).
If you'd like to write back, I would appreciate your perspective on Full Sail's program. I can be reached at dayers75@gmail.com or at my blog at dayers75.wordpress.com.
Thanks for your time,
Dan