The job rant thread-unemployment, bad jobs and everything in between

How many have a bad job, want to switch careers or are unemployed?

I graduated back in May after managing to get my Film BFA in three years. 8 months later...still nothing. Job searching every single day online and in person becomes unbelievably tiresome. Back home here in Tennessee the film market is obviously meager, and when there actually is stuff going on it's so close knit that you have absolutely no chance of getting in.

And pounding the pavement nowadays will only get you either A: thrown out by security or B: your resume immediately going into the trash. Both of these are not fun. At all.

If you take a lower job that looks bad to potential employers, but if you're unemployed that also looks bad! This isn't even mentioning all of the endless amounts of qualifications nowadays. Ugh.

So I've been applying for anything within reason (and some not) all over the place and still have no responses. I think I've pulled all my hair out. Not to mention that all my student loans going into repayment.

The fun never ends. ;)

Okay, end rant. I just had to get this out somewhere before I exploded. Does anybody else have similar situations either being unemployed or stuck in a job they hate?

I majored in film production in college over 20 years ago and had the same problem.  I call it "Chicken and Egg syndrome" - no one will hire you because you don't have any experience but you can't get any experience because no one will hire you.

Current job market doesn't make things any easier.  There's an average of 5 applications for any single job opening, so right off the bat you're down to 20% odds before they even think about talking to you.

Corporations have evolved to the point where they want employees who are just smart enough to do what they're told and just dumb enough to not want to do anything else because any employee with intelligence and ambition is viewed as a potential threat to the higher ups who want to sit on their thrones for the rest of their lives instead of making room for new talent.

I was on unemployment for the past couple of years after losing a job with a local small business (about 20 people from president to receptionist, plus warehouse guys and installers) because business dropped off to where they couldn't afford me anymore.  I had evolved to more of a management position and had things running so smoothly that I effectively "efficiencied" myself out of a job.

While on unemployment, I took career training for Medical Billing & Coding.  I figured that was a more or less recession-proof industry, and in theory it is, providing you can get into it in the first place.  See "Chicken and Egg syndrome".

So, while I had all this free time being on unemployment, I started to develop a home business designing conversion parts for Star Trek model kits.  I'm now just on the verge of being able to live off of it full time but not quite so I found a local minimum wage job to fill in the financial blanks (and because unemployment benefits ran out) until I get it fully up to speed.  Hindsight being 20/20, I would have focused on the model business more from day one, not bothered with the MBC training and might be fully self supportive by now.  Either way, I'm still developing the business so hopefully I'll be able to say I'm truly self-employed later this year.

Find some way to use your talents, knowledge and experience to develop your own business.  Then you don't have to worry about someone else deciding whether you continue to get a paycheck next week.

Ziz said:

So, while I had all this free time being on unemployment, I started to develop a home business designing conversion parts for Star Trek model kits.  I'm now just on the verge of being able to live off of it full time but not quite so I found a local minimum wage job to fill in the financial blanks (and because unemployment benefits ran out) until I get it fully up to speed.  Hindsight being 20/20, I would have focused on the model business more from day one, not bothered with the MBC training and might be fully self supportive by now.  Either way, I'm still developing the business so hopefully I'll be able to say I'm truly self-employed later this year.

Great thread idea. I'm too high to type so I'll rant later but just wanted to say great thread.

Ziggy Stardust said:

captainsolo, I've begun considering going to film school, but I'm not sure now since you posted that. Would you still recommend it?

If it's really what you want to do, then yes. Just keep in mind some of these things:

-When applying you will have to decide between film studies (scholarly/criticism) and production. Some schools are better in one than the other, but most only have a spattering of real film studies courses. Be sure and find one that has what you're looking for with an actual dedicated film program.

-The undergrad degree is going to be the same everywhere. It's still a Bachelor's in Fine Arts no matter what. So don't worry if you wind up at a smaller lesser known school instead of the big three (UCLA, USC, NYU) etc. because the basics are the same everywhere. It saves an unbelievable amount of money. (I got accepted to NYU's Tisch school but couldn't afford it.) And there's always grad school for later on.

-No matter what, film is the degree that is almost entirely self-taught no matter what people try to tell you. It all depends on how much work you're willing to put in, because you're going to be spending untold amounts of hours and late nights on projects and the like. It is still something that has to be self-taught essentially.

-And you're going to need resources. People to help, people to work with, and $ because otherwise you'll end up like me and have a whole project to do and no one to help and no capital to put into it. This is one thing the schools don't tell you, because you can't just go in and make a whole student film with no resources.

The nitty gritty:

-The vast majority of people are there for the wrong reasons. It will be rare to find someone who actually cares about the field or medium and you will wind up putting your head through the wall at the ignorance of the other students.

-Get a job somehow in the department. This is how I learned things and stayed connected inside the department. I worked in the equipment rental cage and facilities management as a work-studyon Fridays and weekends. this gave me access to the buildings, equipment, soundstage and productions that I normally wouldn't have had access to. Plus I had to man the desk for everyone which gave me all kinds of experience.

-Don't expect to work with film. I got to dabble in 16mm but everything is digitized now.

-You will learn to love computers even more so. They will own you completely for four years.

-Learn the necessary programs. Especially the editing and processing software. Your school will have a certain program and stick to it. Learn that because it will save your life. I had to spend years with Apple and Final Cut Pro.

-Network! Network! Network! This does have it's limits.

-Get in, get out. I took several AP courses in high school, so with that and my GPA I managed to shave off a whole year of school and get my BFA in three.

-I still maintain that you can learn everything you really need to know about films and filmmaking from studying great and awful films and genuinely reflecting on every single aspect of them. Read every book you can get your hands on. think about the people involved, the culture, the times, read criticism, study the film market, understand the way things are delivered today, understand home video and always keep self educating. I've pieced together all of my knowledge since I was a little kid and so I've gotten to the point where I can't stop. What you find in film school is that no one cares about film itself.

The adage coined by Roger Ebert is still true: "There was a switch from everyone trying to make The Great American Movie to making The great American Hit". Even with so-called "independents" you need to seek distribution and then get your product out there to sell to the masses in the hopes of achieving greater success.

I could turn this into a giant tome of a book, but the gist of what I'm trying to say is this: Film school is necessary these days. It is the thing everybody looks for at the beginning to see if you've proved your worth. For most it is a good learning experience and will usually get you to a better place. For those like me who already have a deep insatiable knowledge and love of the cinema it is a trying and living necessary hell where you will feel absolutely neglected. But if you keep working, you can teach yourself a bit and get that all important degree.

Then the problem is finding a job. That's the big one.

If you've got any other questions Ziggy feel free to ask.

Most importantly, keep watching films. Watch everything you can. As much as possible. New viewings will bring in new insight. And if at all possible watch things on a projector with a large screen and sound system. This will give you a greater connection to the film and allow for better composition. It really opens things up. Really. I used the empty screening rooms every weekend I had free at school, and would just watch all kinds of things.

 haven't had a full time job since

jan 2010.. doing part time stuff

here and there..

but LOVED IT.. got to work on ESB

restoration, meeting girls, going out,

sleeping in, playing video games all

the time..

oddly enough, i'm just about to get

back into the job market soon, if things

work out... oh well.. all good things must

come to an end..

later

-1

Ziz said:

I majored in film production in college over 20 years ago and had the same problem.  I call it "Chicken and Egg syndrome" - no one will hire you because you don't have any experience but you can't get any experience because no one will hire you. 

And even with experience, if your area has a wide range a lot of people may be too narrow-minded to hire you on something related but a bit different, and so on...

Just a way of human nature to learn humility though. You have to give everything... everything you can but yourself! Just avoid that confusion. ;)unless it's a choice but then you have to learn your limits or you won't have a life... I'm not sure everybody knows the deep meaning behind this.

working for a living,

capitalism...

being a corporate drone..

ughh...

having the freedom to do

what you want, when you want..

priceless..

enjoy it while you can, you'll regret

being tied down later on in life..

that's why i always take breaks every

few years, and just stop working completely..

i can do contract jobs, or just do nothing at all.

it brings you back refreshed if you have to,

and you can explore all different kinds of fields.

i've done:

==============

oil and gas research

programming

analysis

working in a warehouse

working for consulting firms

working as IT security

worked at SAP security

working as a data tape changer

military work (secret)

worked on a naval base

worked for nasa designing the first space station 

worked for control automation

worked for geophysical data companies

worked for aerospace companies

worked for engine designs

worked for arthur andersen consulting

worked in a grocery store sacking groceries

worked selling videogames (best job ever!)

worked as a security guard at a theme park (2nd best job ever)

worked for a pc graphics programming company (3rd best job)

worked as a web designer

worked in multimedia

worked on an industrial band (kmfdm) website and promotion

worked as dance DJ

worked as a wedding DJ ($100+/hr)

worked as a freelance artist

worked a personal photographer for free (shooting models)

----------

most of the jobs i liked i didn't care what they

were paying..

i've made $0 a year for over 10 years (not consecutive).

i've made $15k a year (way under poverty)

i've made $35k-$50k a year/last 15 years,

and the last few jobs have been in the $80k-$100k year.

every year i do less and less work, and make

more money.. does that make any sense?

it's not about experience, its about demand

and niche markets.

work is crazy, and makes people crazy.

it's better just to do your own thing.

i've had my hand in a few startups and those

seem really fun and entertaining..

find your niche!

enjoy your freedom..

avoid working while you can..

later

-1

CP3S said:

negative1 said:

i've made $15k a year (way under poverty)

That's about what I raked in during my years of trying to live the Bohemian lifestyle. Fun, but kind of rough. I'd have traded it for a solid forty hour workweek, and steady paychecks.

What kind of a degree do you have, -1?

got a B.S. (bachelor of science) in mathematics from state

college in houston, TX. emphasis on Numerical Analysis.

minored in: physics, computer science, and electrical engineering

==============================

i've had two jobs that i've actually used the degree at,

modelling space station physics at Hughes-Lockheed for NASA,

and mathematical radar modelling for the US government

at the Naval Airbase in maryland.

every other job, i just learned on the spot or had no

experience. the sales job was the best, because i

was a videogame addict, and knew about videogames

inside and out. i didn't even want to be paid, because

i got to play for free, and got the job because my friend

was a manager there...

my degree is still in the cardboard tube that the

college sent me, practically unopened. i've checked it once

and never looked at it again. i was an average

student with a 2.5 / 4.0 GPA, and 3.0 in my major.

the DEGREE IS USELESS, except as a checkmark

to get a reference. i've gone back to try getting

a masters degree twice, but lost interest, and

decided to self teach myself what i needed to know.

college was a waste of time for me, but i know

others that were much smarter, learned more, or had more fun.

i spent most of the time in the gameroom, and

playing videogames.. i never talked to people, professors,

or girls. it was just something to kill time doing.

i hated my original major of electrical engineering,

and flunked out with a 0.5 GPA after 2 years.

got kicked out by my parents, and was homeless

for a very short time.

i went back, because i had nothing better to do and

wanted to straighten out to accomplish something

with myself.

i liked math (ever since i was in grade school).

i lucked into computer programming, and that's

about the only useful skill i felt good about doing

although i'm mediocre at it.

i have NO respect for money, or real use for it,

i've got everything i thought i could want (a few

times over), and am now in the process of getting

rid of everything again.. i live in an apartment,

drive a 19 year toyota corolla (given to me

by a colleague for $1), have no furniture

except a futon, and basically live in a darkened

bedroom with 1 lamp (that i don't turn on).

everything else i own is packed away in

storage tubs or is electronic/computer related.

i should have become a

monk.. (or at least an electronic one)..

later

-1

CP3S said:

negative1 said:

my degree is still in the cardboard tube that the

college sent me, practically unopened. i've checked it once

and never looked at it again. i was an average

student with a 2.5 / 4.0 GPA, and 3.0 in my major.

the DEGREE IS USELESS, except as a checkmark

to get a reference.

I never even picked up the diploma for my bachelors. I hit the road the second after my last final, didn't even stick around for my own graduation. I agree, a bachelor's degree is a cake walk and a joke, apply yourself minimally and you'll walk away with a 3.0 or better. But it isn't entirely useless, a good number of those things on your list would have never even been an option for you if you hadn't had that BS. 

i feel that the degree was a formality.

i never used the information directly from my degree,

i didn't keep the books that i studied, i didn't remember

most of the cursory knowledge that was taught.

i memorized stuff, passed tests, and moved on.

basically, school and college was just a reason

to learn how to study/read/think, and not

necessarily apply any of the information for

useful skills  - except in the 2 cases i mentioned.

if i had become an accountant, math analyst, statistician,

researcher, actuary, or math professor maybe i wouldn't have

felt that way.

later

-1

Thanks for sharing your XP, -1. :)