The absolute worst news though is that I got a couple of e-mails about possibilities for my dream film critic job from prospective employers. Ecstatic, I replied and neither has contacted me again. I should’ve known it was too good to be true. But it really felt like a crushing blow. I want this so much, I know I’d be good at it, but it’s so hard to get into and I don’t think I ever will. I continue to work my dead-end job which makes ends meet, but makes me miserable. I’ve even taken to selling some of my old toys for extra money. I just feel so miserable.
Any dream job like this will require a lot of trial and error, failure and rejection. You will likely have to get rejected like 10 or more times before you find that one opportunity leading to success. But if it’s really your dream, it is probably worth it to keep trying (within reason). Obviously, it’s easy to get discouraged and give up after experiencing failure and rejection. But the reality is that most people who successfully realize their dreams are ridiculously persistent. They fail and experience rejection over and over and over. But eventually, through persistence and sheer probability, they find some opportunity that finally leads to success. The key is not to get overly discouraged by rejection and failure, because repeated rejection and failure is pretty much inevitable, especially when it comes to pursuing any kind of job in media or a creative field. But stubborn persistence maximizes the probability that eventually someone will give you a chance. When you apply somewhere, just pretend to yourself that you were already rejected, so that each rejection becomes no big deal and you don’t care so much about any individual employer’s response. Then just keep pursuing other positions while waiting for responses and improving your craft/portfolio.
Also, an employer not getting back to you is not necessarily a guaranteed sign of rejection. I realize you’re trying to “take the hint” and not feel stupid, but sometimes it’s better to be a bit of a persistent pest than it is to just shrug and give up because a prospective employer didn’t get back to you yet. Remember, the people sifting through resumes and making hiring decisions are just employees too. They don’t care about you personally, they just have a job to do. It’s possible they won’t get back to you promptly simply because they got busy with their own problems and they aren’t thinking about you. It’s completely fine to send follow-up emails if you haven’t received a definitive answer yet.