Viability of Making a Living

[Flying Chickens]

So I've recently been accepted to a few universities for Writing and English programs. One of my teachers told me that the viability of writing for a living is almost non-existent if you aren't willing to pimp yourself out (re-writing later editions, doing travel brochures, etc.) so I gritted myself down and so far in the past three months I've pumped out five short stories, and since the end of Spring Break, five chapters of a novel (I've only just hit 15000 words). I'm feeling fairly confident about it.
I guess to make this less focused on me and more on just the general population of this forum, is what you're planning on doing for a living really viable? Do you care?

[Nayrman]

You seem to be under the assumption that it is in fact possible to make a living as a young person anymore.

[Zero]

You seem to be under the assumption that it is in fact possible to make a living as a young person anymore.

Exactly.

I'm not sure any of the candidates running for president are even addressing this.

[Nayrman]

Exactly.

I'm not sure any of the candidates running for president are even addressing this.

They're not. They're too busy bowing to their corporate overlords and making sure the old people still get their medicare because that apparently matters a million times more. (Note, I am not against medicare or medicaid, just that there's an obscene amount of catering to the old baby boomer generation than there is trying to get the current youth group off the ground)

[Ravioli]

Tertiary education pretty much isn't worth it anymore unless you're going into a field for something that requires specialized training like medicine. Tuition rates continue to go up and up, scholarships become harder and harder to get, and interest rates for student loans will bury you into a hole you'll never get out of for the rest of your life.

This is why I'm not going to school for the humanities even though I love them. It's too much intercourse ing money that I don't have for knowledge that can essentially be acquired by reading a poop ton of books, and a useless degree that employers care less and less about because so many people have them. The future belongs to science majors. I'm not too worried about landing a job after university, though. Toronto has one of the biggest construction markets on the planet right now and civil engineers/architects are always in demand.

[Kayo]

You seem to be under the assumption that it is in fact possible to make a living as a young person anymore.

/thread

[RX-78-2]

I've been having serious doubts about making a living after college. I plan to (probably maybe) move to L.A. and work in the entertainment industry, whether it's film/television or music. I also want to be a comic book writer though, so it's hard to look forward and see something probable.

Good luck writing though, Chickens. That's pretty much what I'm in college for right now: dramatic writing. Granted, I haven't really started my major yet--nor have I declared it--but that's because I'm also looking into sound design (audio editing/production) and sequential art (comic books).

[Kayo]

I don't really have much opportunity around where I live since it's a pretty insignificant city with not much to offer. I might migrate 90 miles south to New York City and see what there is down there, but I heard it was a pretty expensive place to live. It IS arguably the most diverse city in the world, though, so I could probably do anything I wanted there.

I say that, but I'll probably end up stuck in the city I grew up in doing absolutely nothing with my life. :/ </pessimism>

[Nayrman]

I really wouldn't try Southern California or New York guys. They're INSANELY expensive to live in or near, and the job market is horrendous. Are there technically more jobs there to fill? Yes, but there are also ten times the number of applicants in those cities, especially for media work where no one is hiring period, let alone when there are so many people trying to get those jobs.

[Kayo]

I really wouldn't try Southern California or New York guys. They're INSANELY expensive to live in or near, and the job market is horrendous. Are there technically more jobs there to fill? Yes, but there are also ten times the number of applicants in those cities, especially for media work where no one is hiring period, let alone when there are so many people trying to get those jobs.

County-wise, I already technically live in the NYC Metropolitan Area. I'd probably just get closer to the city itself while still not actually being in it. There are plenty of less-crowded outlying areas that are still close enough to make visiting the city no problem at all. It all depends on where exactly you go.

[Dog Food]

Yep. Making a living in general nowadays is insanely tough. I have a great on-campus job which gives me enough money to survive the eight months that I'm in school. But when I came home for the summer it became instantly apparent that no place is hiring. Literally, no place. Finding a summer job is an impossible task and I'm looking at the prospect of finding my bank account dwindling every day I stay at home.

As for my future job, well... I'm at school for screenwriting. That means I'm expected to fly out to LA after college and attempt to find some network to take pity on me and buy some of my scripts. I'll be freelancing, looking for jobs, hoping that I can make a break in Hollywood and end up on a writing team. Do you know how hard it is for fresh meat to get a steady job in the movie business? Nigh impossible. I'm busy trying to make connections while I'm at school and get enough experience that when I'm thrown into a job in the future, I'll know enough to stay afloat. But first I need an agent, register with the WGA... And I'll need to find a job, any job, to sustain myself while I write specs to sell.

It's hard work, bro. For any profession. But that's why it's called work and not breezy. Or some other equivalent title that is a synonym of words that relate to ease.

[Nayrman]

Wow, a screenwriter? Good intercourse in' luck dude. I'm in video production and there is NOTHING to be found in movies, tv, journalism, nada. You've really just gotta hope someone really high up somewhere takes a liking to you. That's the only way you stand any chance in doing anything in entertainment unfortunately. Too much money tied up into everything to the point that only the insiders get a slice, and the doors are barred shut so no one outside gets in. *glares evilly at Turner and their complete disregard for anyone under the age of 35*


And I only somewhat agree with your "it's work, not breezy" assessment. It's not that it's work, it's that no one from our generation is GETTING any work. Somewhere around half of new college graduates (Basically around the 25-26 age or younger) are either unemployed completely or massively under-employed. Hell, the best I can possibly hope for right now is get some very low level "internship" or "temporary" position and live with my parents the next two or three years, and hope that experience transfers over to something some company actually wants. (note, this isn't likely as everything near me wants 5+ years of experience no one can possibly get due to lack of experience! JOY!) The unemployment line may be dwindling but for the most part it's going to the middle aged people who already have a lot of work experience when things were better. I seriously wonder what's going to become of this country 10 years from now when their main workforce is generally under-utilized, under-paid, and completely unable to get off the ground due to a variety of factors. Gonna be oh so fun trying to get a house when you're working more than full time and barely making 25-30k a year. *rolls eyes*

[RX-78-2]

Dog Food, we're in the exact same boat. I feel for you. I really want to move to LA too, but I know I'm going to hate the weather. I go to college in Savannah, Georgia (on summer break at the moment) and I hate hot weather.

Nayrman, I know the job market is bad in southern California and that it's expensive to live there, but--not that I pay for anything--I already live in an expensive state (NJ), and Savannah is really cheap. I prefer dealing with the high costs, to be honest. As for the entertainment industry, I know how difficult it is to be successful, but I'll just join the military if I fail hard.

[ThePowerOfOne]

You don't want to live in LA. Just sayin'. It's ghetto as hell, the touristy spots are nice, but the rest is pretty trashy. Unless you want to spend ungodly amounts of money to live in Beverly Hills or Calabasas or something. I love cities, but I only go there for a couple days if I want to get away for a while or to go to a concert/club. I like San Diego more. Still kinda ghetto, but it just feels... Brighter, or something. The weather is a little bipolar; sometimes it's sunny and hotter than hell and other days cloudy and freezing balls, but still nice. The fact that Mexico is right next door is awesome too. Or not. Depends on how racist you are, I guess. I happen to love the fact that you can drink and go to any strip club you want in Tijuana with nobody giving a poop. (just don't talk to strangers)

[Dog Food]

Wow, a screenwriter? Good intercourse in' luck dude. I'm in video production and there is NOTHING to be found in movies, tv, journalism, nada. You've really just gotta hope someone really high up somewhere takes a liking to you. That's the only way you stand any chance in doing anything in entertainment unfortunately. Too much money tied up into everything to the point that only the insiders get a slice, and the doors are barred shut so no one outside gets in. *glares evilly at Turner and their complete disregard for anyone under the age of 35*


And I only somewhat agree with your "it's work, not breezy" assessment. It's not that it's work, it's that no one from our generation is GETTING any work. Somewhere around half of new college graduates (Basically around the 25-26 age or younger) are either unemployed completely or massively under-employed. Hell, the best I can possibly hope for right now is get some very low level "internship" or "temporary" position and live with my parents the next two or three years, and hope that experience transfers over to something some company actually wants. (note, this isn't likely as everything near me wants 5+ years of experience no one can possibly get due to lack of experience! JOY!) The unemployment line may be dwindling but for the most part it's going to the middle aged people who already have a lot of work experience when things were better. I seriously wonder what's going to become of this country 10 years from now when their main workforce is generally under-utilized, under-paid, and completely unable to get off the ground due to a variety of factors. Gonna be oh so fun trying to get a house when you're working more than full time and barely making 25-30k a year. *rolls eyes*

The worst part is that, like you said, everything is going to the older people with experience. It's a catch-22. We need experience, they need someone with experience, so they hire the older people who got their experience from working when they were our age. So now we can't get the experience and when we're middle-aged we won't be hirable the way that the middle-aged generation is now, so places will want to hire the young people who they can train easily and pay cheaply rather than the older people (us) with degrees and nothing to show for it. If that's a catch-22. Maybe. Ah well. I'm kinda just hoping things will work itself out. Government gets into these ruts almost generationally and things usually balance out eventually...

Dog Food, we're in the exact same boat. I feel for you. I really want to move to LA too, but I know I'm going to hate the weather. I go to college in Savannah, Georgia (on summer break at the moment) and I hate hot weather.

Nayrman, I know the job market is bad in southern California and that it's expensive to live there, but--not that I pay for anything--I already live in an expensive state (NJ), and Savannah is really cheap. I prefer dealing with the high costs, to be honest. As for the entertainment industry, I know how difficult it is to be successful, but I'll just join the military if I fail hard.

Well then I raise my glass to you. Hopefully we can break through. Maybe we should conspire together or something, haha. Personally, I don't mind the LA weather, so that won't be a problem for me. It's more about the cost and living in a city with horrendous traffic. Also the fact that I live in Connecticut and I'll literally be moving to the other side of the country.

You don't want to live in LA. Just sayin'. It's ghetto as hell, the touristy spots are nice, but the rest is pretty trashy. Unless you want to spend ungodly amounts of money to live in Beverly Hills or Calabasas or something. I love cities, but I only go there for a couple days if I want to get away for a while or to go to a concert/club. I like San Diego more. Still kinda ghetto, but it just feels... Brighter, or something. The weather is a little bipolar; sometimes it's sunny and hotter than hell and other days cloudy and freezing balls, but still nice. The fact that Mexico is right next door is awesome too. Or not. Depends on how racist you are, I guess. I happen to love the fact that you can drink and go to any strip club you want in Tijuana with nobody giving a poop. (just don't talk to strangers)

My brother lives in San Diego, so yeah it's a nice place. If the commute from San Diego to wherever I'd be working in LA wasn't bad, I'd probably prefer that option. Especially because I can probably get him to help me out and hook me up (and he married rich, so...). But I'm living in Boston right now for college and I'm fine with that city life.