Facing some decisions...
Apr. 24th, 2011 07:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kodalaiHappy Easter to everyone who celebrates such things!
Now for the bad news.
For those of you who hadn't heard through other channels, I found out on Friday that I (and everyone else in my department, not me personally) am getting laid off. Not immediately; we have till the end of July.
I'm bummed, but not hugely upset. I never thought that this job would be a permanent thing; I'd only originally planned to stay here for one year while I found something better. I've been in a rut, and I knew that I was; for the two and a half years I've worked here I've gotten no promotion and no raises, and repeatedly been jerked around by the management concerning advancement. It's a dead-end entry level job going nowhere and it's probably just as well that it's ending.
But it does mean I'm going to have to make some decisions.
Part of the reason I stayed in this job despite the above was that I was (and am) unsure about my ability to get another job, at the same level let alone better. I still have a liberal arts degree in useless, and still have no technical training or certification that employees would look for. At this point I know enough about computers and software that I probably could sign up for a class, pass it and get my certification, but then I also have to ask if I really want to sink that much time/money/effort investing in a field that I never wanted to have a career in in the first place? (No.) I really only took this position because it was, literally, the first place to offer me a job when I came back from Japan. Tech support was never what I wanted to do with my life.
What I did finally realize I wanted to do with my life, in fact, is screenwriting. I want to write for TV (and maybe for movies.) I want to be a hollywood hack. Some of you may have heard me mention this before but never in depth, since I largely kept it to myself until I was sure. I'm pretty sure now. Most of the other career paths I considered -- community planning, medical-technical -- were really only on the list because I felt like I should, not because they really spoke to me on a deep level.
Screenwriting, although not something I ever considered as a child, I've come to realize is where my real ambitions lie. I know I can do it. I'm sure I'd be good at it. The problem now is mostly finding opportunities. (Before anyone replies in the comments saying "It's all about who you know!", I know. I've heard it.)
The best path, as far as I can see, would be to go back to grad school to get an MFA in screenwriting. And this brings up the heart of the dilemma. Because there are lots of writing/filmmaking programs around the USA, but I don't need just any MFA program. I don't need to be taught to write. I already know how to write. What I need is to polish the skills that the industry will ask of me, and to make the connections I need to get a springboard into the industry. So. I need a program specifically that will bring me into contact with those connections, and help in placing me into job opportunities when I leave the program. And that narrows down the list of programs in the US by a lot. And none of the programs that meet that criteria are in Seattle.
I'm going to have to leave Seattle, and I don't want to. Which is why I've been dragging my feet so much on this up till now.
It's been hard to find resources on what I want in order to make a good informed decision. The little research I've been able to do seems to split between two categories -- master of fine arts in writing, by which they seem to mean poetry, novels, and other Arts -- and filmmaking, which seems to concentrate almost exclusively on acting, theater, direction and production. Although I'm sure there is overlap -- that a screenwriter needs to know a lot about filmmaking too -- I simply cannot seem to find any reliable guides for the path to writing for movies and TV.
From what I have been able to find the best bets in the country seem to come down to two: UCLA and University of Texas. The former has more connections with Hollywood, the latter has a better track record of placing graduates. Both locations have pros and cons (which I won't list out all here.)
That's about as far as I've gotten. There are some resources that I should pursue. But it's a pretty sure thing that whatever program I eventually decide on, I've missed the enrollment period for this year (even if I were ready to submit an application today -- which I'm not!) so one way or another I'm going to need to find SOME kind of work to support me while I wait for it to come around again. So we're back to job hunting.
Attending either UCLA and UT would be far, far more feasible if I had residency there, which I don't. Logically the thing to do would be to move to one of those two states, work there for a year to get residency, then apply. Job hunting is stressful and tedious enough as it is without throwing "moving to another state, looking for a place to stay AND a job simultaneously" on top of it. (Which I have done -- it wasn't fun.) One of the few advantages I have in my current situation is that I can look for another job in Seattle while still holding my current one, till the end of July at least, which I hear greatly improves your chances. If I pack up and move to another state I will obviously lose this advantage.
So the upshot of all this tangle is that I need to decide whether I am staying in Seattle for the time being or moving to either Los Angeles or Austin, and if so which, before I look for a job. And making that decision is going to require that I make a decision on the school question first. And I don't have enough information to do that right now. And I don't know where to look.
I'm not freaking out just yet, but it's hovering out there somewhere.
Now for the bad news.
For those of you who hadn't heard through other channels, I found out on Friday that I (and everyone else in my department, not me personally) am getting laid off. Not immediately; we have till the end of July.
I'm bummed, but not hugely upset. I never thought that this job would be a permanent thing; I'd only originally planned to stay here for one year while I found something better. I've been in a rut, and I knew that I was; for the two and a half years I've worked here I've gotten no promotion and no raises, and repeatedly been jerked around by the management concerning advancement. It's a dead-end entry level job going nowhere and it's probably just as well that it's ending.
But it does mean I'm going to have to make some decisions.
Part of the reason I stayed in this job despite the above was that I was (and am) unsure about my ability to get another job, at the same level let alone better. I still have a liberal arts degree in useless, and still have no technical training or certification that employees would look for. At this point I know enough about computers and software that I probably could sign up for a class, pass it and get my certification, but then I also have to ask if I really want to sink that much time/money/effort investing in a field that I never wanted to have a career in in the first place? (No.) I really only took this position because it was, literally, the first place to offer me a job when I came back from Japan. Tech support was never what I wanted to do with my life.
What I did finally realize I wanted to do with my life, in fact, is screenwriting. I want to write for TV (and maybe for movies.) I want to be a hollywood hack. Some of you may have heard me mention this before but never in depth, since I largely kept it to myself until I was sure. I'm pretty sure now. Most of the other career paths I considered -- community planning, medical-technical -- were really only on the list because I felt like I should, not because they really spoke to me on a deep level.
Screenwriting, although not something I ever considered as a child, I've come to realize is where my real ambitions lie. I know I can do it. I'm sure I'd be good at it. The problem now is mostly finding opportunities. (Before anyone replies in the comments saying "It's all about who you know!", I know. I've heard it.)
The best path, as far as I can see, would be to go back to grad school to get an MFA in screenwriting. And this brings up the heart of the dilemma. Because there are lots of writing/filmmaking programs around the USA, but I don't need just any MFA program. I don't need to be taught to write. I already know how to write. What I need is to polish the skills that the industry will ask of me, and to make the connections I need to get a springboard into the industry. So. I need a program specifically that will bring me into contact with those connections, and help in placing me into job opportunities when I leave the program. And that narrows down the list of programs in the US by a lot. And none of the programs that meet that criteria are in Seattle.
I'm going to have to leave Seattle, and I don't want to. Which is why I've been dragging my feet so much on this up till now.
It's been hard to find resources on what I want in order to make a good informed decision. The little research I've been able to do seems to split between two categories -- master of fine arts in writing, by which they seem to mean poetry, novels, and other Arts -- and filmmaking, which seems to concentrate almost exclusively on acting, theater, direction and production. Although I'm sure there is overlap -- that a screenwriter needs to know a lot about filmmaking too -- I simply cannot seem to find any reliable guides for the path to writing for movies and TV.
From what I have been able to find the best bets in the country seem to come down to two: UCLA and University of Texas. The former has more connections with Hollywood, the latter has a better track record of placing graduates. Both locations have pros and cons (which I won't list out all here.)
That's about as far as I've gotten. There are some resources that I should pursue. But it's a pretty sure thing that whatever program I eventually decide on, I've missed the enrollment period for this year (even if I were ready to submit an application today -- which I'm not!) so one way or another I'm going to need to find SOME kind of work to support me while I wait for it to come around again. So we're back to job hunting.
Attending either UCLA and UT would be far, far more feasible if I had residency there, which I don't. Logically the thing to do would be to move to one of those two states, work there for a year to get residency, then apply. Job hunting is stressful and tedious enough as it is without throwing "moving to another state, looking for a place to stay AND a job simultaneously" on top of it. (Which I have done -- it wasn't fun.) One of the few advantages I have in my current situation is that I can look for another job in Seattle while still holding my current one, till the end of July at least, which I hear greatly improves your chances. If I pack up and move to another state I will obviously lose this advantage.
So the upshot of all this tangle is that I need to decide whether I am staying in Seattle for the time being or moving to either Los Angeles or Austin, and if so which, before I look for a job. And making that decision is going to require that I make a decision on the school question first. And I don't have enough information to do that right now. And I don't know where to look.
I'm not freaking out just yet, but it's hovering out there somewhere.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 03:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 04:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 07:00 pm (UTC)My personal opinion on the screenwriting vs. MFA debate is that you should go for the screenwriting. I know a handful of people who have MFAs and they have all said that the work you put into it isn't worth the work it does for you, so to speak. Apparently there is a glut of graduates at the moment, and employers tend to look at a resume and sigh "Oh good, another one." I know nothing about screenwriting, though, so MFA may end up being the better choice for you in the end.
Gah - it's exciting and terrifying all at one! This seems like a great fit for you - I wish you all the best! (And I'll be here to listen to the gripes :P)
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 07:47 pm (UTC)Good Luck!
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 11:57 pm (UTC)I dunno if this is helpful at all, but hey, a link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/underrated-mfa-programs_b_850147.html
University of New Orleans offers an MFA in which you can specialize in screenwriting, apparently.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 11:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 12:48 am (UTC)re: screenwriting - we should talk. totally. call me when you have a free couple of hours. i have opinions and thoughts that are too varied and unorganized to put into writing. unless you force me to do so and then i'll send you an email. the short version is that you should go to school for this. if nothing else, it will force some networking on you. ucla (like syracuse) has some heavy hitting alumni that you get to meet and work with. and that is much more valuable that any industry party, crappy PA job, or shmoozing would be.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 04:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-25 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-26 12:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-26 09:18 pm (UTC)While I would be very sad to see you go, you were going to be looking for a new place to live in Seattle in July anyways. Who says it can't be in one of those other states? To me it kinda feels like your ties to Seattle are being cut into a nice, neat little package at about the same time. Maybe it's a sign that now is the time to move onto the next phase of your life. You've finally found what you really want to do with your life as far as a career.
But whatever you chose, I will totally support you!