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Tue 2 Dec, 2003 09:47 pm
I need some advice:
I'm a 24-year-old male that has just graduated from ASU with a Communications degree. I just recently backpacked Eastern and Western Europe for 4 months. It was a life experience; I learned so much from it. I have been very fortunate in my life because I have traveled so much. I have been to almost every state in the US, lived in Canada for 4 months, been to Mexico, Japan, the Caribbean. I consider myself an extremely down to Earth person. WhateverÂ…
When I came home from Europe I really was not doing much except having fun, meeting girls and drinking beer J My uncle who is such a great man works in the film industry in Los Angeles CA, and is extremely successful. He found me a job/internship working at a literary agency. Well I hate it; I sit in a cubicle and type up others people crap all day. To sum it up, I feel like I'm in the movie office space. I am just not into this whole "Hollywood scene". I have met so many people that are so caught up in it, it's amazing to me, but this is all my own opinion and I am not trying to offend anyone.
My uncle knows I hate the job, and we have talked about other jobs. He has said that I could probably get a job as a "production assistant" on one of the really new popular shows on TV right now (I don't want to name the program), but I just really hate this scene, and I would feel more comfortable if I was happy.
I have pretty much made my decision, I think I want to move back to Phoenix AZ, I know this sounds funny, but I miss some of the "hillbilly attitude" out there. I grew up there so I can say that J
Ok, well my question is this. What am I going to do for work, I don't want to sit in a cubicle ever. I like doing things, walking around, driving, anything but sitting. I have many hobbies. I have been into cars all my life, I actually race in an armature-racing league back home, and I am an instructor for the newbie drivers. I also helped my dad restore a couple of cars, but mechanic work is not my passion. I am a driver!! I am also into music, I know that sounds so cliché, but I have always been into it, I like finding rare songs, oldies, new stuff, something different.
I come from an extremely successful background of relatives, family, and friends. I grew up from a rich family, but I am not really into money. I love money, but I would rather not have that much money and be happy. I am also not into having a family or children anytime soon. I love to travel, I love cars, I love music, I love people, I have a great work ethic. What can I do?
Does anyone know how to get involved with jobs like automobile proving ground companies? Every now and then I see vehicles that are like "spy vehicles" where they're being tested. How can someone get involved with that?
Any answers are greatly appreciated, and I thank you for talking time out of your life to give me a few pointers. I am just confused, life is hard, and I'm not sure what to do.
It's your life, you're the one who has to live it!
Follow your dream, and forget about hurting your uncle's feelings.
We all need to find our own niche in life, sometimes it takes years and sometimes it's a breeze, for those who KNOW what they want.
You are fortunate that you know what you DON'T want, and you are still young, so go for the gold and be happy!
Good luck!
Hmmm.. You have a degree in Communications so why not try and capitalize on it?
The car magazines get access to those proving grounds and heck, they're magazines - they write and advertise - you should have some common ground there. The same with newspapers and TV stations. The major papers/stations have Automotive reporters.
Most all of the proving grounds are owned and operated by the car makers themselves or by companies that test cars for magazines and/or cosumer groups.
Try and work an "in" with one of those and parlay it . Maybe someone from your league knows people and you can network through them?
(Most of the drivers on those proving grounds are engineering types though so your degree may not help you much there but it's worth a try..)
A communications degree is very general, so you can start off nearly anywhere. And then, as you get industry experience in one area or another, you can begin to really specialize. Because that's what's it's going to be: you'll start off doing more generalized (e. g. less responsibility) type of work, but you'll end up more highly specialized but the work should also be more interesting.
fishin's got a good idea - car magazines of course have folks in the communications industry working for them. Other random ideas: car manufacturers - all large corporations have all sorts of publications and media, from advertising to stock information (e. g. prospectuses) to internal publications. I worked in insurance for many years, and there were always all sorts of internal publications, and they weren't all about insurance. The same, I'm sure, is true for car companies.
Other ideas: Sports Illustrated, or SI for Kids, or any similar publications, such as The Sporting News. Of course they all cover Nascar and the like. How about advertising? What about combining your degree with something like photography (you'd get to do a lot of traveling)?
There are a lot of things out there; you don't need to be beholden to what your uncle's gotten for you, but you should keep in mind that he's made an effort to open doors for you. You need not stay at what's he's found for you, but at the same time, don't burn the bridge as you're going to need that contact for future networking.
If by ASU you mean Appalachian State University, then I advise you to pack up and return to Boone. It will add 30 years to your life as it is still 1973 there.
PB Scotts RULES!!!! (Or it used to.....)
Bi-Polar Bear wrote:If by ASU you mean Appalachian State University, then I advise you to pack up and return to Boone. It will add 30 years to your life as it is still 1973 there.
PB Scotts RULES!!!! (Or it used to.....)
Arizona State University!!
Thanks for the opinions, keep them coming.
How about mixing in a little of fishin' and Jespah's advice with something from your uncle's world. Maybe he can hook you up with something from one of the car shows that are on t.v. - work your way over to the part of the industry that interests you.
And don't forget that midlife career-changes are the rule now, not the exception, so something doesn't have to be a perfect fit to be worthwhile. Working in a crap job while waiting for the perfect job to come along is a lot less likely to pay off than moving from one to another that is incrementally better. Hell, you may find you like something you'd never even thought about before.
Gotta agree, though: TV land sucks hard. So grim, so many people selling their souls for a long shot at a future that's nowhere near as bright as it looks.
yeah dog but 50 mil a year will buy a lot of beer......
Bi-Polar Bear wrote:yeah dog but 50 mil a year will buy a lot of beer......
I wish it was that easy to make 50 mil a year. Everyone, and i mean every single person I have met are struggeling in the movie business. On the other note, for the 5 months I have lived here I have seen a ferrari everyday and thats the truth.
Its weird, when you see a $200K car every day it does somthing to people, people think well thats what i need, a Ferrari. Back in AZ, i maybe saw one once a month, if that. Ha ha I love cars, but i don't want to see people driving Farrari's everyday, it scares the heck out of me.
Does anyone know any companies that pay people to drive or test the new automobile models. Every now and then you will see a car that doesnt want to be seen, it will have material all over it, so people really cant tell what it is. How would I get hooked up with a job like that, that would be a great job for a single male. Anyway, I appreciate all the replies, it means alot to me......thanks.
I was jusy goofing off of patiodogs bright future remark...you know The futures so bright etc. etc. ? :wink:
The future's so bright I've gotta wear depends.
In the mean time, go and get yourself some cheap sunglasses.
Perhaps your uncle has contacts with stunt men & women? Maybe stunt car drivers would know how you would get hooked up with what you are looking to get into. Ask your uncle if he can get you any contacts in that area.
I would definitely look into gathering more information about it. After all, it could just be one of the automobile designers who test drives the car and not a separate hire.
Start your own taxi cab service. Give your taxis an out of this world paint job...just start out with one taxi for you to drive. I think you would love it!!! You could drive all day and drive fast, meet new people and still have time to listen to different music. I think your customers would enjoy this one of a kind ride. You'll need a chaffuers license of course. If your family has money then your already one step ahead!! I think this taxi business would really take off!! Make it a special privilege for people to ride with you instead of in a limo!!!!
It's just an idea....I thought it sounded fun, unordinary, and had potential
lost_my_calgon wrote:Start your own taxi cab service. Give your taxis an out of this world paint job...just start out with one taxi for you to drive. I think you would love it!!! You could drive all day and drive fast, meet new people and still have time to listen to different music. I think your customers would enjoy this one of a kind ride. You'll need a chaffuers license of course. If your family has money then your already one step ahead!! I think this taxi business would really take off!! Make it a special privilege for people to ride with you instead of in a limo!!!!
It's just an idea....I thought it sounded fun, unordinary, and had potential
HAHHAA thanks, I like the idea, thanks everyone for being helpfull.
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