For new readers and old: Welcome. This blog is taking a shift from the documentation of a road warrior moving toward the coast of opportunity to the observations of a 20-something in a new city, in a new economy, and teetering on the edge of a new frontier. Enjoy.
I had a phone call scheduled today with a production company exec, and as I arranged a time to speak with him via his secretary, I received a very kind but extremely alarming sentiment. "I am so sorry that you're looking for a job right now! What a terrible time to come to LA in search of employment!" Humbling, to say the least.
If the adrenaline didn't start pumping through my body at dangerous levels, it should have, because this kind of misery does not love condolences. Condolences remind misery that it has company. And company is the ugliest reality for misery right now. The worst thing you can say to a 20-something at a time like this is "you're not alone" because it only translates to "your competition is heavier."
So when the competition is heavier, we 20-somethings need heavier leverage. What can we do to ensure our long-term success? Most of us are willing to settle for a lame job that won't advance our chosen career paths because we need the income. Fine. But taking the lame job debilitates your chances of climbing the ladder and gaining experience in the field you really love. And let's say 10 years go by, we're now 30-somethings, and we're competing with a fresh brand of 20-somethings for the same job - what leverage will we have then? And can we really risk wasting 10 years of our lives doing something we hate just for the sake of having something stable? What are our alternatives?
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