Time for a change.

James Sharp · Post by **James Sharp** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:52 am

A very long time ago i began to get into computers. almost right out of high school.
I developed a passion for gaming and for many types of digital editing. slowly a fear began to build in me that if i continued to attempt to follow a "college" carrier i would only end up failing and become a bum.

So out of fear i quickly jumped into becoming a wild land firefighter as a carrier. there were definatly aspects of the job that i disliked, and some i enjoyed.

over the years my distaste for my job grew into something of a fear. i would fear having to go to work because i knew that it involved things that i hated.

but again i told myself that i have no other options, that life does not allow for any aspirations because poor people cant do shit.

this year was my fifth fire season. i was on a fire and came very close to loosing my life. and worse i put some folks in danger.

i thought about that for a very long time and finally i decided that i did not want anything to do with fire. that i wanted somthing more. so i promised myself that if i ever got off that fire i would quit my job and never return to fire again.

I kept my promise a few nights later. and now after a few weeks the fear of what i have just done is finally setting in.

Ironicly enough it was the movie batman that pushed me to think about what i want out of life and how hard i will have to work to get there. and also how great my chances of failure really are.

So now i have decided that i want to try a carrier in digital image editing. or digital film editing.

i have a passion for this and i would really love some information from people who know more than i do about it.

is it possible for me to do this? im 24 years old. is there really a carrier in this?

I am very sorry for the long winded explanation, in a way i think its my way of releasing. everyone i know is looking at me like i just made the bigest mistake of my life. am i?

why is it that i have to be unhappy to live. yet if i try to fix it im doomed to fail? is this how life is.

My reason for coming here to post is simple. this is where my love for video editing began. these are the people who i considered my teachers and they have taught me so much.

sorry for the long and confusing post. but there really are some questions in here that i need answered very badly.

NS · Post by NS » Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:05 am

Me and you are Much in the same boat as it turns out. You already had a career and no longer want to do it, whereas I have one year of highschool before I have to worry about it, and I've been looking into this a lot as my career.

I've read up on film editing a little bit and what i've gathered so far is you'll need to find a film school, take courses in alot, if not all the aspects of film making (writing, Lighting, directing, producing, editing, etc..) and then go under an apprenticeship with an established person in the field. You'll start off as an assistant film editor and hopefully work your way up.

This is unless of course you make friends with some people who are going into directing or whatever, they need an editor, they call you up, your independent film is a big hit, and you start getting calls.

I haven't done a whole lot of looking into it (although I really should), but just googling film editing and graphic design as careers will prolly tell you what you need to know.

Also: I find your avatar ironic.

YouTube · Post by **Kionon** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:11 am

Always have two or three paths charted out. You never know when you'll need to change tracks completely, or when your current field becomes awash with job seekers. When I went to school, I had three plans coming out of high school:

Journalist (broadcast or newspaper)/Public Relations Guru
Naval Officer
English or Music teacher

Since the middle of college to now, I have had positions in all three. I did try my hand at Music Ed for two long years, but I eventually just ran out of steam for music.

The navy did not work out either, although it was fun times, and I left under honorable (if somewhat disagreeable) conditions. I was working for the school paper at the time, and threw myself into journalism, which I had been minoring in (majoring in English).

I enjoyed my jobs working in both broadcast and print journalism, and would go back to it in a minute if I found myself without a position. I also went to work in Georgia for the Democratic party as a press secretary and fundraiser. Also incredibly fun, but too hard to make a career out of. The hours are long, the stress is great, and the pay is subpar at best.

However, going to Atlanta and working for the DNC led me to make friends with a co-worker who had just finished working overseas as an English teacher. I was already qualified for this, and the money was a lot more than I was making witht he Democrats. I moved to Korea and took a position teaching in Seoul. I hated Korea, but I loved teaching. I found a job teaching junior high in Japan, and I love it here.

You just never know how your connections will provide you with opportunities; but you must have the skills necessary to take those opportunities when they arrive. That's why I suggest becoming as proficient as possible in several areas. You just never know when an area of expertise might turn out to be your next job.

Albireo Imma · Post by **Albireo Imma** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:01 am

I'll keep it simple, you can make a career out of nearly everything. Including playing video games (putting together a game magazine)

YouTube · Post by **Kionon** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:36 am

Albireo Imma wrote:I'll keep it simple, you can make a career out of nearly everything. Including playing video games (putting together a game magazine)

Having worked for a number of publications, I would disagree with this. The investment capital needed for successful magazine is enormous. You may think that ad payments would finance it, but clients want to know you have the funding without their ads already in order to launch the first issue. If you cannot guarantee your launch, why would they pay you for an ad you may never deliver to your subscribers?

You can make a career out of anything, but I didn't say you could do so unrealistically. I said you should pick a few areas, and focus on them. Especially if they're radically different areas, that way when one is awash in job seekers, the others may not be. I am not advocating you just blindly set out to make a job of anything you have some interest in.

Jasta85 · Post by **Jasta85** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:19 am

i wanted to be a computer game designer for a long time, even began taking programming classes in college, then realised how much i hated coding. so i figured it would work better for me to get a solid, well paying job that i didnt hate so that i would have a secure life in which i could enjoy my hobbies during my spare time. Many of the most desireable jobs have so much competition or are difficult to start in so it's hard to get them.

DriftRoot · Post by **DriftRoot** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:24 am

I start to twitch when people put so much weight on "choosing a career." Chances are pretty good you're going to be happier if you find something you enjoy doing and make an honest and realistic go of it. This means NOT pre-picking a career before you have a chance to experience it and being able to accept that your goals, your needs and your opportunities are going to evolve over time.

People tried to tell me for years I had to "decide what I'm going to do with my life." It was quite depressing. Eventually I did decide, though - I'm going to do what makes me happy - and things worked themselves out. I was lucky, but still, the point is don't put the cart before the horse. Don't choose a career because you think it will make you happy, figure out what makes you happy and then see if you can turn it into a "career."

DeinReich · Post by **DeinReich** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:17 pm

I am currently in college for just that. Actually, I am sending this from a Desktop Video class I have. I started editing several years ago and took the last couple years off to hone my skills and get a career started, and have edited 2 DVDs and 2 television spots and one radio spot in that time. So it is definitely possible to make a career out of editing, and depending on how good you are, you can make a lot of cash as well doing what you love.

The key: Never turn down anything when you first start out. Even if it is a free job, take it because you can develop contacts that will help you in the future.

leahzero · Post by **leahzero** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:23 pm

James,

You are never too old to change the course of your life. Age doesn't prevent you from changing, mindset does.

It sounds like you have the right attitude towards change and a genuine desire to do it. What's holding you back is fear, and the general unhappiness you've had in life so far.

Like a few others said, don't put all your eggs in one basket and decide that you are going to make a career out of video editing, period, end of story. Immerse yourself in it slowly and allow your natural curiosities and passions to guide you. You may discover that certain aspects appeal to you more than others.

Creating AMVs is one way to become acquainted with many aspects of the processes of video editing and motion graphics creation. You should also consider taking classes at a college or trade school, where you'll have access to audio/visual equipment and can get more experience with the process of filmmaking. You'll also be surrounded by a community of peers and mentors with the same interests as you. While you can get that online to some extent at this site and others, it's not the same.

Also, I noticed a keen undertone of unhappiness in your post. Your career may be one part of that, but I have a hunch that there's more in your life that is causing you to be unhappy. Be honest with yourself and figure out what you really want. Having a satisfying creative career will not magically fulfill your needs for friendship, family, love, etc.

You're not "doomed" to fail. You will try and fail, but there is no way to succeed without trying. If you do nothing, you fail by default. This is pretty basic stuff. Most people on earth have a natural fear of failure. Yet, virtually every single success story is prefaced by a series of failures.

Get out there and follow your dreams. You'll stumble at times like everyone else. You just have to pick yourself up and keep going. Reminds me of this quote:

"I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate." -George Burns

Good luck, man.

Moonie · Post by **Moonie** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:46 pm

DriftRoot wrote:I start to twitch when people put so much weight on "choosing a career." Chances are pretty good you're going to be happier if you find something you enjoy doing and make an honest and realistic go of it. This means NOT pre-picking a career before you have a chance to experience it and being able to accept that your goals, your needs and your opportunities are going to evolve over time.

leahzero wrote:James,

You are never too old to change the course of your life. Age doesn't prevent you from changing, mindset does.

What if you are 90 years old and decide you want a career as a stripper?
Age would probably be an important factor in that one.

My career goal is to become a pirate and sail the seas.
I'll win all kinds of battles and get all the booty
I was lucky to get a job on a pirate ship once
but they caught stashing some gold and made me walk the plank.
It happened on my first day ~_~