It was so beautiful out today when I got up that I didn't want to go into work. It was sunny and 75 degrees out. I wanted to play hooky and go mountain biking, sit out in the sun, do whatever I wanted to do except go into work. Sadly, I had to go in. No sick days for me. If I don't work, I don't get paid, and such is the nature of freelancing.
One thing I've never gotten used to, in all the time I've worked in
the entertainment industry, is the fluxuation of work. There you are, making money to your heart's content, going into work every day, and then - boom! - your show gets canceled. Or your show ends, or there's a strike, or your executive producer decides he doesn't want to battle with the network anymore and calls the show off himself (even though it's already really been canceled). Either way, there you are, suddenly having too much time on your hands and no money to do anything. You then continue in this way until you're working again, 14 hours a day, no time to do anything but eat and sleep. At least the work where I'm at is stable even though it doesn't pay as well and isn't nearly as high profile. It's also only eight hours a day which can't be beat anywhere I know of elsewhere in Hollywood. It makes me wonder if it's not time to just settle down and take the job that is the safe bet, the reliable bet, even if the dollars are less. After all, the money isn't BAD, it's just less.
When I was younger, I thought a job wasn't worth doing if you weren't 100% passionate about it. Now I realize quality of life is quite possibly more important. What's the point of working hard and making a ton of money if you never have the time off to enjoy it - REAL time off, not "Oh, shit, I don't have a job anymore" time off? Perhaps it's finally time to stop and smell the roses.
What would each of you rather do - work your ass off and in a job that makes you professionally accomplished but takes away most of your life? Or do a good job that's worthy of being done and have the time to enjoy your days here?
One thing I've never gotten used to, in all the time I've worked in
the entertainment industry, is the fluxuation of work. There you are, making money to your heart's content, going into work every day, and then - boom! - your show gets canceled. Or your show ends, or there's a strike, or your executive producer decides he doesn't want to battle with the network anymore and calls the show off himself (even though it's already really been canceled). Either way, there you are, suddenly having too much time on your hands and no money to do anything. You then continue in this way until you're working again, 14 hours a day, no time to do anything but eat and sleep. At least the work where I'm at is stable even though it doesn't pay as well and isn't nearly as high profile. It's also only eight hours a day which can't be beat anywhere I know of elsewhere in Hollywood. It makes me wonder if it's not time to just settle down and take the job that is the safe bet, the reliable bet, even if the dollars are less. After all, the money isn't BAD, it's just less.When I was younger, I thought a job wasn't worth doing if you weren't 100% passionate about it. Now I realize quality of life is quite possibly more important. What's the point of working hard and making a ton of money if you never have the time off to enjoy it - REAL time off, not "Oh, shit, I don't have a job anymore" time off? Perhaps it's finally time to stop and smell the roses.
What would each of you rather do - work your ass off and in a job that makes you professionally accomplished but takes away most of your life? Or do a good job that's worthy of being done and have the time to enjoy your days here?
posted by EditThis at 7:14 PM
10 Comments:
This would be why I continue to contemplate a change of career to librarian . . .
I say, smell the roses!
If you die tomorrow would you have rather spent today working 14 hours and being drained after it or do the eight hours and have time for a bike ride or something?
Take the steady job, with consistent vacations and such.
You'll never regret smelling the roses.
Easy for me to say, Edit. I jumped off the fast track years ago and never looked back. I love what I do, and one of the things I love about it is that when my shift is over, it doesn't occupy another second of my consciousness until it's time for my next shift. Of course, this is Los Angeles, and with the high cost of living here, the only complaint I have about my job is I wished it paid better.
Honestly, I think it depends on your temperament. Some people are naturally driven, some aren't. I'm not, and I learned to embrace that years ago.
I think at times you have to work long hours but overall what's the point of earning all of that money if you can't enjoy life?
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Kelly
1 - great that you think so much of yourself
2 - whatever it is you do, good chance many others do it also, you're probably not as unique as you think
3 - it must feel pretty neat now that you've let everyone in on the secret that you make a lot of money
4 - rubbing elbows in show biz doesn't make your experience better than anyone else's, it sounds like you think it does
5 - you might want to re-read what the 6 before you said, it's about the quality of your living and the relationships, not bragging rights or exclusivity
Good luck to you and to the rest of us in figuring it all out
Security is so important to me. That's why I endure what I do. I just tell myself it's over every day at 2:00 PM.
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