I'm pretty stuck right now, I have to make a big decision on whether it would be worth it to quit my job to get a college degree. I live in a pretty shitty-middle apartment complex, rooming with a buddy of mine. Been doing this for almost a year. He works at a japanese restaurant making deliveries, he makes about $19 an hour. I work at a small business where we go and physically set up events, such as structures and banners and whatnot. Not backbreaking labor, but it's a good workout. I work 8-10 hours a day, 7 days a week. I make exactly $300 a day (after taxes and such). So I'm making amazing money here and it's all really just accumulating in my bank account. I don't really enjoy me job, but I don't hate it either. I'd rather not be doing it for the rest of my life though. My question is, should I do this for a while and just make as much money as possible and retire early, or should I quit, and go to college in hopes of finding a better and more enjoyable job?
Advice pls. I'm 18 and make $109,500 a year. wat do
OP, here. To add some context to what I'll want to do after college, if I go. I plan on moving into directing/film, it's been a passion for a while, but it's also very hit or miss. Which is why I'm even more skeptical of whether college would be even worth it.
do this for as long as you can
force yourself to do some college courses at night and weekend if you want to make life hard
I have a BA and don't make that much. I DREAM of someday getting some exercise and doing bullshit schmoozing shit where there's probably hot chicks working too. Don't be an ungrateful fucker
25 times your annual cost of living and you can retire and live off of investments/income
Where do you live?
Miami. Rent is $2k a month. I pay $1300 my buddy pays $700. Doesn't bother me though.
I'm not ungrateful, I'm very grateful for my job, I just don't know if I want to be doing it for the next 30 years, regardless of the pay.
I'll say this. You make more that most Americans. We tend to always think about the grass being greener on the other side, but fail to realize how good we have it.
I personally study engineering, and wouldn't make your salary unless I got at least 5 years of experience, after 5 years of school. So you're making more than most people that studied engineering and practiced for a decade.
Becoming a director does not sound like an assured path to making a fantastic salary, but what you make a year isn't the most important thing. I personally have no conception about how to make a living as a film director, but if you think you can do it, you need to really consider if it would be worth it over the job you currently have.
I have an older sister that just became an accountant, her plan is to work then retire with her husband in their mid 30s so they can raise their kids. You could easily retire fairly yearly if you began acting very frugal, and with your extra time - you could easily go to school and try to become a director.
There's a plethora of things I'd like to ask and things I'd like to say, but we're not face to face.
I'm sure those engineering aren't working 56-70 hours a week, though. I guess I'm basically torn between a good job and potentially my dream job. Directors make a lot of money if they're good enough to make it that far. And honestly, dump your questions, I'll get to as many of them as possible.
also, accounting seems shitty. My dad is an accountant. He hates his job. He's 55 and is still working and I don't think he'll be retiring any time soon. I make more than he does at this point in time.
just save like 70% of your income and work this job for a couple years
Save 100,000 a year for 10 years then retire you fucking idiot
dude, keep working, go to the gym and get a killer body, save 2/3 of your income and in your free time: learn how to invest your money profitably, do night college courses as mentioned if you can
then you'll find yourself 25/30 years old, you'll be able to retire without a worry in the wolrd, and you could go drown in pussy and pursuing your directing career (but you'll probably be busy eating some hot teen pussy and won't care anymore)
.How has nobody called bullshit yet? 40 plus dollars for setting up banners? 18? show some proof you fuck
this. and when he says "retire" it doesn't mean "don't try to become a director". it means "now that you have about $60k/yr rolling in from your investment account you don't have to hang banners anymore and can pursue your dream to become a director"
>I just don't know if I want to be doing it for the next 30 years
You know you could retire in 10-15 years on that income if you tried.
Ok here's what you fucking do.
You're 18 and you've got nothing but time and money. You're in a shitty job but you're fucking rolling in it.
Keep living in your shitty apartment with your shitty roommate and if you want to direct film then fucking ignore college all-together. Unless you go to NYU or UCLA it's fucking useless.
Self-teach everything. Everything you learn in school, especially at whatever limp-dick program you're looking at, can be learned better, faster, and cheaper by self-instruction. Buy every fucking book on directing you can and watch as many movies as humanly possible. I mean really dedicate yourself to this shit, do something to learn more a little every day and let that money just pile up.
Once you've got some savings buy film equipment. Good stuff, not cheap shit. And don't get ripped off and only get what you need. Then play around with it. Make some youtube vids or little shorts. Learn how it works and develop your style. Try to make it into local festivals.
Then throw 10 at making 4-5 shorts. Once those are done throw 20 grand at making a movie. You should EASILY have this money available if you continue living well below your means and save up.
If at the end of the day you're worth shit then try to get the movie picked up by someone for distribution or try to win a few competitions with your shorts. If it all fails then just submit this shit as your portfolio and try to go to one of the top 5 film schools in the country.
You can also try to land a half-decent agent once you've got a backbone of work. This guy could also open doors for you.
If it all fails then you're not going to make it in film and re-evaluate your plan. You'll be ~21 or 22 at this point and will very probably have a six-figure savings account. You'll figure something out.
I wish my dad could set me up with a job like that...
This.
There is no way you are making 300 dollars a day after taxes doing unskilled labor and there is no way you are working 365.
>salty
Using logic does not mean some one is "salty". It means they are not gullible and have enough knowledge and experience in life to call Bullshit when they see it. Nice try though, it was cute.
I rarely take time off. Maybe once a month. So I guess you could say I'm not doing exactly 365. Also, $300 a day where I work is what almost everyone doing my hours and at my speed is making. I get $50-75 per structure or breakdown I do, each one takes around 3 hours. I'm not talking little banners, I'm talking setting up giant tents, and larg banners on the front of schools, businesses, festivals etc. I do it all very quickly, I do about 4-7 a day, it adds up to around $300 a day after tax.
I live in Miami lmao what the hell company is this??? I'd be interested in that kind of money even if it is 7 days a week. Would working 5 still net 70 or 80?
Keep doing what you are doing. Invest the money properly.
No reason for you to go to college at all.
work for maybe 2 more years
go on a sweet holiday with all your mulla while your young and basically rich
save up enough so you can get through univeristy without debt then go and then even if it means nothing you still got a degree and arent stuck with 50 k debt and can always go back to labouring
this also sounds good
This. I worked on a film with some buddies from college, it's not well-known or anything but we finished it and it's gotten a few distribution deals. We lost money on it overall, but the idea is that we actually finished something.
With that said, nothing I learned in college was even remotely applicable to film. Our director was completely self-taught and dropped out midway through to focus full-time. I left after we dissolved the company (not a big fan of the film industry to be honest) but him and a few other producers continued on to start a commercial agency. I'm pretty sure none of them have graduated yet.
Moral of the story: College degrees don't mean shit if you really put your mind to something, especially something that sits on the line of fine art. If I were you, I'd just suck it up and work for a while and get as much experience and soak up as much knowledge as you can in the meantime, but also be prepared to be chewed up in the beginning. Independent film is NOT very nice to beginners, even if you are talented.
Hey, OP, how did you find that job?