Yeah my dates are a little fuzzy, but this is as good a time as any to say it's been two months. I moved out here on the 12th of February, I moved into the apartment on the 22nd, and started life on my own on the 25th. So it's all in the ballpark. As for some quick hits on the top of my mind:
- The weather has been colder/windier than I was expecting for the past month. Not cold per se, not even close. But definitely colder than I would have figured and colder than the first month.
- The job search process in the film industry really takes a long time. I'll go into further detail down below, but to give you an idea, a contact and friend of mine told me that when he was searching he was going after a job for six months before he was turned down! Yowzer!
- Not having a job makes it really easy to get to the gym. I don't want to say I'm in the best shape ever....not just yet....but I am definitely getting into great shape.
- The Bay Area is a really great place and people are pretty chill. Having gone back to NY since moving out here, I think I can say that as of now I really prefer it out here. I'm not hating NY, we're just going through a rough patch right now.
- The Oakland Airport is much nicer than I would have expected. I have only flown out and into it once, but really enjoyed the travel experience.
- Lastly, having a subscription to MLB.TV is the coolest thing in the world. (Thanks Adam!) Now I can watch the Yankees whenever I want and the quality is really good as well.
The job search is moving along, I have made ins with all of the major studios in the area, I had my third interview this past week and I should have another coming up next week. Both of my top choice companies are still very much possibilities. One needs to get some work awarded to them and then I should be in. The other just needs to make a decision and from talking with the lead recruiter that should happen at the end of this week and I still seem to be their top choice. I'm not ready yet to make a prediction as to whether I will be working by May 1st or not. I sure hope, but that is still up in the air.
This long job search process however gets me to one of the things that do annoy me. I guess you could call it Volume 2 on my list of things that get under my skin. (By the way---deck---still not painted!) This industry that I am in is very unique and unlike many others. While individual positions may have similar qualities to other industries, the film industry itself and the job search process is very independent of others. Sure jobs are posted on some company websites, but for the most part people are hired based on reputation and contacts. The cliche is really true in that it is whom you know. Each of the interviews I have gotten and all of the contacts I have made have been from networking and getting some help from either someone on the inside or a friend of someone at the company. As I have been in touch with every major studio, and have been interviewing and making potential future contacts, I feel that I am doing a pretty darn good job at this search. So what annoys me is when certain people from other industries ask me whether I am going to start looking for other options or backup plans. I am only two months in and not even close to the 6 months that my friend had to go through. So please, let me do what I am doing and when I am ready to move to plan B, I will blog about it. However, that might not be for a bit.
Ok.....I think I just vented. Could be the affect of the Beer I'm drinking as I write this. (BTW: Black Toad Ale--Damn Good!) As for other things....I will admit that I have reached a point where I am starting to run out of things to do. My Mondays are always busy because I have a full set of networking to do's that are dependent per week as well as a number of household chores. But as the week moves forward I progressively run out of things as I wait for call backs and emails. While most people love Fridays, I will say that they are probably my least favorite day of the week because most companies don't make job calls on a Friday and I have done most of my weekly networking emails. Also, as I am limited on money, I am trying not to go out too often or be too extravagant. However soon I will have my Wii, and then I will be having fun! Aww yeah!
I know last month, I mentioned that I was having trouble with the lack of structure. I feel I have gotten past this. I have been pretty strict about my workouts as well as maintaining a to do list. Of course as mentioned above, I am running out of to do's, but am trying to just stay chill, read a bit more and roll with the free time that won't come again once I do start working. I did go to the meetup.com group, but trying to keep down costs, I haven't been back since. Good group, but for right now I'll stay local and cheap.
Trying to wrap this ramble up, I would say that Month Two has been much more successful than Month One. I feel the job search moving positively, I am adjusting to the slower pace, and my workouts have been great. Since I am a tough grader, I will keep Month Two at a B+, but a much higher B+ than Month One and close to an A-. I'm keeping it a bit lower because that only gives me room to go up from here, and not having a job is a bit of a drag. So there you go....two months down and many more to go. Hopefully this week will bring good news, which of course I will let you know about. Alright, till the next update keep rolling down the street!
-Scott-
P.S. As for a running update: I do have a bunion, which I will need to get treated, but for now am running through it and hitting my best runs ever. I want to get my mileage up a little higher, but need to find some new routes in order to do so. Alright....Rock and Roll!
0 comments:
Post a Comment