I can understand that social media is an essential way in which we experience life in the modern era, and also that it is quickly becoming a primary networking and marketing tool for individuals and businesses, but at the same time I remain skeptical as to just how much can be done online. I'm not doubting the power of a prominent online presence, nor am I trying to take away from the success that it has obviously brought numerous individuals, but when it comes down to it the media can only do so much of the leg work. It's still up to the writer or artist to find a real, material outlet. When a person thinks of being a writer, their highest aspiration probably isn't a blog or a series of online articles, it's a book or a story or a material things that they want people to hold, and more importantly, that they want people to pay money to hold.

I had knowledge of Mitch Hedberg before watching the video and reading the article, so it came as no surprise to me, based on his personality type, that he kept journals. The idea that someone who came across as neurotic as Hedberg did felt a compulsion to compile his thoughts, however insignificant isn't difficult to grasp, but it doesn't make it any easier to swallow than when any other writer or teacher tells you to write down your thoughts as soon as you have them.

Last semester alone, I had two professors who spoke wonders of journals and diaries and personal logs for a writer's thoughts where they could gush and be themselves and let their ideas fly free. It comes down to the idea that a writer writes and someone who doesn't write doesn't though...but what about the person who writes when they want to write, or when it's convenient for them to write. Is it such a sin to not be writing constantly? Is it a crime against the profession and its practitioners to not write every hour of every day? It doesn't seem like it should be, but then why does it feel like it is?

I come away from the two readings on resumes with very mixed emotions, having been encouraged by a decent amount of what I had read, but also nervous, as I assume most other people are when they have to compile a list of their life's achievements on a piece of paper only to find that it wasn't quite as impressive as they might have expected.

So I'm actually quite embarrassed to say this, but this mini-assignment that almost never was is actually the first time I've ever had to give serious contemplative thought to my future employment after college. I have quite literally lost count of how many tabs I have open in however many internet browsers I have running. The fan in my laptop is working overtime trying to keep the guts of the machine cool and I guess that sort of serves as a decent metaphor for what's going on in my head at the same time. I'm also typing this in a TextEdit document saved as "What The Fuck Are You Doing With Your Life?" but that's beside the point.

As a film major, many occupational opportunities could be easily assumed to require relocation to the west coast, primarily California, but the industry is gaining strength in east coast cities like New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. While not as plentiful, jobs in such cities do exist and really only require the right knowledge and perseverance. 

In order to reach my goal of being a screenwriter, I'll first need an entry level position in an editing company, a film production house, or some other media outlet. The first occupation I had heard of that was related to scripts was that of Script Reader, who works at a production company and essentially filters incoming pieces and decides which ones are quality and which should be discarded. Once decided, a team or individual works to present the piece to a producer who will decide whether or not to pick up the script for shooting. Apart from this is the part of the company that deals with the script at this stage, the editors who review the product, clean it up and prepare it for shooting.

Another option would be to work closely with a writers group in a production company whose job is to compose original works that can belong to the company and that are known to be quality, taking the risk of outside works out of the equation. This team of writers works continuously to pitch ideas for all types of media, but this job is rare and typically comes after a great deal of recognition is earned.

The last viable option I see right now would be to intern full-time at any position within a production company with the hopes that my GPA, major and minors, and general background would separate me from other potential candidates. From that point, I would be forced to work my way through the internship, proving that I have the skills and drive necessary to succeed in the industry, and then hopefully would be offered a low level job. Again then, I would have to work my way through the position, making connections and separately working on personal projects that I could prepare to ship out to other production companies.

The film industry is one of connections, and until you actually have to think about what connections you have, you trick yourself into thinking they'll be enough. As it turns out the truth might be quite different.

          I suppose until recently the delusion about writing has been that it can serve as a relatively sustainable career. Write some stuff, people read that same stuff, then they want you to write more of it, and somehow money shows up as a result. The process for someone who wants to be a 'writer' by profession is kind of mysterious and I guess we like to keep it that way as a method of tricking ourselves into thinking its going to be easy. 

          As optimistic as the "Glossary of Writing Careers" was because it displayed a wide range of work for a typically work-desperate demographic, its also sobering to realize that these jobs are rare and competitive. A writer can't just walk into a full time position like the ones listed and make a living from it. Gaining that readership, that fanbase, that steady stream of reasons to keep writing is difficult and that's where the Huffington Post's "7 Authors Who Worked On the Side" factors in. 

          As someone who has no desire to be a librarian or a teacher, those options wouldn't really stick out to me because I couldn't do them passionately and, to me, there's no real point in taking a position in which you know you won't be fully invested. It would be unfair to both yourself and any other potential workers who might have wanted to be librarians or teachers for their entire lives. But I also speak as someone who's worked a minimum wage job at Target for quite some time, and while it wasn't terrible, it's also the same sort of situation where working at Target isn't necessarily something that fills me with passion or fulfills a lifetime dream. While it might for some people, I aspire to different things.

          Even though "Ranking the Writing Programs Best for You" deals, obviously, with the ranking of writing programs, it also exhibits the greatest amount of belief in personal choice and individual fulfillment of any of the articles we've read this semester thus far. Apart from advising potential students on the merits of different programs, it places a heavy emphasis on the idea that the individual is the one who makes the choice, that the personality of the writer themselves makes the decision and that the decision itself isn't always a concrete one. Sometimes it isn't MA or MFA, sometimes its a matter of 'Why either, for me, right now?' and it was good to see that sort of humanistic approach to the field, because that's what we're raised on. We're raised, as writers, to believe in the merits of choice and personality, and humanism. 

As someone who has very little intention of attending any graduate school program, I chose to read the selected articles as more of an analysis of a specific genre of writing. The idea of a Statement of Purpose is a familiar one because the title itself is just a fancier way to say admissions essay, cover letter, or any other range of similarly introductory compositions. 

Approaching the articles I had no idea what a Statement of Purpose was supposed to be, but reading about them and all of the standards they have to meet and the requirements of what you have to say within them, the idea just began to seem more and more preposterous. I say this as a writer who has at least the physical ability and presumably the mental competency to write well and who honestly thinks that a Masters degree might be more appropriate for the sciences. If a writer wishes to teach I understand the desire for a Masters, but if one wishes only to write for the sake of writing and not write on the writings of others, then why not begin? Why not start (or more likely continue) down the path of steady progress instead of staggering yourself with more education that could threaten to bog down the mind with useless and trivial tasks.

Desgined to make the individual a better scholar or writer, the programs are simply just more education. Students today, myself included, have very little idea of what life outside of a school system is like, and graduate school is just a means to perpetuate the system, delay what comes after, and in some regards ensure that what does come after is teaching at a school. 

My own personal aspiration is to find something resembling a job and work on my writing simultaneously, perfecting my craft through my own work, not the assignments of a class. Masters applicants can work on having their Statements of Purpose remembered, I'll stick to trying to get my screenplays immortalized.