Hard work

Eastside Parkway

Eastside Parkway

Well-known member
I've noticed a very depressing trend among my peers lately. I'm a college student, and a lot of the people I interact with each day are fellow college students who are pursuing similar career goals in film and TV and such. Recently I've had a few things go very well for me, which I believe had a little bit to do with luck but for the vast majority had to do with the hard work and dedication that I put in over the last several years of my life.

The trend I've noticed is that people always ask me how I got this opportunity or how I got that job, or how I met this person, and they always seem disappointed when I say "mostly hard work, maybe a little bit of luck." It's as if they want to know what the secret is. They want to know what shortcut I took, and when I tell them that I took the long way and paid my dues, their reaction is always polite but clearly defeated and disillusioned.

Is there anybody out there who's willing to work hard for success? Or have we really stooped to such a level that we're only interested in the shortcuts?
 
I don't mean this in any disrespectful way, but you're more apt to find that among your age group . . . though it's by no means exclusive. But the older you get, you'll find that the people who put in the work pull further and further away from those who don't, and pretty soon (as long as you're in the group who puts in the work), you won't hear that question nearly as much.
 
I think the three keys to making it in this industry are:

1. Talent : You can work as hard as possible, but if you don't have the eye for what works and doesn't work, then it doesn't matter.

2. Hard Work : This involves many things. Not just working long hours, but swallowing your pride and taking unpaid gigs to boost your experience and your reel. Sure you might know someone who can get you inside, but if you don't have the work ethic, then that opportunity will probably be wasted.

3. Location : Your sure to find more opporunity in LA or NYC than West Virgina or Montana.

This is just my opinions of course, but I think they probably hold true in most cases. There is no get it free pass that's for sure.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top