<p>Hi, I am a banker who is interested in going to film school. I hate my job. I am 30 and I have good 35 more years to retire and I dont want to do something that I hate. A friend of mine who went to NYU told me its not easy to get into the media industry even with a college degree in media/film and the jobs dont pay much. I want to know . does it really matter what school you to go for media/film to land a good job? I am not looking to become the next Spielberg. In fact I just want to work on sets. I dont care if I am just a cameraman or the light man or the audio guy. I would love to work on sets or even in the studio, be it editing shows etc. My friend said the money is bad. I make almost 100K a year and I am willing to quit my job to go to media school full time but after I graduate what type of money will I be making? Of course I will work my way up. I am very passionate about this field but my parents wanted me to become a banker which I can no longer take. The stress is too much. Bottom line is I am willing to start from the bottom and work my way up. But is it possible that even after graduating from media/film degree you may not land a job OR you land a pretty ****ty pay like 35K? I dont mind if its 50K and then I could work my way up. What do you guys recommend.....? Video editing, cameraman production assistant? Im so confused. I want to quit my job next month so I could go to film school full time. I live in New Jersey so I have no problem working in NYC but going to school in NY is going to be tough. Any decent film school in Jersey? We have Rutgers, NJIT, Kean, Seton Hall who have film programs. Cost is an issue too of course since I will not have any income when I quit my job. I would have to use my savings to support myself for 3 years which I could afford. I plan on taking summer and winter classes to finish the degree in 3 years TOPS. Please advise. Sometimes I think I am making a mistake. Blowing all my savings into a career which is very hard to get into and may not pay well if youre not a big shot director/producer. I would be happy with average income as long as I am happy. I make good money at my current job but I am not happy and I dont want to do that for the next 35 years till I retire. How much can you make after having 3 years of Experience? Thanks!</p>
<p>Anything and everything I say should be taken with a grain of salt as I'm just some random person on the internet that doesn't know you or your situation... </p>
<p>But if you hate your job so much, you're right -- Maybe a career change is in order. Life is way too short to be pulling in so many hours at a place you obviously loathe. </p>
<p>However, your friend is right, you shouldn't expect to make much money when you get out of film school. In fact, most art and film majors don't make as much as 35K right when they get out of college...</p>
<p>Hi!
I understand your situation, but you should not quit your job. You should work very hard and save as much as you can, then ask if you can take about 3 months off, to pursue 'creative interests' and then get a taste of the film industry in NYC. Go to NY film academy, or another 'hands on place' like that, take a 6 week course, and then if you decide to purse it take it from there. You may love it, or you may really dislike it. </p>
<p>Most internships are unpaid, and you need a few of those before people start wanting to pay you. And you also need them for networking. So that's what the savings are for :)</p>
<p>I would recommend taking classes to train yourself in film instead of a full tuition. I went the backwards route. I was a 3D artist and became a real estate agent and now coming back to art. Art is much more fun if you can enjoy it no matter how much stress and inconsiderate people you come across. </p>
<p>The stress level in film is that there are very strict and short deadlines. Say a blockbuster is coming out, and it has been announced. If you don't deliver then you are dead meat.</p>
<p>You can make 100k but that is considered the high end in film for production and usually requires 3-5 years experience. A couple of friends I started with was making 40 -70 and several are making 100k. Those people usually work 60+ hours a week. If you are flexible in film, you can go into web design, game design non profit etc.</p>
<p>I think Frenzy's advice is really good and you should consider it. Another thing you can do is look on Craigslist for your area under "gigs" then "crew". There are always people making short films who are looking for volunteer crew members. Sometimes the shoots are only on the weekends. Maybe you could sign on for a few of those to get a taste for filmmaking and see if it is what you think it is. Although, here is a caveat....sometimes these non-paying gigs are not much more than kids playing with video cameras. They definitely aren't successful filmmakers. If they were, they'd be paying their crew.</p>
<p>Some people make films as more of a hobby or second job. They use their "day job" to fund them to do what they really enjoy doing. Sometimes that can make the boring job more bearable.</p>