The other day, I got a fortune cookie that read: “You are ready to take on the world.” It made me smile, I admit, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make my heart lurch in a positive way.
Presently, I felt like that fortune cookie came at just the right time. You know how the job market is in shambles lately, right? Despite the way companies try to convince us that there’s something wrong with the employee base, the fact of the matter is that a lot of companies eliminating those middle-income jobs really set off a chain reaction for the rest of the working world. Now, even an entry-level job seems unattainable.
Ever since I left AMC two years ago, I’ve been completely unsuccessful in getting a job. No application consideration. No interview. Nothing. Not even a rejection letter. Are jobs being oddly selective? You know how embarrassing it is to get rejected from CVS? I’m a student, so it’s a bit more excusable for me, but it’s concerning for who aren’t currently in school, because my story isn’t unique at all.
Whereas you used to be able to find a new job in two weeks, you’ll be lucky nowadays if it doesn’t take you less than two months. And it seems discouraging where, everywhere you turn, it seems like the people with the shittiest attitudes somehow hold a position and you don’t. Stings, right?
I’ve always loved working, primarily because I love making money and the independence it grants you. (I even tried to get a job as early as 13-years-old, but the unemployment office turned me down.)
And honestly, who doesn’t like money? As long as you don’t worship it, there’s nothing wrong with having it as a goal; money, in fact, comes along with power and influence in most, if not all, societies. We view it as a benchmark for a comfortable lifestyle. With greater income comes less financial distress.
I feel bad for the working class, yet again, getting branded as lazy and unwilling to work by the higher-ups at most companies and organizations, because it’s simply not true. People want to work. Sure, not every job is going to be your dream career, but most everyone understands a basic biblical truth: if you don’t work, you won’t eat. And instead of admitting there’s a shortage of positions and that their hiring practices are absolutely unprofessional, the finger is instead pointed to the class at the mercy of companies, and there’s nothing we can do about it.
A few weeks ago, I started to wonder if maybe there was another reason I couldn’t get a job. I’ve always dreamed of opening my own production company, especially for animation, but I always figured there’d be a middle transition between then and now. There was always a bit of a blank gap there. I’d try to fill it in by envisioning different paths, anything from having an internship to winning a contest to holding a job, but none of it was really sticking mentally. I was opening to anything and considered everything, but I couldn’t ever tell which was was the right thing to do.
And the tragic part is, I make a great employee, too. All my bosses have loved me. I get along great with my coworkers, and I’ve never had a bad experience with customers because I’m willing to bite the bullet and be friendly first. Hell, my second day on the job, my manager came up and told me I might be the favorite of the new hires. And he’s always extended the opportunity for me to come back to continue working seasonally, which I’ve always accepted, and would continue to work at that exact location had I not moved away for college. That’s why I’ll always regard AMC fondly, because they gave me a chance when no one else would.
So, back to my dilemma. I can’t get a job, right? And I’d love one. I want one. I need one, because I want the freedom of income again. And I one day have the end goal of opening a production studio, right? I’ve always planned for it to be self-funded, so as to avoid being at the mercy of network executives who prioritize profit above all else.
And because I want it to be self-funded, I need a stable income stream. At least one, for now. So I got to thinking, and I thought, ‘Man, maybe I can’t find a job because I’m supposed to get started now.‘
I’ve always wanted to sell merchandise with cool designs — stickers, buttons, enamel pins, and so forward. Is it saturated to all hell? Yeah, but it seems like a fun little business venture, and it’s not like I’m looking to become a multi-millionaire.
And I’m more inclined to believe I’m on the right track, because over the course of the last few week, the pieces started to fall in my lap. I’m taking a business class this quarter, and I learned that these concepts aren’t outside my grasp, after all. I knew next to nothing about the production process for certain physical merchandise, and suddenly we have a club pop up that helps newbies like me navigate the whole thing. Am I still confused? Oh, absolutely. But instead of it being an off-putting feeling, it’s a good kind of apprehension. It’ll be complicated to leap off the diving board, but I’m excited.
I have a few of the logistics going, and a few speculated designs, and the bulk of it I plan on working on over spring break, along with this here website. I have a name, I have a vision, I have a small catalogue, and I have a good feeling about it.
Maybe I couldn’t secure a job, but that’s okay. I always felt like, if I didn’t escape my city, I’d be held back from pursuing my ambitions, so maybe the concept similarly applies here: maybe I’d become complacent in a regular job. Maybe I’d never start.
It’s a blessing in disguise, really, and I’m blessed enough to even be in the position where I can get started on a business without consequence. I have no bills, no obligations, and nothing to lose. Why shouldn’t I start now?
It was last Saturday I set a launch date, and made a goal. And when I cracked open that fortune cookie a day later, I felt I made the right call, after all.