😱 The Cautionary Tale of Fearful Freddy

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Photo by Jaqueline Fritz on Unsplash

I want to share with you a missed opportunity that was so gut-wrenching I had to tell you about it in hopes that you, my young entertainment job seeker, won’t make the same mistake. I’ve changed the names, but it’s a true tale about opportunity and why you should just say “yes.”

Freddy is a recent college graduate with a degree in TV production from a prestigious university. Like most recent grads, Freddy is looking for work and taking informational meetings at agencies, studios, and networks. Freddie tells me that he doesn’t have to necessarily work at his dream job right out of school (working for Ryan Murphy), but certainly wants to work for a great company.

Seems reasonable, right?

Well, after a couple of months struggling to find work, Freddy spoke with a former classmate who’s working at a small television production company. Because Freddy is smart, he sent a thank-you email and threw in, “If you hear of any opportunities in TV production, can you let me know?” to which his friend immediately replied, “Why don’t you just work here as an unpaid intern?”

Freddy bristled at the thought of working for free for two reasons:

1. He’d already graduated and wanted a paying job, not an internship.

2. This wasn’t a well-known, prestigious company.

Freddy asked for my point of view and my advice was this:

“Take the job! You aren’t doing anything else, and you should just think of it as school. It’s a low-risk way to learn about TV production. Your friend works there, it’ll be on your resume, and it’s always easier to get a job when you have a job. Plus, you can leave anytime for a paid position. This is a gift and you should accept it immediately.”

Sadly, Freddy didn’t take my advice and turned down the offer.

Because this opportunity wasn’t exactly what he was looking for (a paid gig at a well-known company), he failed to see the opportunity. Also, he had become so accustomed to the struggle that when something potentially beneficial appeared, he greeted it with suspicion and fear. It also demonstrated to me that Freddy really didn’t want a job that badly. He only wanted exactly what he wanted in the way that he wanted it. Life doesn’t always work out the exact way you want it to.

He turned down the job in hopes of staying available for the job he wanted.

It’s been 6 months and Freddy is still looking for a job.

So, what’s the takeaway? There is no such thing as the perfect job, especially a perfect first job. Let’s stop the love affair with the struggle and turn our inner “Fearful Freddys” into “Fearless Freddys” by recognizing and embracing opportunity whenever and wherever it appears. It’s only a first job, not a marriage proposal. Just say “yes” and see where the opportunity can go.