Feel like wasting life?

I knew someone who was double-majoring in music composition and mechanical engineering. It IS possible to do both. Of course, after four years, he decided that he'd rather get just a composition degree and spend only one extra year in college than two (or more). Sure, he probably could have had a well-paying job right now, and been designing bridges, or contributing to society in some way. But who says pursuing art can't contribute to society? I would have to agree, that it's more important to do something you love, whether or not you feel that you contribute or not. If you love what you do, you will contribute. If love isn't in your work, all you'll do is end up doing is burning yourself up.

My friend's first job right out of college was playing piano on a cruise ship. Soooo jealous!!
 
Filmmakers are able to do wonderful things and have huge influences on people...

You can change the world with film....

I don't know what the doubt is. Make films that change people's opinion on things...
 
Define "useful to society."

There are very few who greatly impact that amorphous group lumped together as "society".

I have found that many have ulterior motives when they try to do something "useful to society." Who defines useful?

The best way to have an impact on society, or whatever you want to call it, is to search for the best in yourself. That search may lead you in unexpected directions. So again I ask define "useful to society." Edison was not motivated by bettering the world around him, he challenged himself to solve problems and create things because he wanted to to do those things; their impact on "society" was a result of his looking for the best in himself, to find solutions through his research - he became wealthy in the process but his motivation was not to become wealthy. Wealth is a by-product of being the best at what you do.

There is nothing wrong with living a quiet life. I love my work; will I ever get an Oscar, or will my name become well known? Probably not. But my little contributions, whether I know about them or not, have an "impact". Maybe one of my college kid clients will be the next Spielberg or Ford or Hitchcock because he learned that the sound of his projects is just as important as the look. Maybe that college kid never becomes a filmmaker, but my small contribution got him a better grade which enables him to get a better job or meet the right girl. Maybe it's just as simple as the project was better because of my contribution and that made my client happy. Isn't that a positive contribution? I am raising two daughters. The oldest is now 18; she doesn't sleep around, doesn't do drugs or drink and she works hard. Isn't that a positive contribution?

Setting out to do something "useful to society" on a "big" scale usually requires a calling; otherwise all you are doing is stoking your own ego, and that is ultimately destructive to yourself, and by extrapolation, harmful to society.

So pursue what you love; work hard at it, be passionate about it. Just live your life with purpose, with honesty and honor. Everything else will fall into place.
 
sina12345 said:
<snip>
Also your prediction that whether or not I will miss the other career choice when I choose the one seems sort of absurd. Why would you assume something like that will happen, has this happened to you or is this generally a pessimistic attitude you hold. ;) (Winking makes it less rude)

Either way, in the end I'm here to hear the stories of people older and wiser than me that have experienced things I have yet to experience, which is why I made this thread.

<snip>
Click to expand...

No offense meant here sina, but you're probably not going to like this at first glance. :) His "prediction" isn't a prediction, it's (likely) a story from a person who has "experienced things" you have "yet to experience." I'll tell you the same thing.

Whichever one you choose, there will be times in your life when you will question the decision and consider what the other fork may have led to. It's human nature. My friends in their early 30s (younger than I, btw) do it, I do it, hell, my gf who loves her work more completely than most people I know has done it from time to time. It's less of a big deal than it sounded, or at the very least it should be. Especially now.

As CF pointed out, there's no reason to abandon one pursuit for another. On the contrary, the more you know about the world outside of film making, the better your <insert the part of film making you really dig here> will be. Just sayin'.

I lost the original decision you were trying to make behind all of this, but the fun thing about life is that you can have both.
 
I think I get what the op is really saying. He doesn't want to live and die without having made some impact on someone, somewhere. He doesn't want to die and thats it. He wants to be satisfied in knowing that he whatever it was he did, it matter to someone and had an impact.

A lot of people have those thoughts though usually not at such a young age. I guess you were talking to the older folks as you stated and it dawned on you that what you do does matter.
Really as long as you dont sit around moping and whining about all the reasons you shouldn't do something you will be fine.
I know a lot of people who have 100 reasons why they cannot persue something. They will say its money, time, they don't have a car, its raining, they need to sleep more...bla bla bla...then one day they wake up and say 'hey wtf happened? did I just waste my life thinking of doing something and never actually doing it?'

So do what you want as long as you keep yourself busy. If you decide one thing and don't like it, fine. Live and learn. Just don't sit around and talk about it.
 
Both fields are very important differently but they accomplish one common purpose: bringing help to people's lives through some means. You could do great things with both man, just think it over and no matter what you do, it sounds like you'll go with what you want to do more.

Good luck =]
 
Alcove Audio said:
Define "useful to society."

There are very few who greatly impact that amorphous group lumped together as "society".

I have found that many have ulterior motives when they try to do something "useful to society." Who defines useful?

The best way to have an impact on society, or whatever you want to call it, is to search for the best in yourself. That search may lead you in unexpected directions. So again I ask define "useful to society." Edison was not motivated by bettering the world around him, he challenged himself to solve problems and create things because he wanted to to do those things; their impact on "society" was a result of his looking for the best in himself, to find solutions through his research - he became wealthy in the process but his motivation was not to become wealthy. Wealth is a by-product of being the best at what you do.

There is nothing wrong with living a quiet life. I love my work; will I ever get an Oscar, or will my name become well known? Probably not. But my little contributions, whether I know about them or not, have an "impact". Maybe one of my college kid clients will be the next Spielberg or Ford or Hitchcock because he learned that the sound of his projects is just as important as the look. Maybe that college kid never becomes a filmmaker, but my small contribution got him a better grade which enables him to get a better job or meet the right girl. Maybe it's just as simple as the project was better because of my contribution and that made my client happy. Isn't that a positive contribution? I am raising two daughters. The oldest is now 18; she doesn't sleep around, doesn't do drugs or drink and she works hard. Isn't that a positive contribution?

Setting out to do something "useful to society" on a "big" scale usually requires a calling; otherwise all you are doing is stoking your own ego, and that is ultimately destructive to yourself, and by extrapolation, harmful to society.

So pursue what you love; work hard at it, be passionate about it. Just live your life with purpose, with honesty and honor. Everything else will fall into place.
Click to expand...

Alcove,

If only I could tell you the ADR recording you helped me out with the first post I made on this board back in March or whatever...
 
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