Need some advice

[BronxJohnny]

Quit my job on tuesday felt helpless so i said hey im out. I did it with no idea of what im going too do with my life. Im a little too old too just smoke weed and stay home though the good thing is im in a postion too maybe chase a dream which is pursue doing standup comedy. The dilemma is im a little old too try it now and if i fail what the fuck am i gonna do? How many of you folks out there have ever quit a job with no kind of back up plan but chased a dream, said fuck what im supposed too, did what you wanted too do and succeeded? I'd like too hear some kind of good news because i have no idea what im going too do and i hate being unemployed, so any tips suggestions or real experiences good or bad would help big time just too give an idea with what too do. I have at least 2months of saved just in case money, if not blown on vices. Does any1 ever think fuck i've been doing something in my life that i hate for so many days months-years and feel unfullfilled, i want too enjoy my life not suffer through it, how do you handle that? Seriously i feel incomplete like im missing something. Just need some advice. Shoutout too all the old folks on this board ya have done some long living so advice from ya greatly appreciated. :smoke:

[Sue_Bender]

Quit my job on tuesday felt helpless so i said hey im out. I did it with no idea of what im going too do with my life. Im a little too old too just smoke weed and stay home though the good thing is im in a postion too maybe chase a dream which is pursue doing standup comedy. The dilemma is im a little old too try it now and if i fail what the fuck am i gonna do? How many of you folks out there have ever quit a job with no kind of back up plan but chased a dream, said fuck what im supposed too, did what you wanted too do and succeeded? I'd like too hear some kind of good news because i have no idea what im going too do and i hate being unemployed, so any tips suggestions or real experiences good or bad would help big time just too give an idea with what too do. I have at least 2months of saved just in case money, if not blown on vices. Does any1 ever think fuck i've been doing something in my life that i hate for so many days months-years and feel unfullfilled, i want too enjoy my life not suffer through it, how do you handle that? Seriously i feel incomplete like im missing something. Just need some advice. Shoutout too all the old folks on this board ya have done some long living so advice from ya greatly appreciated. :smoke:

Too old? Aren't you in your twenties?! Anyway, you're never too old to try out something like standup comedy. Rodney Dangerfield didn't make it until middle age. Lewis Black didn't hit his stride till after years and years of work.

If you want it, take it, Johnny. It's cliche, but you don't want to regret giving it a shot. You've got an outlet and people who'll support you (R&F/O&A).

Fucking get crackin', brother!

[RoseBlood]

One door closes another one opens is what they say. Hopefully you will be lucky enough to have an open door and wise enough to walk through it. I really have no words of advice but I can somewhat relate to you. Since you were smart enough to have some money saved to sustain you through this, you can pursue your dream of comedy, or at least until the money runs out. The catch-22 is that most successful comedians, or anyone in the arts for that matter, will say that NOT having a back up plan is what forced them to really pursue their dreams and "make it". This might be what you need to force you to say "what the hell?"

I am lucky enough to have a career-dream that is more universally accepted as realistic and attainable then yours but don't let that sway you. I have alot of admiration for people who can just say "fuck-it" and pursue what makes them happy. For me, it would be focusing on helping delinquent adolescent females, children and/or the mentally ill. I am so conflicted on whether I like my job and I want to stay there or not. I've gotten my benefits and vacation time so I might as well take advantage of what I've already earned. Sometimes I think about applying to grad school outside of new york. I feel like there's no way to be in school for social work and make a real living simultaneously in new york, i feel like now that i have a bachelors i should be able to feel like i'm actually attaining a goal (like, a career goal) rather than just continuing in school, working at a mediocre job and making no money; instead, I want to have a little place to call my own, a job that fulfills me and a comfortable life in which I have at least a little bit of time and money for leisure. Have we become so idealistic and spoiled to want these things? I should be happy to be employed.

In short, take Miss_Bender's advice. At this point what do you have to loose? I assume you have nothing holding you back? In the end, you can always find another job. Good luck and keep us posted.

[CofyCrakCocaine]

Since I'm still sorta-young I guess my stories don't mean jack still. So's I'll take a lil' story from my family.

Every guy in my family has never gotten their shit together until 30 at the earliest. Case in point...

One of my relatives always spent the money he would make on commissions (he was an artist-type) to the point where he was always in debt no matter how much cash he made. One time he was so far into debt the sheriff came into his house and stayed there for an entire night to make sure my relative didn't skip town while a check was clearing. He fell into a pit for several years with no clients... then the Great Depression happens and things get worse... All the critics of his day were on his ass and wanted his blood too.

He got his act together in the end though. Figured out what he wanted to do, and he did some of his best pieces in his later days. One of the things I really admire about him was how he never lived how people or the world expected/wanted him to. He lived for himself, lived by his own rules, and he pulled out just fine in the end in spite of the rough patches. Had himself more than ten kids, and even got a little money on the side.

Definitely take a shot at the comedy thing. Like going with a chick, there's chances you will make it and way better chances you won't, but you never know 'till u try.

[BronxJohnny]

Solid advice thanks everyone im looking for a workshop too get some of the basics down because i do have respect for the craft i don't want too just get in front of a crowd and be a complete moron with no fundamentals too work off of. Again though much appreciated on the solid advice.

[jennysmurf]

Solid advice thanks everyone im looking for a workshop too get some of the basics down because i do have respect for the craft i don't want too just get in front of a crowd and be a complete moron with no fundamentals too work off of. Again though much appreciated on the solid advice.

I think learning the difference between "too" and "to" would do wonders. I'm sorry, it's the librarian nerd coming to the surface. There's been some great advice for you so far, it's never too late to make a change. (Notice the two uses of "too" and "to?"---oops, sorry, sorry.) Just having confidence in yourself will make the biggest difference in anything you set out to accomplish. Keep us all posted on how things go! Good luck!:thumbup:

[Doogie]

Johnny man, there really is no such thing as "too old" to do something. Age truly is not a barrier that holds us back, yet we allow society or morays to tell us that we are too old. Fuck that! With the exception of being a teenager again, Your truly can do what the hell you want to do now.

If I recall the story correctly about Rodney Dangerfield, he didnt get into stand up till he was in his late 40's. And that was AFTER he had a career selling aluminum siding. The point is he failed at early ventures but eventually found his way in to do what he wanted to do. I dont know how many "Unmasked" tapings you ever attended, but almost the universal theme for the comedians is failure. Almost every single one hits a point of failure. Or they hit a point where they can take a comfortable life of complacency, YET never going after that elusive dream/goal. But they go after their goal and become big names.

You left your job for whatever reason, but you are embarking out to try and do something new. Sure the path is a bit muddled, but you have a goal to reach for. As a wise man once told me: "When the wind no longer calls to you, perhaps it is time to remember your name." Just follow your heart, and have your head be fed by small jobs on the side for now that helps you to get to your dream. Just have faith in yourself brother...

[skyscraper]

Definitely never too old to follow your dream. I changed careers at age 27, had to go back to school for 7 years to do it (became an architect after working in advertising.)
my advice is to do it no matter what it takes. as much as it might suck at the beginning (and suck it will) you will appreciate it more. you might have to work a day job you hate like waiting tables or something, but you will have a maturity and insight about life (not to mention material for your stand-up routines) that a lot of people wouldn't have.
just don't let anyone, especially yourself, tell you you're too old to change.

[Contra]

As long as you're not dubbed "the Bronx ball of failure" you'll be fine. Good luck jonny!

[CYYYFYYY]

As someone who does Stand up Comedy.... good luck with it.... It is a real ugly business and real hard to make money at it...... But I say go for it..... but also look for a side job with flexable hours

[oldladyfacepuncher]

My whole life, I've packed up and moved on with no plan, when it's time to go. I've done it cross country, and I've done it internationally. Just pay attention to the signs life gives you and follow them. If I had been afraid to move on or missed the signs that things need to change, then no doubt I'd be a miserable human being today.

If you're feeling it, then it's what you should be doing, and things will work out from there. Even if the end result isn't a Stand-Up career, pursuing it now will probably lead to something else, maybe something you never even thought about.

[HypnoDude]

[QUOTE=BronxJohnny;1895075]Quit my job on tuesday felt helpless so i said hey im out. I did it with no idea of what im going too do with my life. Im a little too old too just smoke weed and stay home though the good thing is im in a postion too maybe chase a dream which is pursue doing standup comedy. QUOTE]

Bronx Johnny,

Following your dreams is great but you better have a backup plan. First, comedians are a dime a dozen, and very few are successfull. You have to really be at the top of your game to make money at this. My suggestion is to do a lot of open mic comedy nights and hone your skills. Then, if your that good somebody is going to recognize it and offer to represent you and get you gigs.

I would advise that you give yourself a timeline, maybe a year or two and if you not making in the business by that timeline then its your time to bail and say you did the best you could and get into something else. Because anybody who says they are in the comedy business just to make people laugh are BS'ing you. You have to eat too.

As an added thought and as a not so old guy of 51 I can tell you that I wish I had thought earlier in life about how I was going to sustain myself in my later years of life. Start saving now even if it $10 or $20 bucks a week and forget about it. Trust me there is no comedian 401K plan out there.

Hypnotically,

[BronxJohnny]

i am looking for back up work right now, not trying to be both jobless and shiftless, though i do have some money on the side to lay back for at least 2months but again thanks for the advice.

[biozombie]

Rodney Dangerfield didn't make a name for himself until he was way past 40...

and as far as side gigs go, it's fucked up how many places want you to piss in a cup.

[Farmer Dave]

Is a job at a comedy club a possibility? That way you could make a few bucks, observe the craft, and maybe get some pointers and contact in the business.