Are All Twenty-Something’s Lost?

May 4, 2014 - colinashby 3 Comments

Movies following the “typical” twenty-something as lost and searching for what to do are far from adequately representing what this age group is about.

If I was anything like the typical twenty-something depicted in movies then I would walk around clueless about what to do and lacking direction. That’s not the case. I’m not like that (for the most part). Career goals fill my future outlook. I dream of the different jobs I want to have and what I am doing to get there.

Actually, a lot of twenty-something’s are like that. At least for the ones I encounter in college. Big ambitions and realistic planning with their future lives fill their days.

This group of ambitious, go-getting, persistent people never seems to be portrayed in films dealing with a twenty-something. It’s similar to when Hollywood movies are made about teens. The twenty-something is put into a stereotype of how the rest of society thinks they act.

Movies dealing with the lost twenty-something and having a quarter-life crisis have grown in popularity. Lena Dunham’s feature film Tiny Furniture was beloved by audiences and received the award for Best Narrative Feature at the South by Southwest Festival. The film follows recent college graduate Aura (Dunham) who moves back home with a lack of direction. 2006’s Accepted shows a group of 18-year-olds as they create their own “college” after being rejected from others and not knowing what to do. Reality Bites depicts a lowly videographer as she lacks guidance and irresponsibly quits her job. Greenberg, Frances Ha and How to Be follow the same suit.

What’s the deal with all of this? Are all twenty-something’s taking longer to grow up? No. It’s quite different. Many of them have dreams (that are realistic), goals and plans for how to achieve them. There are many twenty-something’s that are stuck in a somewhat slow period. They work less than ideal jobs, low-paying jobs and/or still finding a job. It doesn’t mean there lost. Many of them are just stuck in the phase of getting experience to qualify them for jobs they really want.

The appeal to the lost and directionless crowd is understandable. Everyone has been there. It’s something that is a common experience. However it can be overdone.

The coming-of-age “finding yourself” films seem like they are going the way of the parody films. Everyone is tired of them and want to move on.

Things To Take From Woman’s “I Quit” YouTube Video

October 9, 2013 - colinashby 1 Comment

It’s 4:30 a.m. While most are soundly asleep, Marina Shifrin is at work. She works at a Next Media Animation as a video producer. She hates her job. She has had to sacrifice her family, relationships, and free time in order to get work assignments done. Her boss was focused on quantity and wanted as many videos with as many views as possible.

The day finally comes when she doesn’t want to do the job anymore. She makes a video, puts it on YouTube, and it goes viral just days after. Less than five days after the video, titled “An Interpretive Dance For My Boss Set To Kanye West’s Gone” is posted, she appears on The Queen Latifah Show. Towards the end of the video, Queen Latifah speaks up and offers her a job. “With your experience, I could create a position,” Latifah said. The job she creates for Shifrin is a digital content producer position. Shifrin is meeting with the shows representatives and still considering the option.

This story brings about something very familiar to what I witness a lot while in college. These people are ones that are constantly trying to choose your path for you. They tell you to major in this. They tell you to not major in that. They tell you to join this, do that, take up this, and so forth. It can cause a person’s brain to go into overload. What “correct” thing should the person do?

Navigating college is tricky path. You have to focus on balancing schoolwork, working a job, paying bills, and at the same time trying to gain experience in their field. The important thing to remember is that you can build your own way of life. You have the power. It’s time to experiment and college especially, is a great place to do this. There are so many resources available to students. There are a variety of majors in college to choose from. Find a niche. Utilize all the things available to you. Take advantage of them. You shouldn’t let others decide what you will do. You are in control of your own self. Go out and make your highest goals come true.

“Sometimes I think that you need to forcefully close one door in order for another one to open a little easier,” Marina Shifrin [to Queen Latifah].

What I found while studying in the library
Photo Credit: Colin Ashby

A Real-Life Intern’s View of The Internship Movie

September 22, 2013 - colinashby 1 Comment

The Internship came out back in June while I was working two summer internships. The movie is about two guys who lose their sales jobs mid-career and decide to take an internship at the well-known company Google. The movie has been getting a lot of praise from real-life fellow interns. As a former intern at Hays County Food Bank the movie was surprisingly accurate about the world of interning.

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, the lead characters of the movie, come to the internship with no up to date job skills. Looking back at their years as salesman they think they will excel at the internship. When they arrive at the Google Headquarters and see the other interns, they realize something. They have no technology experience or updated technical job skills.

Being an intern without much real world work experience, I could understand the characters feelings of being lost in a competitive work world. I am four weeks into my internship here at the food bank and it has been great. I have done everything from helping hand out food at public distributions to dressing up as a carrot and floating the river to promote National Fresh Fruits and Vegetables month.

The theme throughout the movie The Internship is that personality and perseverance go a long way in one’s career. What the two lead characters lack in job skills, they make up with determination.

The diverse characters throughout the movie mirror the diverse group of people I meet every day through the food bank. Everyone here at the food bank has been friendly and helpful along the way of my internship. I look forward to the many duties I take on as an intern at Hays County Food Bank. This summer at the food bank is going to be great.

To learn more about the Hays County Food Bank, what the food bank does, and so forth, please visit their website.