-- Posted by thinkexist at 5:33 pm on Jan. 7, 2009 Okay, so up until 2 weeks ago, I had my whole future planned out; I was going to become a middle school English teacher, never gave it a second thought. But now I've decided that I might want to persue a career as a screenwriter for television comedies instead, which would be virtually my dream job. I always planned on going to school at Madison, and that plan's still intact. After graduation, I was gonna move to Chicago, my dream city, to teach. Only problem now is that screenwriters need to live in LA. So here's my plan: Go to University of Wisconsin - Madison, major in English and get my certification for teaching. After graduation, make the decision to either head west to California and just give 'em hell trying to scavenge a job that pays the bills, or pack up to a little suburb of Chicago, settle down, become a teacher, and never look back. This way, I figure that even if I go the California route and it backfires on me, I still have my teaching certificate so I can always just come back to Illinois with my tail between my legs and be a safe little English teacher for the rest of my life. Yay or nay? I'm not sure about the whole California thing. I just never pictured myself as a California kind of girl. I'm a two-and-a-half-feet-of-snow-lovin', sweet-faced, naive midwestern girl. And part of that is why I think this California adventure might work out for me, cause even if it doesn't go as planned, I'll have taken a chance, danced the dance, lived on the edge a little. It'll be a good story to tell one day to my classroom of bored 15-year-olds, or hey, you never know, it just might go right and I'll have my dream job as a screenwriter. So, this turned out to be just a random blurb of thoughts, but, yeah, anyone have any thoughts? -- Posted by Fortis Obscurum at 5:34 pm on Jan. 7, 2009 You need to get laid.  Big time. -- Posted by DADDYS LITTLE GIRL at 5:36 pm on Jan. 7, 2009 sounds like a good plan to me -- Posted by J U S T at 5:36 pm on Jan. 7, 2009 There are a lot of screenwriters in NYC, too. -- Posted by north star15 at 5:38 pm on Jan. 7, 2009 I've heard that teaching in northern alaska pays good money and is a great experience because the kids are really nice to the teachers they give you a house and everything ...really -- Posted by CuteKittenofDoom at 5:40 pm on Jan. 7, 2009 nay to the teacher thing seriously you shouldn't waste your life being a teacher but what you should do is be a screenwriter in California until you're about 40 then move back to Chicago and be a teacher then. -- Posted by Littlestoxie at 5:48 pm on Jan. 7, 2009 No, on the california. Read bright shiny morning it might open your eyes as to why. -- Posted by sccerfreak at 5:49 pm on Jan. 7, 2009 definately get the degree. it's good to have a backup plan