question 183: I'm a college student and I don't know what to expect if I come out to LA to be a screenwriter. Can you tell me?

I'm so glad, that as a college student, you recognize that there are expectations to address. Too many people move to LA with unrealistic expectations and then give up quickly when they're not met.

My advice is to expect what you can control:

1. Expect to find a job that will give you financial stability (this may or may not be in the entertainment industry- see a previous post when I covered industry jobs for writers)

2. Expect to commit to a writing ritual- in other words how much writing do you plan to do and how often?

3. Expect to invest in your career- this may mean joining networking organizations, becoming a guild member, taking educational courses for both your craft and your business, and the material costs of having a writing business

4. Expect to update your material often, adding to your writing portfolio- this may mean new scripts or re-writes on older ones

5. Expect to be a business which, like a business in any industry, requires relationships, product, marketing, patience, perseverance, and a team (just to name a few)

Even though I answered this for a writer, this blog applies to all classifications in the entertainment industry.

for more tips and articles by top entertainment industry career coach, the Greenlight Coach, visit www.thegreenlightcoachblog.com