by Alexandre Cote ’14131112-600x399-creative_career_choices

On July 8th, 2014 I packed up the majority of my life, shoved it into a car, and began the cross-country trip to Los Angeles. I had no job lined up or opportunity awaiting me. My Dad and I spent a week driving through the US, stopping at Niagara Falls, Pikes Peak, the Grand Canyon, and a couple others along the way. If you’re moving somewhere, I highly recommend making it into a sightseeing adventure.

Five months later, I have a job; I’ve worked on some extremely cool projects, and met an amazing group of people who have been welcoming and supportive. Starting a new life and career is challenging anywhere, so here are some things I’ve learned that made it easier.

Lists

More awesome reasons.

More awesome reasons.

I’ve found that making lists is the best thing ever. If you already do this, congratulations – I wish I had figured it out sooner. There is something so fulfilling about creating a list, and then crossing off each item as it’s completed. Having a list gives you the feeling that you accomplished something that day, even when work is slow. I like to add simple tasks to it as well, such as “get groceries”, or “take a walk”. Anything that I know I need to do that day, but might not do without some prompting, goes on the list. And at the end of the day, I feel productive and satisfied.

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Alex Cote is a composer and sound designer based in LA. Graduated from Berklee in 2014 as an EPD/Film Scoring dual major, he has been fortunate to work with high profile composers such as Penka Kouneva and Freddy Sheinfeld, and several upcoming directors. If you’d like to hear some of his work, or read his other posts, please check out www.alexandre-cote.com.


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