Unsure

[samantha]

So "the biz" is something I sort of just fell into about six months ago... I actually was in college for psychology and had taken some time off to pursue a career in Carpentry. During that period of time I was offered a front of house job for a Haunted House in New York.
While working front of house I got promoted to stage manager, which I was told I would be really good at and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I also did some TD work for the house and have done a very small amount of ATD work since then.
I actually prefer to TD over stage manage. Like I said, my TD experience is minimal and I know IATSE is an impossible union to get into.
I don't think I want to go back to school, but I think I do want to pursue a career in tech.
So basically, what I want to know is, does anyone know how to go about this or a good way to get some credentials and experience in tech without actually having to go back to school? Thanks!

[avkid]

If you get out of the city IATSE is somewhat easier to get into if only for the fact that you can build up working hours because of the smaller labor pool.

[DeeCap]

Is IATSE your ultimate goal? Many people have had successful careers without joining the union. See if you can talk to union members and find out what they think.

I don't think you would need to go back to school. You can learn while being on the job. Keep getting the carpentry jobs/ATD jobs and see if you can learn more about AutoCAD and other computer programs.

I think you are on the right path. Just get out there and make it known that you want to learn more. Can't have enough good TD's.

Good luck!

[samantha]

Is IATSE your ultimate goal? Many people have had successful careers without joining the union. See if you can talk to union members and find out what they think.
I don't think you would need to go back to school. You can learn while being on the job. Keep getting the carpentry jobs/ATD jobs and see if you can learn more about AutoCAD and other computer programs.

IATSE isn't my ultimate goal, but I feel like it would provide me with the best benefits and steady work, unless I were to land something in a regional theater.

[chops]

I started out working at a non union road house unloading trucks.  The next step after that was the touring lifestyle and then onto a steady gig.  But another way i gained a lot of experiance was volenteering at a local children's theatre.  It was a good way to make some conections and gain some great tech experiance.