Becoming a Film Professional Later in Life
Jennifer Carriere 
(Hint: it wasn't my first career)
When I became a script supervisor, it was not my first career. Or my second… After switching to the film & tv industry, then bouncing around departments for years, I discovered my third career, and the one I was meant for: script supervising.
My career trajectory after college went like this:
1) Non-profit director (while going back to school for civil engineering)
2) Corps of Engineers
2A) Helped out a friend on a tv show in an entry level position (day playing while still at Corps of Engineers)
2B) Caught the TV “bug”
2C) Resigned from Corps of Engineers
2D) Tried every film & tv department out there
3) Fell in love with script supervising and became a professional script supervisor
3A) Went on to script supervise literally hundreds of tv episodes and dozens of films
A lot of the people who ask me about script supervising want to know if coming to the career later in life, after raising a family, or working in a non-production career, will be a factor in their success. They want to know if investing energy into the pursuit of script supervising is worth it for them. I had the exact same questions before I began. So I’m going to go ahead and address a number of the common ones now:
No, you don’t have to quit your day job in order to start script supervising, you can transition until you’ve fully replaced (and ultimately far outpaced) your income.
No, your age does not matter.
No, prior production experience is not required.
No, prior script supervisor credits are not required.
No, expensive software is not required.
No, expensive tools are not required.
Yes, you have everything you need to start right in your desk or closet.
Yes, your skills from working in corporate are transferable. (Remember, I was a non-profit director then a civil engineer before I started my film career.)
Yes, you can continue to audition and act.
Yes, you can continue to take stunt work.
Yes, you can continue to write, produce, and direct your own work.
Yes, you can get paid to travel.
Yes, the return on investment for training is sky high.
Yes, the job market for script supervisors right now is insane.
There’s never been a better time to become a script supervisor. Let your faith in yourself be bigger than your fear!
The industry needs script supervisors now!
Learn how to become a Script Supervisor.