“A Painter? How…Nice”: Some Advice on Back-Up Plans

By Lev Novak

Everyone has a plan.

Maybe it’s well-planned. Maybe it’s more like a daydream you stumble towards in your day to day life. Maybe it’s an oath you took years ago, in a dark smokey shack in front of the hooded associates of your guild. Whatever it is, it’s the goal you’ve been moving to all these years.

The problem, of course, is things happen. Maybe you realize that, in your dream to be the world’s greatest lion tamer, that you’r allergic to cats. Maybe you simply hate Law School. Maybe the oath you took with your guild puts you in a conflict with your most strongly held values. Whatever the problem is, it’s a problem, and it isn’t unusual. So you need a back up plan. How do you do that? Read on.

1. Don’t Confuse a Back-Up For Giving Up

This is the most important piece of advice I can give, and I’m putting it first. Whatever back-up plan you have, you can’t confuse it with giving up on your dreams. Let’s say you want to be a musician. That’s awesome- but you need a back-up plan; hold on. That’s because a back-up plan isn’t quitting- it’s a safety net that makes your first dream stronger, not weaker.

For example, if your back-up plan is to get a “job” you now hove money to feed yourself while you pursue your actual dreams. A back-up plan can be inconvenient, but it also keeps you safe and gives you the resources you need to try harder.

2. Widen Your Search

Let’s say you want to be a musician again. You want to be a pianist. The problem is that’s a uniquely difficult and specific profession to pursue. You absolutely should pursue it, but you should look further. Let’s say you know computers, and you can mix beats and you enjoy the work- it’s music after all.

Let’s say you know how to D.J. and you do that, too. Or maybe you can teach kids instruments, either on the side or through a school. If you had a specific dream of playing Carnegie Hall, those things listed above aren’t what you want. But for a back-up plan? They’re amazing. Each of those are jobs- you know, with money- that keeps you in the industry you care about. You might have specific dreams, but it’s important to widen your search to give your plan as much room as possible to be flexible.

3. Find One That Fits

If you want to be a musician, don’t go to Law School. Let me clarify- if you want to be a musician, and you’re good at it, really professional-level- then don’t go to Law School. Law School isn’t a back-up plan; it is it’s own complete plan.

A back-up plan should be flexible enough that you can pursue your dreams while following your back-up plan, but ideally, the back-up plan should be strong enough that it isn’t a dead-end career in itself. It should also be something that you like.

For example: if you really want to be a musician, teaching music on the side is a great fit if you’re outgoing. If you really want to be an actor, you can work in a theatre doing the more practical business while you act. If you want to be a writer, you might want to look into more corporate/creative positions that allow freelancing, like blogging online.

A good back-up plan does two things at once: short term, it gives you money and flexibility to pursue your dreams and, long term, it gives you a secondary option into a career you like well enough. That’s not giving up; it’s playing smart.

4. Don’t Consider Yourself Above It

If Jay-Z could sell crack while writing raps on paper bags, you can bartend on the weekends while writing.

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