Could This Hurt My future career?
I am starting film school this year. It's a three-year program, and after that, I'll be heading straight into the industry 'jungle' (hopefully with the help of some school internships).
My dilemma is this: I want to spend several months outside of my home country (Spain) living in Asia, primarily in Japan, while also traveling to other countries I have planned. I'd like to do this before I turn 30 (I'm currently 21). While in Japan, I also want to shoot some guerrilla-style films, as the country has so much to offer visually and has excellent access to equipment.
However, I'm worried that leaving right after graduation could severely hurt my career opportunities. I'd miss out on collaborating with classmates, networking with peers who are moving up in the industry, and staying close with their momentum.
I know the obvious answer might be, "Skip the trip, hustle your way into the industry, and travel later in life." And that's a valid point. But I don't want to be in my 30s messing around and risking bigger career opportunities then. If I'm going to make mistakes or take big risks, it's much easier to make them now and recover than when I'm over 30.
Maybe this post makes me sound like a retarded kid who doesn't want to sacrifice a vacation for a film career, but this trip has been a dream of mine since childhood and has a big personal importance to my life.