Which Path Are You Going To Take To Success?

It's been one of those weeks where you can't help but notice the differences between some of the kids running around Hollywood.

I'm not talking about their different talents or their various social and economic backgrounds.  I'm talking about the approach they take to their careers.

There are plenty of teen actors who support each other as they navigate their way into the industry. They share tips, stories and support each other as they all attempt to discover what exactly "their thing" is in the entertainment industry.

Zach is lucky in that he has a very supportive group of friends.  Many of them audition for the same roles and the ones that audition early share tips about the casting directors.  They will run lines together, go see each other perform and do their best to enjoy a normal teenage existence.

On the other hand, there are some kids that want to take the shortcut route to success.  What do I mean by "shortcut"?

They like to show up at any event possible and take tons of photos with the celebrities attending the gathering. After making sure to annoy the featured guests for photos and autographs, they spend the next few days making sure everyone knows they met a famous person.  

(Full Disclosure...I do enjoy some of the photos just to see the ever increasing annoyed look on the face of the celebrity during the photos.)

Don't get me wrong.  There's nothing wrong with asking for a photo.  It's the "famous by association" aspect that is the shortcut route of their career path.

This set of kids who want to be famous are well known for scoring free tickets to events in order to try and be seen as a "VIP", attending free workshops and gatherings with no intention of coming back for any of the paid sessions and never telling anyone where they're going so they don't have to share their "inside information".  These are the kids that are encouraged by their parents to latch on to any celebrity connection possible so the kids can be seen as successful and in the loop.

No matter what career you choose to pursue, there is no one certain path to success.  

If you feel that getting your photo taken with celebrities will help you achieve success in the entertainment business, then by all means continue on that path.  It seems to have worked for Kim, Khloe and Kourtney.  It also seems to be the path to fame for many characters on "Entourage".

I'm glad that Zach and his friends have decided to take the "hard work" route to success:

• He has one friend who performs stand-up comedy on a daily basis to anywhere from 5 to 50 to 500 people.  He just wants to perfect his craft no matter the size of the crowd.
• He has another teen friend who writes and produces her own films in between booking jobs on big budget productions.
• A good number of his friends sing, dance, put out YouTube videos and do whatever they can to improve their skills.

If you're thinking about trying to make it in show business, what path to success will you take?

After a hard day at work, it's video games for this guy!