I have so many friends who seem stuck in jobs that are going nowhere. Maybe it's my age - which you can't expect me to confess. Suffice to say, my friends and I are of that age where most summer weekends are spent at weddings, and conversations are increasingly interrupted by the mewling of babies in the background. It's an age where your priorities shift away from painting the town red towards buying paint for the kids' room. And it's an age where you start to wonder if you'll always have a job, or if you'll ever get a career.

Sometimes it's hard to see the truth of what's going on in your own life, and easier to judge the lives of others. Like the fictional others of television shows. If you find yourself relating especially closely to any of the following, it might be time to spruce up your resume.

Wouldn't you love to know who's giving actor James Franco career advice these days? I'm not knocking him or her, but I'd love to figure out the strategy. Or maybe this is just Franco being Franco (like Manny being Manny, for you baseball fans out there)?

James has just started filming his two-month arc on General Hospital -- check out the first pic (right) -- and now Michael Ausiello reports that James Franco will do a guest spot on 30 Rock.

How's that for a career trajectory -- from box office bonanza (Spider-Man) to Oscar feature (Milk) to daytime soap (General Hospital) to Emmy-winning sitcom (30 Rock). He's like a human pinball machine looking for a perfect score!