Landed first job... but a little freaked out.
polycounter lvl 8
So the good news is that I just landed my first job at a studio up in Seattle. Obviously I'm extremely excited and i'll be taking it but it's just that it came way sooner than I expected, and I'm kind of freaking out a little considering i'm only 19 and just in my first year of community college, living in a small town with my girlfriend and working at a movie theater. Basically I just can't help but have the thought that there's not a whole lot of job security in the industry and that me and my girlfriend are going to be stuck up there locked in a lease, without even my AA (She is going to be continuing school while working part time up there, while I will probably take like one online class a quarter to chip away at it.) If it were to happen we are so young that we wouldn't be able to last long with the cost of living. But also just a little worried about how the work culture could play out with me being 19 and some of the older veterans there in their late 40's that could be my dang dad. Any thoughts? Any tips?
Replies
Just go in their confident and ready to learn. Nobody's expecting you to have ALL the answers, but you gotta be serious. I've got faith in you amigo.
Great job
The advice I would give to you is to always be super open to critique and always write it down when they give you critiques. In your next model, try to incorporate those critiques before you get the same ones if that makes sense. Show that you're listening and wanting to grow at every chance you get.
If given the chance to work with other departments, really try to work well with them and have a lot of communication back and forth. Getting noticed for collaborating well with not only your team, but other teams will go a long way when it comes time for evaluations.
Since you're a bit younger, I would just observe the studio culture for the first week or two and do solid work. I worked on two teams at Hi-Rez and found that some people really love learning new techniques/willing to discuss workflow and others just want to do the same thing they've been doing and don't want to be bothered.
Then I found out, as long as you do a good job and don't act too immature, people don't care how old you are in the industry. This sounds like an awesome opportunity for you so just rock with it. Also, at the age of 19, you can fuck up so completley badly and still recover your life within a couple years. I am talking like going bankrupt and all that. Imagine the absolute worst scenario and then think about the actual likeleyhood of that happening. its probably about a 5% or less chance. even in that situation you could probably just move back home or find a local job to tide you over.
What you are experiencing is completely normal, its actually fear trying to keep you comfortable. Right now you probably have a routine and set lifestyle, so your brain is automatically going to try to use fear of change to keep you in the safety of comfort. Growth rarely, if ever, happens when someone is languishing in comfort. You just have to say fuck it and pull the trigger even if it seems risky (to be honest your situation sounds like it's really not and has a 95% upside possibility)
I was in a similar situation when I started in the industry, paying $1k in rent a month to live in vancovuer on a juinor salary etc. long story short, things worked out and that was over 8 years ago now. Roll with the punches, get out of your comfort zone and have fun!
Don't you let that bother you at all. It's a young industry and people are always glad to see talented young folks.
Act as a professional and people will respect you and treat you as one.
Cost of living in a bigger city is scary but nothing that cannot be done with a bit of budgeting and planning.
Also a lot of people living in big city have no choice but to find a place to share with some roomies, it might not be the best but it's
something you should consider!
Plus it's a great way to possibly get to meet local people and get to know the city faster!
Good luck and congrats on the first job!!
Depending on the studio culture I'd advise you to be very tactful about suggesting new techniques. In some cases not everyone will appreciate your knowledge of PBR and normal map baking.
Just always continue pushing yourself, even now that you have landed your first games job. Never stop building your portfolio, learning new tools, pushing your skills, etc.
I got occasionally teased in a friendly way about my age and how I was a baby but no one ever really treated me any less. Especially after working with them for a bit, showing them that I was passionate about what I do, worked hard and was always trying to improve.
Just be yourself, work hard, ask questions and learn what you can. Make sure to learn when to ask for help and for people to show you things. If you are constantly bugging someone who has a deadline they are not going to want to help you as much and might dismiss you a lot.
Also dont fall into the pitfall lots of new people do and feel like they know more than the vets at a studio do if you know something they dont. Like if you know substance and someone at the studio you are going to work for doesn't, dont be a dick and be like "OMG YOU DONT KNOW SUBSTANCE!? I DO AM I'M JUST 19!". Its great when you can learn new things about it from people who are younger than you but if you are a dick about it or talk about how its so much better than the way someone else dose something they are going to write you off pretty quickly.
Congratz on the job
And ya.... shower...
you might make mistakes and stuff, but try not to sweat it too much
Age isn't a problem, some of my best friend are way much older than me, they could be my mom ( they would have need to be teenmom but still) and I get along with them really well, we have dinner together and do activity.