Best city in southern California for game design, SD or LA?
greentooth
Hi all, not sure if I'm asking this in the right place, but here goes.
Brief history of myself, first. I am a 35-year-old nerd who got burnt-out on life from working way too long in a veterinary career and decided last April that I was going to retire from the field and go into debt learning 3D-modeling/texturing full-time at home. It sounds crazy, and it is, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my life not doing the thing I loved. For almost a year now, I have been completely self-teaching myself modeling/texturing via Pluralsight/Udemy/Mike Hermes etc. with a focus on game asset/environmental creation. So, there's the boring stuff out of the way.
Now, to the main point. In August of this year, my girlfriend and I will be moving to California so she can pursue her PhD. The top schools she has been accepted by and the ones we are currently trying to decide between are San Diego (UCSD), L.A. (UCLA), and Santa Barbara. I am currently conflicted as, from what I have gathered, L.A. is where all the jobs are and where I will have the most opportunity to find work. However, I have heard horror stories of living in L.A. (traffic/people) and am concerned that I would be miserable there from a quality of life standpoint. I am also concerned that, with more jobs, maybe there are also a lot more people competing for those jobs, thus creating over-saturation and less chances of actually landing work given the amount of competition. San Diego I have been to, and love, but it seems like the job market out there is a lot thinner and I am worried I wouldn't be able to find work given my lack of experience in 3D game design. Santa Barbara...well, it looks nice, but I don't see any jobs and it is likely we won't move there as a result.
Does anyone have an personal experience with these cities who can give me an idea of what I should come to expect given my current situation/experience that may aid us in our decision-making? IE is the job market worth the hassle of living in L.A.? Maybe L.A. itself isn't as bad people make it out to be? (I live in the D.C. area so I am used to congested cities, but I am also sick of it lol). Will I be able to eventually find work in a place like San Diego? I don't expect my career to take off immediately, I know it's going to be rough starting out, but I certainly don't want to pigeon-hole myself somewhere that may not be properly suited for my career aspirations.
Sorry for rambling. I'm fighting a pretty bad cold right now and my thoughts are pretty random and incoherent. But thanks for listening, I appreciate it!
PS: I am currently working on my portfolio and am planning on uploading some of my projects here for some critique/feedback once I feel they pass my own QA test. If you happen to browse my Artstation below, just know that I have not uploaded anything new since last summer and that everything there is currently outdated and looks like crap.
Brief history of myself, first. I am a 35-year-old nerd who got burnt-out on life from working way too long in a veterinary career and decided last April that I was going to retire from the field and go into debt learning 3D-modeling/texturing full-time at home. It sounds crazy, and it is, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my life not doing the thing I loved. For almost a year now, I have been completely self-teaching myself modeling/texturing via Pluralsight/Udemy/Mike Hermes etc. with a focus on game asset/environmental creation. So, there's the boring stuff out of the way.
Now, to the main point. In August of this year, my girlfriend and I will be moving to California so she can pursue her PhD. The top schools she has been accepted by and the ones we are currently trying to decide between are San Diego (UCSD), L.A. (UCLA), and Santa Barbara. I am currently conflicted as, from what I have gathered, L.A. is where all the jobs are and where I will have the most opportunity to find work. However, I have heard horror stories of living in L.A. (traffic/people) and am concerned that I would be miserable there from a quality of life standpoint. I am also concerned that, with more jobs, maybe there are also a lot more people competing for those jobs, thus creating over-saturation and less chances of actually landing work given the amount of competition. San Diego I have been to, and love, but it seems like the job market out there is a lot thinner and I am worried I wouldn't be able to find work given my lack of experience in 3D game design. Santa Barbara...well, it looks nice, but I don't see any jobs and it is likely we won't move there as a result.
Does anyone have an personal experience with these cities who can give me an idea of what I should come to expect given my current situation/experience that may aid us in our decision-making? IE is the job market worth the hassle of living in L.A.? Maybe L.A. itself isn't as bad people make it out to be? (I live in the D.C. area so I am used to congested cities, but I am also sick of it lol). Will I be able to eventually find work in a place like San Diego? I don't expect my career to take off immediately, I know it's going to be rough starting out, but I certainly don't want to pigeon-hole myself somewhere that may not be properly suited for my career aspirations.
Sorry for rambling. I'm fighting a pretty bad cold right now and my thoughts are pretty random and incoherent. But thanks for listening, I appreciate it!
PS: I am currently working on my portfolio and am planning on uploading some of my projects here for some critique/feedback once I feel they pass my own QA test. If you happen to browse my Artstation below, just know that I have not uploaded anything new since last summer and that everything there is currently outdated and looks like crap.
Replies
I'd argue for Los Angeles. I like SD to for various reassons, but it feels like it lacks the LA hustle.
I could try to help with that. Grew up and still live in the area, from Los Angeles to Orange County.
If you haven't already, take the time to browse through this board's stickies, they're chock full of useful industry info and welcome aboard you're in for one hell of a ride
Cheers.
I once studied to become a vet technician, but my love of art gradually made me change careers, even though I find animals very interesting.
JordanN, I wasn't a veterinarian per se, but a vet tech. Still love animals, but working in the field for long enough really does burn you out like nothing else and eventually you feel like you're trapped at a dead end, which is why it took me so many years to finally gain the courage to make this horrifying, but exciting, life change. Based on my own personal experience, I think you made the right choice.
It helps to be careful and aware of your surroundings but I think that's true of anywhere that you might wanna live. Both have their pros and cons so go with your gut and do what you're most comfortable with (worst case scenario you can always make the 1.5 - 2 hour drive from one to the other). It's kinda like choosing between a suburban area or a metropolitan area. I'm also happy to give my 2 cents on any neighborhoods or getting from place to place if you're looking for suggestions. Whichever place you choose I don't think you can't really go wrong but I hope the move goes smoothly, man!