Home Career & Education

What's more important: Working on portfolio or getting hired at any cost?

polycounter lvl 4
Offline / Send Message
wonkza polycounter lvl 4
I've graduated a while ago but I've never found a job yet, so I'm trying to improve my portfolio now since I was a bit behind I guess, I took some time off for personal reasons and now I feel really behind the industry standards and trying to catch up, (when I graduated PBR workflow and substance painter didn't exist really).  

But some of my family members  like my brother are desperate to see me unemployed now and say that nobody actually works on their first job, you first serve coffee and make copies and are not paid and then the company will teach you everything and that portfolio doesn't matter, but he works in finance and I keep telling him that it's probably more important to have a good portfolio in this industry than to bullshit the interviewer on how good you are (that's what you do in finance) In my opinion if you bullshit and then can't do anything you will have a bad reputation and get fired straight away...  I mean sure you will learn a lot but you can't come and know almost nothing and have nothing in the portfolio it's kinda shooting yourself in the foot, and I don't feel comfortable selling myself on something I can't do... 

I've never heard of someone getting in the game industry by making coffees at first..  he says I'm so irrealistic and live in my own world that's not how the world works blablabla that working on my portfolio is a waste of time, I should be applying and calling every studio and harass them.  The last part might be true, but without good art is there really a point? 

Edit: I also get stressed out on that it's more important to get any job in any studio even unpaid (including serving coffee or doing nothing and watching others work) than not having a job no matter what you're doing (including working on portfolio).

Replies

  • Ashervisalis
    Offline / Send Message
    Ashervisalis grand marshal polycounter
    I work in finance right now. Getting jobs in finance is completely different to getting jobs in art. With finance you need to have shiny words on your resume. With art you need a shiny portfolio. Get crackin' on that portfolio and don't listen to your brother's advice! Once I get a job as an artist, I'm not making anybody coffee. They can take 2 minutes to get their own coffee.
  • Brian "Panda" Choi
    Offline / Send Message
    Brian "Panda" Choi high dynamic range
    If you NEED to be employed, I recommend finding a job that respects your hours to a fine needle (none of this "we need you to stay a little after to clean up." etc.), and doesn't creatively exhaust you from making game art.  You need to protect your art making time, and if you end up working a job that impedes and, worse/ makes you hate making art, there's a problem.  That's why I don't recommend QA as an interim job for a lot of people since it will have a higher risk of you not liking game development.

    For me that was mowing greens at a Sammamish, WA golfcourse, and hustling on remote contracts with Camouflaj, etc.

    Portfolio is the main priority.  Your credits list on games made comes second alongside who you know in the industry and their judgment call on you.
  • Bletzkarn
    Offline / Send Message
    Bletzkarn polycounter lvl 6
    your brother is flat out wrong.

    Portfolio definitely matters. You need exceptional skills but also exceptional personal skills as well. The portfolio lands you the interview, your personal skills convince the employer that they NEED you to work for them.

    Business is deceptively simply. There's only one thing that matters. 

    Money.

    The better job you do of convincing your employer that you will make them money, the more likely you will get the job. On average on employee needs to make 3x their salary to be worthwhile.

    Say your salary is 40K. How can you show your employer you will directly or indirectly make AT LEAST 120k back that year. From an artists perspective it's about showing high quality content that's going to build hype and excitement for their next project, or about showing them you can meet the art directors expectations (who in turn uses you to make back your salary).

    This is the crux of it. Now larger companies have different motives, because middle management would rather work with people they like rather than those who make money. Most of the time it's just luck. They'll look at the first 10 resumes of 200. Pick 3 candidates and throw away the rest.
  • Felixenfeu
    Offline / Send Message
    Felixenfeu polycounter lvl 10
    nobody actually works on their first job, you first serve coffee and make copies and are not paid and then the company will teach you everything and that portfolio doesn't matter - wonkza
    yeahhhh. Honestly, unless you are a runner (which is an actual job, which is actually taking care of studios, coffee machine, etc.), I've never seen anything like that in a art-related job. If you get hired as an artist, well you will make art. Maybe low-key art ? Less important to the game art? Maybe. But coffee? wtf hahaha.
    I don't feel comfortable selling myself on something I can't do - wonkza
    that's the spirit ! Work on your stuff, sell your actual talent and potential. Your brother is definitely out of touch with this industry and it's definitely incomparable
    I've never heard of someone getting in the game industry by making coffees at first - wonkza
    I've heard of such stories but these people don't work in art. They end up in QA, production, facility management, etc. Definitely not art.

     That's why I don't recommend QA as an interim job for a lot of people since it will have a higher risk of you not liking game development. - Brian "Panda" Choi
    Plus, with QA, you rarely ever talk to artist, from what friends who worked QA told me. Everybody you will interact with will be designer and programmer. Really a bad way to get your food in the door as far as art goes.

    Otherwise I think everyone is on the same page here : Porfolio trumps everything. That's the most single important thing to get an art job. Even if you are a total dick you will get a job somewhere. ( Please don't though hahaha) . So yeah forget about your brother's opinion, it's not his career and his life that's on the line, it's yours. And if you fuck up your porfolio, you fuck up your career.
  • zetheros
    Offline / Send Message
    zetheros interpolator
    Portfolio is the main priority.  Your credits list on games made comes second alongside who you know in the industry and their judgment call on you.
    For sure. If you need money, I can't recommend finding work as a novice artist; getting hired will prove very difficult (I've tried the harass every game company method before). Companies are looking at many portfolios, and they are looking for someone who they believe can contribute.

    Find a job with your motivation being $$, then you can focus on your portfolio 100%. 

    I would recommend modding for games, participating in the occasional polycount modeling contests, or helping out an indie dev team to improve your portfolio. Not only are you building up your portfolio, you can prove that you can work alongside others to produce something worth paying for, and hopefully building connections and discovering friends in the games industry.
  • BrianShray
    Offline / Send Message
    BrianShray polycounter lvl 4
    You need to protect your art making time, and if you end up working a job that impedes and, worse/ makes you hate making art, there's a problem.

    Permission to steal this, please ~ haha

    -----------

    Yeah as most have suggested. If being unemployed is starting to become an issue and you absolutely have to get a gig. I'd say go with a 9-5 (or lesser) that isn't too taxing physically or mentally. For instance like a cashier job. Then when you head back, you have a solid 5-6hours to still perfect your art. 

    In terms of getting into the industry making coffee and such, haven't heard of that happening. Most employers would rather hire someone who already has a good understanding on the workflow and requries minimal training/supervision. 

    All the best tho. ~ 

  • Larry
    Offline / Send Message
    Larry interpolator
    wonkza said:
    I've graduated a while ago but I've never found a job yet, so I'm trying to improve my portfolio now since I was a bit behind I guess, I took some time off for personal reasons and now I feel really behind the industry standards and trying to catch up, (when I graduated PBR workflow and substance painter didn't exist really).  

    But some of my family members  like my brother are desperate to see me unemployed now and say that nobody actually works on their first job, you first serve coffee and make copies and are not paid and then the company will teach you everything and that portfolio doesn't matter, but he works in finance and I keep telling him that it's probably more important to have a good portfolio in this industry than to bullshit the interviewer on how good you are (that's what you do in finance) In my opinion if you bullshit and then can't do anything you will have a bad reputation and get fired straight away...  I mean sure you will learn a lot but you can't come and know almost nothing and have nothing in the portfolio it's kinda shooting yourself in the foot, and I don't feel comfortable selling myself on something I can't do... 

    I've never heard of someone getting in the game industry by making coffees at first..  he says I'm so irrealistic and live in my own world that's not how the world works blablabla that working on my portfolio is a waste of time, I should be applying and calling every studio and harass them.  The last part might be true, but without good art is there really a point? 

    Edit: I also get stressed out on that it's more important to get any job in any studio even unpaid (including serving coffee or doing nothing and watching others work) than not having a job no matter what you're doing (including working on portfolio).
    What i find myself doing all the time is thinking that "i am not ready yet, i am not good enough". I want to be an enviroment artist but i only know how to make materials and props. I have not touched landscapes and foliage yet. But i'm gonna send cv's and apply for jobs/internships or whatever, because sometimes you do learn alot in the studio that you work in. So don't think that you are outdated, instead make what you CAN make, have a portfolio piece to start sending around, and in the meantime, work on other pieces as well
  • sacboi
    Offline / Send Message
    sacboi high dynamic range
    ...the former, period!

    And is usually key for entry into most potential career paths or senior roles.
  • garcellano
    Offline / Send Message
    garcellano greentooth
    If you need work, there's work. If you want something at least art-related, they're there, but in some areas, you can't be as picky.

    It's definitely on the portfolio, but having experience in the work field in-general would definitely help. If it's art-related, it can show that you're familiar with the art production pipeline, even if it's graphic design or web, print, etc. I mean, even in QA, if you do that, and focus on your portfolio on the side, you'll be familiar with the game dev pipeline on that end.
  • sziada
    Offline / Send Message
    sziada polycounter lvl 11
    if you have a job of any kind then work on your folio relentlessly, otherwise get a source of income and then focus on your folio. 
  • NikhilR
    Offline / Send Message
    NikhilR polycounter
       I share your situation, lol.
       It depends on what you really want. A lot of my peers in game dev want to join the companies who's games they like, but they are not motivated enough to do the work involved.
       They simply want to be associated with the companies for the bragging rights and what that might do for their self esteem.
        A good many of them want a job that pays more than minimum wage and that's all (for the moment atleast)

       If you are truly passionate about game art and art in general, you would keep pushing that portfolio no matter what.
       Make sure you look up this wiki,
       http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/PortfolioContents
       Again not a guarantee to getting the job you want, but will give you the notoriety and the credibility for companies to take a chance with you.
     
       I would also recommend taking a live course if you feel you need someone(mentor) on your back and a industry standard portfolio piece at the end with an established industry contact - all also available for free depending on how far you are willing to go.
     
       These courses are not a guarantee or a requirement to getting a job in the industry.
        https://www.gameartinstitute.com/store
        https://www.uartsy.com/subscribe

       Doing these courses is also very dependent on where you currently stand in skill level and portfolio. There is a lot you can learn with regular practice and asking the right questions.

       If you're just in it because of the "glamour" of working in game development, there are other ways to get there not involving game art like production/HR/marketing/QA/game testing etc. Again the skills, competitiveness of these positions are a different matter entirely. Can't depend on them to improve your portfolio, that's on you.

        It would help if you posted your art and gave us an idea of what part of the game development pipeline you're interested in. (Animation/Modeling-character, environment, props/Level Design.etc) Then you can plan out your approach better and talk to your family about it which might help them understand.
       But remember, some families will never understand. They are too thoroughly rooted to their beliefs/popular perception to change.




  • Goat Justice
    Offline / Send Message
    Goat Justice polycounter lvl 10

    In all my years in the industry no one has ever brought me a cup of coffee.... :'(

    Seriously though, the work experience that counts for getting a job as an artist are jobs in which you worked as an artist (And that experience counts for a lot). Studios are looking to hire people that can do the work on day one.

    As for trying to bullshit the interview. There likely won't be a serious interview without first passing an art test. Which requires the skills you'd develop making a strong portfolio. Also, at some point the interview will be conducted by the leadership of the art team, who should be a lot harder to fool than someone from HR.

    Working a non-related job in a game studio might give you a few networking opportunities, but if you don't have a decent folio to show off when the moment comes that won't matter.

    Apologies if someone already touched on these. The thread's kinda long at this point and I read through it fast.   

Sign In or Register to comment.