Researching The Seattle Area
Hey all! Sooooo I'll be getting my degree in May, however I'm in a location that's pretty much dead for industry so I'll have to be moving to find work, which is no problem. I looked around at gamedevmap and a few others to see who all was hiring and what positions I'd be qualified for coming out of school and I decided the Bellevue/Seattle area sounded like a good place to be. I was curious as to what other people's experiences have been there, and if apartments and such are really priced that high as compared to some of the websites I've looked at. Also trying to get a feel for how much an average month runs...
All that being said I'm currently a poor college kid in East TN working my way through school, and well I don't really want to work for Walmart anymore after having worked my ass off for the degree
. So any help or info or ANY KIND of advice would be awesome!
All that being said I'm currently a poor college kid in East TN working my way through school, and well I don't really want to work for Walmart anymore after having worked my ass off for the degree
. So any help or info or ANY KIND of advice would be awesome!
Replies
That's what I thought too, however my Professor is encouraging me to move out there and suck it up do whatcha gotta do etc till you get the job. That being said I could transfer from Walmart here to Walmart there and work that job till I found one in industry.
Well your professor is a bit nuts. Why limit yourself to only one section of the US market? I'm also sure Wal Mart pay doesn't scale that well to the higher cost of living you'd have in Seattle.
This.
And honestly, there's a lot of competition in the area for positions. While 343, Bungie, and others are snatching up a lot of talent, there are also lots of folks looking for work. And these people are not new to the industry, there are lots of veterans you'll be competing with especially with GPG layoffs.
Do what you gotta do but make sure you are tipping the tables to your advantage.
That he is lol. Ehhhh, I don't really see it as limiting (But I see what you're saying). For me there's a lot more opportunity on that side of the country it seems, and after looking everywhere it's a place that I think I'd be comfortable living while still being a lot closer to a good chunk of industry. Yeah that's kinda the concern for moving out there on Walmart pay. Currently making a little over 9$ an hour and by the time I have enough for the move I should be making closer to 10$ but I agree I'd much rather have a job in industry first.
@Gonzo: Yeah I think I just don't want to get stuck here in Johnson City, I'd rather be somewhere where I can be on the ready to go in and work at a company. And I'm trying to avoid the bigger name companies for now, due to the competition.
@Dar: More than happy to move anywhere... And live in the smallest crappy place I can find lol, I just chose the Seattle area for personal preference.
Huh... That's pretty awesome, is that kinda standard? Or was it luck?
I was planning on doing what you are thinking about a while back, moving to Seattle from Atlanta, and hope for the best. 2 months before I was about to make the move, I got a job in Austin, Texas. I'm very glad I didn't go through all of that hassle to just be in a city that may not have had opportunities for me, and would probably have had to move out of for a job.
Don't discount other parts of the US! There are studios in Boston, Virginia, Atlanta, Chicago, Texas, and Colorado to name a few off the top of my head. Just because the west coast has a ton of studios, doesn't mean the rest of the US/Canada has less, just more spread out. You aren't too far from a bunch of studios, they just don't advertise their location that much.
I have worked in
Norway
Sweden
Taiwan
Japan
I have actually not worked in the same country twice,
so locking yourself down to cities wont do you any good.
That's cause it ain't his money that'll be getting spent.
If you can transfer locations with your current employer, and have a decent support network should things go awry, then sure. Could be worth a try.
Seattle is an awesome town and by all means I really enjoyed my time out there, but I wasn't ready to get a job. I spent my three years out there working at Fred Meyer stores until I was lucky enough to score my first modeling job....back on the East Coast in Virginia. And I had to pay my own moving expenses to get back out to where I am now.
Many studios that were in Seattle when I had moved there have since closed up shop. There are less opportunities but I think that goes for many cities. Moving to a town where you don't know anyone and you're hoping to just fall into something great is incredibly foolish but also very liberating. Just make sure you can keep your head above water if things don't work out.
Also, don't transfer to Wal-Mart out there. They won't unionize, so Seattle won't let them build within the city (at least that was the case when I lived out there.) If you're looking for part time, Fred Meyer is the major store out there and they have better wages and benefits for while you're looking for full out work.
Questions to answer:
City and State?
Where you are currently working?
What is the approx amount for your rent?
Avg of rent for the area?
Avg amount in bills per month?
Do you enjoy the area?
How's the job market?
How's traffic?
and anything else you might want to add
There's also online cost of living calculators for areas that do show rent and bills.
Still thanks for the link.
Studios (depending on size and other things) Do sometimes cover or help out with relocation. If picking up and moving your life to a new place isn't a huge deal, mention that in your applications and interviews, but for now I would sit tight and concentrate on making some kick ass art.
I grew a pair and signed up for both the 2D and 3D courses at FP and jammed as much crap that I could fit into my car and set out. I was lucky enough to connect with some people through Polycount to set up living arrangements for the first six or so months I was out here while I took courses at FuturePoly, which was a totally tight experience. From there I made a serious effort to network and meet as many artist face to face as I could, which was something that was impossible to do stuck out in Ohio. Landed an internship at a major studio while at FuturePoly and have been in the industry since. Seattle might be the perfect storm of a place to have done that. Anyone, please feel free to PM if you've got questions or anything else. Cheers.