Job Advice

javcop

Hey guys, 

So I've been lucky enough to be able to land interviews at a simulations company and EA for modeling/texturing. Though I don't have solid offers yet, I've been weighing which option I would choose if it came to it. I'm not 100%, so I was hoping you guys might be able to share insight and thoughts about it. I wrote out some pros and cons below. Also, I understand some of the stuff below is a bit nit-picky, especially for entry-level. I would definitely be excited to work at either company, but trying to think things through as well as possible.

Simulations:
Pros:
- Job Security (Full-time, lots of benefits)
- Would be able to work on different models and projects from various clients; More opportunity to explore other     venues of work (Generalist)
- Very relaxed atmosphere; Probably less stress and deadline pressure than the rest of the game industry

Cons:
- Graphics are 3-4 years behind since it's mainly for training purposes
- Style is realistic and mainly vehicles/weapons, while I'm a bigger fan of stylized art and characters
- No Zbrush and limited software options
- Business casual dress code


EA:
Pros:
- Will work in character-related art (what I want)
- More opportunity to do high-end art
- Will work in more programs I'm familiar with
- Will have more opportunity to learn about cutting-edge techniques and software
- Good starting off point because of the EA name and possibility to go to other EA studios
- Will be familiar with some faces
- Casual dress code

 Cons:
- Contract work; May be some time before I can become full-time, if possible
- Probably more deadline pressure and crunch time

Thanks for any input!

Tl;dr: First job in the industry - do I start in simulations or EA?

RaptorCWS

well it look like ea is what you want. Its literally the first thing in with the pros. life is too short to be miserable with what you do.

maatin

Pick the one you would enjoy more, the one that will make you better at what you ultimatley want to do.
Of course you need to be able to survive, but as long as you have that covered. Go for it.
You actually wrote "What I want" under the EA pros. So I think that sums it up

I actually had a similar choice setup a few years ago, and I chose the "safe" option, I pretty quick ended up unhappy and frustrated knowing I chose the one I did not really want.

only my opinion, but hope it helps!

javcop

Haha, it's weird how I did write that and, for whatever reason, didn't really notice it. Yeah, after talking with a buddy of mine, I'm definitely more inclined towards EA. It definitely is a battle of the more challenging/interesting work versus the safe bet. I'll probably go with you guys and just go with EA. Didn't drive up my debt just to play it safe. Thanks guys!

Bartalon

Last year I took a "safe bet" over a really great AAA opportunity doing all sorts of stuff right down my alley, mostly because of my concern over contract lengths.  I ended up being pretty unsatisfied with my decision in retrospect.  So I also agree with the others here, pick what you'd enjoy doing more.

ExcessiveZero

There are some horror stories over EA, but I am sure as well there is lots of bullshit flying around too and some people are likely very happy working at EA, at the end of the day you can but try, roll the dice when you can.

Think of yourself as a Sim, are you family orientated? Job Security, Career Orientated? Character art, these decisions are hard to give a definitive do this or that, because it really depends on you knowing yourself and making your decision based upon that, so best thing I can say is work out what sim you are lol.

Bletzkarn

RaptorCWS said:

well it look like ea is what you want. Its literally the first thing in with the pros. life is too short to be miserable with what you do.

I feel like people become artists for this reason. I feel like I'm taking such a huge risk by following art and not engineering, but I know I'd be miserable if I was an engineer.

Justin Meisse

I'm a former EA employee, from my experience the pay and benefits were great and there wasn't a lot of overtime (this was just after the ea spouse pr disaster).  I was at Mythic which was purchased by EA, so most of the culture was still the original studio culture, EA doesn't really seem to be that bad of an overlord, I've been doing this for a while now and I've found that every studio is both the best and the worst.  I've worked with people who have nightmare stories from studios that regularly get called the greatest since sliced bread, it really all boils down to what kind of culture you enjoy working in.

Hito

If Games is what you want to do, go for that. "Job Security" in Simulation is exaggerated to say the least, and the longer you spend in something career that is not Games, the harder it is for you switch to Games. It's much easier to switch to simulation if you find Games not what you want or expected later down the line.

Kwramm

The EA guys I know are all great people and very skilled. From what I hear from my mates at EA, the "EA spouse days" are definitely over. They're happy with their work and with their projects. Go for EA!

javcop

Yeah, I do recall some slight negative stuff from EA years back, but recently, from people who work there, I've only heard good things and everyone does seem pretty content with them. I'll probably be siding with EA if I get the shot. Thanks for all the responses guys, really appreciate it! 

Marshkin

As someone who works within EA and has been for the last 5 years, I can say that it's a great place to work. 
I would recommend going with EA if the opportunity presents itself. You'll be in the industry you want and even if it is temporary  work, if you do a good job, you are more likely to get offered another contract once more work presents itself. 

Not sure which studio you'd be at, but the EAC one also has a crazy nice campus. Not that it should be the deciding factor... but I'm just saying  

David-J

Ex EA here. I worked at Redwood shores for the SIMS and it was great. It is more or less common for contractors ending up full time but don't bet on it. Networking within EA helps a lot to achieve that.
Which EA studio?

slipsius

I worked for EA last year (bioware edmonton) and couldn't have been happier with the experience. Well, minus the whole temp contract thing. But that's the industry. Not EA. 

beefaroni

All I will say is if you're not doing artwork that you feel is helping you improve as an artist during the day, you're most likely going to have to spend your time outside of work improving your skills if you're pushing for a higher-level studio. 

It is much easier to relax outside of work when the work you're doing lines up with your personal art goals.

Sukotto

beefaroni said:

All I will say is if you're not doing artwork that you feel is helping you improve as an artist during the day, you're most likely going to have to spend your time outside of work improving your skills if you're pushing for a higher-level studio. 

It is much easier to relax outside of work when the work you're doing lines up with your personal art goals.

Oh man do I agree with this. It definitely feels like a waste of time with developing your art if the stuff you work on during the day isn't what you most enjoy doing. Thats definitely something to keep in mind Javcop, but it sounds more like you've been swayed to EA anyway  

One thing to keep in mind though is the likelihood of being hired on full-time and whether you'll have to move. Will you have to move far for the EA position? It would suck if you had to move across the country only to find yourself unemployed 6 months(or however long it is) later once your contract ends