Should current batch of US students consider foreign job markets?

ambelamba

 I am this close to attending a CG school for full time. My VA benefit counselor is very helpful. One small problem is that he wants me to stay local, or at least regional after finishing my full-time program.

 I believe that many CG artists are nomadic. (even 2D artists, too.) And with current economy and stuff I can't imagine how the job market will be after 2 years. And even with my stint at US military and my citizenship, I don't feel secure. I am an immigrant. Maybe it's too early to speculate but I shouldn't rule out the possibility of working overseas, which I find it uncomfortable. 

 So...do many US-educated artists work overseas already? Or even worse, do 3D artists need to migrate around pretty often? Or, how does outsourcing affect the job market in the US at this point?

P.S. I have another question. Storyboard artists have agencies. Comp artists also have agencies. What about freelance 3D artists? Do 3D artists get accepted by illustrators' reps or something? I have no information about this. And any info on headhunting/recruiting trends?

Eric Chadwick

Yes, game dev artists move frequently. Game artists early in their careers tend to stay in each job only 1 - 2 years. So it is very difficult to stay in one area for long, especially when you are starting out. You need to go where the work is.

Game dev artists usually do not have union representatives, or commission agencies. The industry has been reluctant to unionize, mostly because the work force is young and inexperienced (and eager, therefore exploited by employers, unfortunately) , and the employers have no experience working with unions either.

Recruiters will help studios find artists to fill seats. Usually they prefer to focus on senior talent, because they get a commission based on percentage of salary. There are also a lot of bad apples in the recruiting ranks, using terrible practices. Do your research before working with one.

I've added lots of info to our wiki
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Game_Industry

ambelamba

Thanks. 

But I guess I am gearing toward animation industry rather than game industry. It would be awesome to work for Riot or Blizzard, but my long term goal is to get into concept design. (yes, 3D is being gradually introduced to the design pipeline, according to the school representative.)

Seems like a lot of modeling/sculpting works are NOT done inhouse. In case of Overwatch and Halo 4&5, those jobs were often outsourced especially to oversea artists. 

Well, I was told that it's not to late to think about the career path later on. My immediate goal is to get into the school and immerse myself into the craft.