[Concluded] Do employers care which university you go to?
polycounter lvl 8
So I know in other indsutries such as medical or engineering, employers care what university you've graduated from. If you've graduated from Harvard I can imagine the employer choosing you over another potential employee whome may have graduated from another, lower reputable university.
Does this apply in the 3D games industry? I'd think no. Its your portfolio that matters. The art you can create and the artistic sense that you have is what matters. Not what university you've graduated from. Do employers much care or look at what university you may have graduated from? Or do they evaluate your capabilities through your portfolio?
The reason I ask is because I have a university in my town, it's 10 minutes away, its a high quality university, well paid for and has all the materials I'd need but the only thing is that it's fairly new. Only been around for 30-40 years. It's had a lot of successful 3d art graduates though might I add. So would it really be beneficial for me to travel further for a higher reputable uni and potentially pay a significant amount more? Would appreciate it if some light was shed on this.
Does this apply in the 3D games industry? I'd think no. Its your portfolio that matters. The art you can create and the artistic sense that you have is what matters. Not what university you've graduated from. Do employers much care or look at what university you may have graduated from? Or do they evaluate your capabilities through your portfolio?
The reason I ask is because I have a university in my town, it's 10 minutes away, its a high quality university, well paid for and has all the materials I'd need but the only thing is that it's fairly new. Only been around for 30-40 years. It's had a lot of successful 3d art graduates though might I add. So would it really be beneficial for me to travel further for a higher reputable uni and potentially pay a significant amount more? Would appreciate it if some light was shed on this.
Replies
While I was at Hi-Rez we hired a Weapons Artist a year out of high school with 0 college experience. He had a great portfolio and a solid art test. He's been a great contribution to the team ever since.
Occasionally, if its a student with no experience applying. If they went to a well known uni/college they have a greater chance of a callback then someone with the exact same portfolio with no schooling. (Ringling/SCAD/etc) When it comes to internships we will not consider you if you are not attending school, so there's that to think about as well.
More money does not equally better schooling. IE: If money is an issue do gen-eds at a local college for a few hundred dollars and shave off a year or two from the more expensive school.
I've posted about this before you can check my replies for more info if you want.
But yes, I agree with the gen-eds. If you can learn a lot of art fundamentals extremely cheap then it's a great idea.
Good luck!
Learn much, and be a good team player. Do what you can to always strive to improve.
I currently work at a university and one thing I see with our 2d/3d students is that they work hard to get in here, however when they are here they forget to work to improve, and then feel like the university did not offer them anything in the end.
You reap what you sow is a bit at work here. If you put in effort to learn the techniques the teachers are showing, strive to improve and be a good team player you will get a lot out of your time at university, no matter where you attend it.
The networking will then be between the students, teachers and industry professionals that come in to give talks etc. Also make sure to attend polycount meetings and other industry meetups if you can.
It all helps.
Good luck!
Thanks.
Despite the fact that you might feel like an annoyance for asking so many questions, most teachers actually likes students who ask. But be sure to ask relevant questions, and not just random questions about anything. But ask them what you can improve on, what you should look at in your work etc. Then do that, and continue to ask them.
I know the teachers I work with love that, and they love seeing the students improving, and they get as excited as the student when they finish something great!
Haha yeah I'm a question asker. Good to know.
I see you're from London. The one I'm hoping to attend is Bolton University. Near Manchester.
I currently work for University of Hertfordshire, for the Animation, Games Art and VFX degree
and you'll find your wanted destination, for the time being, when you work at it. But also realise that it can change, and sometimes where you thought you wanted to be is not where you want to be in 3 years time