Internships that seek students
ngon master
What is it with the majority of internship listings making it a requirement to be working towards a degree? Is it all about subsidies?
I get so excited jumping on indeed, reading through a post till I hit that dreaded requirement. It feels like a wall placed in front of self taught artists who don't have those opportunities.
Is it worth it to apply to these positions if you aren't in school? Do those apps just get tossed in the trash immediately?
I get so excited jumping on indeed, reading through a post till I hit that dreaded requirement. It feels like a wall placed in front of self taught artists who don't have those opportunities.
Is it worth it to apply to these positions if you aren't in school? Do those apps just get tossed in the trash immediately?
Replies
I'm, a, uh...independent student? Or something. heheh.
in general tho, if you are worth it and the company is looking for someone, i dont see an issue from a companies point of view.
If you're in Canada, and especially in Toronto, there is a definite "collaboration" between game dev colleges and game studios. A lot of the teachers in these schools work at studios.
Every college in Toronto for instance has students working as interns for course credit in game studios on site, many colleges have incubator spaces for studios to work with students. The intention is for these studios to later employ the students full time, though that isn't always the case, and many startups belly up or their games just don't have that many sales.
Many of these studios receive grants from OMDC and CMF, I'm not entirely sure if the students see any of this money as employment income.
Again it really depends on the legal requirement.
I have worked a freelance job while in game dev college where I was paid for the hours I worked while I was still in school..
But it is a known fact that a lot of the postings out there on site, including government employment boards and the sites of the studios themselves are there as a formality especially for the larger AAA studios, even if the positions do not exist/have already been filled internally.
It won't hurt to apply. More importantly be aware of the market.
If you have a large number for applicants for few positions including applicants that apply anyways with portfolios that are not ready, there's a good chance your application might never come up.
To work around this networking might help, going to industry events etc, again if a lot of others are attempting this, you're back to square one.
Keep improving the portfolio though, it certainly pays off at the end, atleast in a freelance capacity.
Also the whole 'mystic aura' about how to get in is a bit overblown. It comes down to quality of portfolio. Maybe in hubs knowing someone might get you some low key intern/junior position, but honestly, in most places you have such a huge pool of artists willing to relocate a company doesn't need to bother with beginner level portfolios. Also teaching someone the pipeline, put up a workstation, get the licenses,... too much costs for someone that needs to be taken by the hand. That's why interns are rarely needed, if there is not a cooperation with a school and the studio doesn't have a permanent/frequent set up for interns.
Junior level is not related to the art quality, but production experience. That's the key misunderstanding. Once your portfolio reaches production quality levels jobs will come as well - even if you don't have experience. Quality is high in demand from what I am seeing. The entry bar is just really high. I had a very, very hard time finding my job (1,5 years without even getting response letters) and now I have an AAA-studio knocking at my door to do some freelance stuff for them without even applying because someone recommended me, they checked my portfolio and the very same day they reached out. Up to last year I didn't even get a response when I applied there (by the way I even tried to get an internship there with no response).
So in other words, don't waste time seeking internships if they are not common in your area. No studio will bother helping you relocate for an internship and also they won't even take the time to consider you. If studies are required this means most probably its a legal requirement for them - most probably related to subsidies as incentive to even bother with interns. But anyhow none of this is a big bonus to get a job later on. It's not like in other fields where they have nothing else than a CV to get an idea about your skill level / knowledge. You are always applying with your portfolio - no short cuts around that for a serious position.
An internship doesn't always end up in being brought on full-time, or at all. It's likely the student will get that valuable work experience, or skills they wouldn't have in school and that's about it.
An internship isn't really a low barrier to entry - it can be highly competitive simply due to the nature of there being fewer internships available overall than a regular or junior position.