How do you guys balance your time learning different skills ?

Nanashi

Hi guys, I am just curios about the approach you use in order to learn new skill / software ? and how to maintain a healthy balance ? for example when I first started 3D I used to watch a tutorial, follow it and then create something different with the skills I learnt from the tutorial and I used only Maya, Now I am learning new softwares aside Maya like : 1 - Zbrush 2 - Substance painter 3 - Substance designer 4 - marvelous designer 5 - Unreal Engine 6 - Marmoset , and also I'm trying to learn different skills and improve in Maya and I feel using a project base approach will take longer to improve and reach a level to get a job, do you guys practice  the applications individually or how ?       

poopipe

I honestly don't  think I've ever actively set out to learn an application. 

 I decide to learn how to make a thing and pick up the tools required along the way. 

Don't learn maya,  learn to model instead.  Don't learn Zbrush,  learn to sculpt instead. Don't learn designer,  learn to make materials instead. Etc. Etc. 
The tool itself makes very little difference until you become expert in It's use and that only comes with time and experience - furthermore, if you learn the fundamentals you will be able to pick up most tools and become useful in a matter of hours 

You'll pick up more by completing projects than following tutorials because projects have problems and tutorials don't.
My advice would be to find a concept and try to build it - when you encounter  a problem you then have a specific question to ask someone with more experience and you will learn something from their answer. 

garcellano

To answer the question, I want to say mine was gradually through one software at a time.
Maya, ZBrush, Substance, and so on. I don't know every little thing about every program, but just enough to get by with what I need, since most of what I do focuses on modeling, sculpting, texturing, etc.

I think this is where Polycount helps a lot, for critiques and feedback. Many people here, including me, just dug in and started the same way. Just a bunch of trial and errors, until it works. I lose track on who works where, but it eventually pays off when they work at a game studio or a studio that fits with what they do.

As far as a healthy balance? I don't know, it can easily be tough, not just physically, but everything around, emotionally (thinking job searching, portfolio), socially (staying inside a lot, not interacting much to focus on your work), mentally (right frame of mind). It would hurt to see someone over-work themselves, taking a risk for a reward that they don't know when or if it'll happen - This is literally something that I feel like we've all been through before. Do try your best to balance work and life, while learning the ropes with all this stuff.