I worked as a frame carpenters assistant for a year. That's pretty nice work and you make decent money. If you've been sitting behind a computer for a few years probably good idea to get back into shape first. If you work for a big outfit you'll be pushing to things to the limit. Hard work either way but it will keep you healthy working with your body and your brain.
I suppose you were looking for something related to 3d in some capacity though? No idea.
I did a bit of plumbing when refurbing my last house, but not sure if i would like to do it for a living. yeah not much work around these days in 3d and I have had some bloody awful clients of late.
definitley need to get fit again, been in computers since around 1997 and its not good for your body/mind
I was an electrician for six years plus two years in electronics. I enjoyed it but lots of people couldn't hack it. Also takes five years to become a journeyman for most trades and make decent money.
It is also seasonal unless you are in maintenance, service or something that isn't impacted by the weather. Expect layoffs or sitting at home for a few weeks in the winter. With games jobs, I'm working year round and weather doesn't matter.
At the moment my current 'bill paying' job as a casual security operative on major infrastructure construction projects for asset protection is ok.
Though paid a flat rate however dependant on total hours worked can actually be a nice little earner plus nightshift especially there's no one around looking over your shoulder and besides, also getting a bit of fitness in at the same time...bless.
Teaching/mentoring has always been the "when I'm done with 3d" career choice but I don't really know if it's something I want to do. I guess that's still 3d related though...
yeah its tricky, ironic too as I have never enjoyed my work more than now. still think i enjoy games work more than anything, my time in vfx was not fun at all
I saw 3d job positions in aeronautics companies (no industrial design / engineer diploma seemed required), for their simulations etc. Could pay big bucks! Also the company was offering employees their flight licence !!
arms dealing could be fun - art is the only thing I have ever really been interested in - bit old to be a professional snooker player.
right now I have not got that much enthusiasm for anything work related, although I do still put in a few hours of practice every day, mainly mucking around with hair techniques etc
Tried teaching for a year, much harder than it looks. Then developed a couple good freelance clients for architectural VR & CG work.
Which led directly into a fulltime gig in non-games CG (online retail), helping grow and run a large team of artists making CG imagery, and setting up real-time CG pipelines.
Lots of big players in this business, everyone is seeing strong value in developing CG. Plus real-time is really taking off now for web commerce, I expect significant growth.
A bit of a surprise for me initially, but now that I've seen the light it's really quite obvious.
yeah Eric I have been thinking about other areas, but it's hard to get the same passion for it -
Thinking of selling models online, but it does not seem that lucrative and lots of competition around
I agree on the teaching side, it's never been something I have fancied and I think you need to be really in to it , not just doing it because there is no freelance work about lol.
i am thinking about maybe getting a driving job or similar just to make some beans
VR appeals to me if i was going to do somehting not 'strictly' games
<snip> Lots of big players in this business, everyone is seeing strong value in developing CG. Plus real-time is really taking off now for web commerce, I expect significant growth.
A bit of a surprise for me initially, but now that I've seen the light it's really quite obvious. <snip>
^^^ This right here is something every real-time developer should be paying attention to. Web-based CG + AR/VR is going to be (already is?) huge and will require specific skillsets that real-time artists/game artists are conveniently trained in.
I find a lot of artists getting into teaching of late, but it seems you are looking for work that doesnt involve computers. Perhaps a more managerial role in the field so not as hands on but more supervising?
I planned to make it into 3D Architect visualization or similar at some point as Game Art is pretty overpopulated and not stable enough for a living.
Dunno about how competition is in this field or if it's a similar case but I see more job posts and requires less amount of hours as it doesn't require that much attention to detail.
I just need a job at the moment, seems like the moment has passed re my 3d career, but am really not sure what to go for.
architecture stuff is really not my thing.
I think anyone at my age ie nearly 51 would be in a similar position because at some point unless you are very lucky
you will have to think about changing career. it's a middle age thing I guess.
I don't want some shitty job working in tesco or similar, need something that will be at least mentally stimulating, maybe involving the consumption or making of pies
I just need a job at the moment, seems like the moment has passed re my 3d career, but am really not sure what to go for.
architecture stuff is really not my thing.
I think anyone at my age ie nearly 51 would be in a similar position because at some point unless you are very lucky
you will have to think about changing career. it's a middle age thing I guess.
I don't want some shitty job working in tesco or similar, need something that will be at least mentally stimulating, maybe involving the consumption or making of pies
If you're unattached and have money for travel, you could do that all the while having odd jobs to support you region to region.
Depending on savings and investments you may not need to work all that much, kinda like retiring early but not having too much to spend on.
Also based on your experience and years worked, would you say the payout from games has been good enough to this point?
@Ruz What kind of pies?...and thinking out loud here but had you thought of starting a self funded small business venture, maybe online niche oriented? instead of looking for something specifically catered too your particular job criteria?
There's tons of examples floating around out there, where people from all walks of life have a crack working for themselves...and seriously! making pies is about as far removed from CG as l could possibly envision :P
Also expounding futher upon the idea a bit, aside from the usual market research/stratigies, food/vendor licencing, and other assorted red tape ephemera...perhaps an unique delivery service as well, lets say by drone! as an example (...plus dependant on where you reside of course) Simply do a local neighbourhood leaflet/menu drop...Boom! 'bob's-yer-uncle' before you know it, you'll be raking in the doh
Hi Ruz, guess the best way to start is to do some research on what jobs will become important the next few years. Also the classic: less 'art' more 'science' or less 'art' more 'industry'.
I know, it's not for everyone but programming is kind of the new plumber thing imo. If you don't want to sit in front of a pc then (or stand / sit somewhere else) you might have to really think out of the box. Like 'Ruz Grylls' and something like that
sacboi- mainly meat pies, but just joking anyway, need to stop eating so much - maybe pie tester could be a good job:)
NikhilR - not very practical right now, have a daughter and wife to support also. I can see the logic in what you are saying though and I would like to travel more.
I have considered working in travel and tourism, but I think its all about dealing with irate holiday makers i guess( not much fun)
The payout from games as a freelancer has been paltry so far, working as a senior at a company was ok fincancially for me at least, but once I started freelancing it went down hill year by year.
maybe my focus was too narrow and maybe I took some jobs that were totally unsuitable for my skills.
loads of great artists around these days so the competition is just too fierce also
Everything I fancy doing has a crap financial return like staritng a micro brewery or similar.
rollin - i have tried a bit of coding but I don't think i am that smart really - you need to be not only smart, but creative with it in that
you have to apply the skills to making something unique/oriiginal
Ruz grills he he
so yeah still having a good think as to what to do next, maybe crypto trading stuff , but that can be pretty risky if you don't know what you are doing.
sacboi- mainly meat pies, but just joking anyway, need to stop eating so much - maybe pie tester could be a good job:)
NikhilR - not very practical right now, have a daughter and wife to support also. I can see the logic in what you are saying though and I would like to travel more.
I have considered working in travel and tourism, but I think its all about dealing with irate holiday makers i guess( not much fun)
The payout from games as a freelancer has been paltry so far, working as a senior at a company was ok fincancially for me at least, but once I started freelancing it went down hill year by year.
maybe my focus was too narrow and maybe I took some jobs that were totally unsuitable for my skills.
loads of great artists around these days so the competition is just too fierce also
Everything I fancy doing has a crap financial return like staritng a micro brewery or similar.
rollin - i have tried a bit of coding but I don't think i am that smart really - you need to be not only smart, but creative with it in that
you have to apply the skills to making something unique/oriiginal
Ruz grills he he
so yeah still having a good think as to what to do next, maybe crypto trading stuff , but that can be pretty risky if you don't know what you are doing.
I think with freelancing not going too well, has more to do with outsourcing also.
Like no doubt companies like Virtuous have great artists, but its like an assembly line and there's a good reason their rates are way cheaper than what it would cost to commission the same from an artist local to the studio. This is where games becomes a business and I feel it hurts innovation and quality of life in general.
That's also what confuses me about the whole "Top tier will get you any job bit even later on in life."
I mean I don't know if you see yourself as top tier, I sure as hell don't think I am, and most artists assumed to be top tier probably see that the same way, they just try to do what they do best and many entered the market early so have built connections over time to get clients for the future. And even then each of them has different experiences and not all of them enjoy the same level of success (if they even want that)
It does feel that any portfolio requirements are more to eliminate candidates and whittle down to the companies impression of the best, but that might not always be because their work is good and the work is all that matters.
You're expected to have a top notch portfolio, but the work you actually do at the studio seems more collaborative, and you rarely if ever get to take on something single handed.
True there are artists that are unique in their approach and work flow and definitely add a great deal (like ones that use substance designer superbly), but for each of them there are the run of the mill artists doing grunt work.
I think this trend is what causes problems with regards to longevity in the industry, so unless you get into some kind of executive role, its not really that great in the long term.
In that sense freelance has been better since the clients seem to be more interested in what you can do for them, and are in full control of the asset.
I hope the trend shifts to more innovation in games as a whole (not just limited to the AAA photoreal trend that is more popular or atleast well known) and they hire candidates from more diverse backgrounds. (Not only on racial lines) For instance google, amazon etc do value life experience more, which helps them innovate and I find that missing in video games or atleast it certainly isn't present at the same scale.
Making tutorials is the way to go I feel and mentorship, seeing you experience there's a lot to teach.
Still a bit nervous since the growth of the industry isn't matching the volume of applicants and without regulation regardless of how cool of a dream job it may be, its vital that each artist try to develop their individual identity as best they can for their sake.
Heh...joking aside, I still reckon 'self-crafting' a role specific to your need/s is IMHO the way forward, munching on and/or baking pies notwithstanding :-)
Nonetheles on the other hand, probably just as simple as writing down a list of requirements, then shop around for an available vacancy that particularly tickles your fancy...
In my experience Architecture/Engineering Visualisation is the best transition from game art. The same competition isnt there and there is a definite financial increase and better hours. Maybe not your cup of tea but you still get to practise your craft and can always take on freelance in the future if work picks up again
Replies
Though paid a flat rate however dependant on total hours worked can actually be a nice little earner plus nightshift especially there's no one around looking over your shoulder and besides, also getting a bit of fitness in at the same time...bless.
Which led directly into a fulltime gig in non-games CG (online retail), helping grow and run a large team of artists making CG imagery, and setting up real-time CG pipelines.
Lots of big players in this business, everyone is seeing strong value in developing CG. Plus real-time is really taking off now for web commerce, I expect significant growth.
A bit of a surprise for me initially, but now that I've seen the light it's really quite obvious.
Anyhow, another non-games CG angle for ya Ruz.
^^^
This right here is something every real-time developer should be paying attention to. Web-based CG + AR/VR is going to be (already is?) huge and will require specific skillsets that real-time artists/game artists are conveniently trained in.
Perhaps a more managerial role in the field so not as hands on but more supervising?
...heck, that's what I do now :P
Dunno about how competition is in this field or if it's a similar case but I see more job posts and requires less amount of hours as it doesn't require that much attention to detail.
Depending on savings and investments you may not need to work all that much, kinda like retiring early but not having too much to spend on.
Also based on your experience and years worked, would you say the payout from games has been good enough to this point?
What kind of pies?...and thinking out loud here but had you thought of starting a self funded small business venture, maybe online niche oriented? instead of looking for something specifically catered too your particular job criteria?
There's tons of examples floating around out there, where people from all walks of life have a crack working for themselves...and seriously! making pies is about as far removed from CG as l could possibly envision :P
Also expounding futher upon the idea a bit, aside from the usual market research/stratigies, food/vendor licencing, and other assorted red tape ephemera...perhaps an unique delivery service as well, lets say by drone! as an example (...plus dependant on where you reside of course) Simply do a local neighbourhood leaflet/menu drop...Boom! 'bob's-yer-uncle' before you know it, you'll be raking in the doh
guess the best way to start is to do some research on what jobs will become important the next few years.
Also the classic: less 'art' more 'science' or less 'art' more 'industry'.
I know, it's not for everyone but programming is kind of the new plumber thing imo.
If you don't want to sit in front of a pc then (or stand / sit somewhere else) you might have to really think out of the box. Like 'Ruz Grylls' and something like that
btw:
https://polycount.com/discussion/140369/19-years#latest
Like no doubt companies like Virtuous have great artists, but its like an assembly line and there's a good reason their rates are way cheaper than what it would cost to commission the same from an artist local to the studio.
This is where games becomes a business and I feel it hurts innovation and quality of life in general.
That's also what confuses me about the whole "Top tier will get you any job bit even later on in life."
I mean I don't know if you see yourself as top tier, I sure as hell don't think I am, and most artists assumed to be top tier probably see that the same way, they just try to do what they do best and many entered the market early so have built connections over time to get clients for the future.
And even then each of them has different experiences and not all of them enjoy the same level of success (if they even want that)
It does feel that any portfolio requirements are more to eliminate candidates and whittle down to the companies impression of the best, but that might not always be because their work is good and the work is all that matters.
You're expected to have a top notch portfolio, but the work you actually do at the studio seems more collaborative, and you rarely if ever get to take on something single handed.
True there are artists that are unique in their approach and work flow and definitely add a great deal (like ones that use substance designer superbly), but for each of them there are the run of the mill artists doing grunt work.
I think this trend is what causes problems with regards to longevity in the industry, so unless you get into some kind of executive role, its not really that great in the long term.
In that sense freelance has been better since the clients seem to be more interested in what you can do for them, and are in full control of the asset.
I hope the trend shifts to more innovation in games as a whole (not just limited to the AAA photoreal trend that is more popular or atleast well known) and they hire candidates from more diverse backgrounds. (Not only on racial lines)
For instance google, amazon etc do value life experience more, which helps them innovate and I find that missing in video games or atleast it certainly isn't present at the same scale.
Making tutorials is the way to go I feel and mentorship, seeing you experience there's a lot to teach.
Still a bit nervous since the growth of the industry isn't matching the volume of applicants and without regulation regardless of how cool of a dream job it may be, its vital that each artist try to develop their individual identity as best they can for their sake.
Nonetheles on the other hand, probably just as simple as writing down a list of requirements, then shop around for an available vacancy that particularly tickles your fancy...