Getting your first job as a 3d Artist : My story with using Polycount to get into AAA games.
polycounter lvl 13
Hey guys,
I put a quick video together for anyone that is wondering a bit about the path that I took that got me into the games industry. Hopefully there are some take away you can use. Let me know if you have any questions.
Video Link : https://youtu.be/eis_O34Q9Qo
I put a quick video together for anyone that is wondering a bit about the path that I took that got me into the games industry. Hopefully there are some take away you can use. Let me know if you have any questions.
Video Link : https://youtu.be/eis_O34Q9Qo
Replies
In the spate of a hour my post ended up on page 4 with no views unless I tagged people or went out of my way to inform them.
Something that was important after I got the reach out was in the actual interview. Because I had worked in an office environment I had built up some of the soft skills of being able to work well with others and talk about how I solved problems on the job. A lot of time right out of school students dont have strong soft skills and can be a hang up on the interview.
You're art is good, and its only going to get better with time. Wish you all the luck in the world you find what you're looking for. Cheers!
I'm thinking of doing retrospectives since my WIP didn't seem to get a lot of attention probably because of the subject matter/too much volume I'm not sure.
But getting a studio job was dependent on a lot more than just the work I was putting out, so I just kept focusing on what I could change (the quality of my artwork)
One thing I'd definitely like to see changing is the emphasis on soft skills and diverse skills in an artists background and how they would positively impact the studio environment. I personally think this matters a lot lot more than just an artists portfolio.
Like I worked as a dentist attending to patients at a hospital. Its pretty stressful work and takes a lot of composure which I feel is certainly reflected in my artwork.
But in the game industry I feel that this aspect isn't always given due credit atleast not at the onset. Its something unique to this industry certainly since I've seen examples of how much a candidates overall profile matters a lot more in the bigger finance/tech companies for instance.
And it certainly was different in the past, a lot of game developers had very unique backgrounds which I'm not really seeing today.
Its fair to say that portfolio is all that matters especially if that's all you want in an employee, but these soft skills and life experiences can't be taught or picked off some tutorial on the internet, you have to go through real life for them.
A portfolio can always be improved on, life experience is something that you either have or you don't.
Start posting earlier in your process. Continually refresh your thread with work in progress. Bumps your topic to the first page, demonstrates you have the drive, and shows your progression. A couple threads on this topic, worth a re-read.
Since my work was star trek related I posted progress on a trek discord and got a lot of feedback there.
And some freelance work too.
In this sense really vital to know your audience.
For polycount I'm going to do a retrospective on all the models as part of a larger mentorship program.
At the moment I myself am struggling to find a job after my apprenticeship so seeing this kind of reignited the flame of passion for this career route.
It is kind of demotivating after having a apprenticeship at a digital company and not having your contract extended/going full time because of money really sucked. Because of this it kind of feels like I am back at the starting block... just out of school,again.
So, seeing this, the roadmap and all the stuff you did in the meanwhile gives me some hope that I am not doomed yet.
Do you have any advice on how to properly/correctly apply for a game studio job? since I was not taught how to really write a job application in my game arts school.
I hope I don't come across as a guy that is just bitching but I really REALLY want to make this career work and I have been working on my portfolio for over a year now already, got that earlier mentioned apprenticeship and due to complications it never went anywhere afterwards.
So, I am back to square 1. Send application, get no confirmation email. get denied. repeat.
I wish to at least know why I got denied but hey, they don't have time for that.
TL;DR.
thank you very much and I wish that I can also make it in this industry.
https://polycount.com/discussion/211755/reasons-im-going-to-delete-your-email-as-an-employer#latest
thank you for the link, i'll thoroughly read through this.
In the past I've even told and hear people talk about going to gdc and not getting a badge (if money is tight) just so you can go to the parties and talk to people. The more they know you're a super easy going person / make a personal connection for when you apply so you're not a nameless applicant.
Just keep it going. You're far into your journey and it might seem like you'll never get the thing you want but trust me its a tale as old as time that if you just keep improving, reaching out, and looking for opportunities you will create your own luck and get what you wanted.
Thank you for the encouragement! last week I got a call from a recruiter/referal guy that there might be a position open somewhere they know so , fingers crossed and lets hope I can bring some good news in this thread this week.