Is it neccessary to finish uni/collage to be hired as a game artist?

iskandaarich

Should i graduate from uni to be hired as a game artist? Is it matters wich uni i have finished? And if i want to apply for uni, will my Russian school graduation exams affect on something? And are there some universities that teach game art at all? I am now t 9th grade of 11 and i dream to work at some big companies as blizzard or ubisoft. I want to have foreign education at university. Please help me out with these questions:( here is my portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/iskandar1ch/albums/all
  Iskander.
 

poopipe

Your work is already better than a lot of the game art graduates I see.

In your case you might as well keep improving at home and then apply for some jobs when you finish school.

It's probably a good idea to include some photoreal work on your artstation so that employers know you can do it but apart from that I think you're in a pretty good place

iskandaarich

Thank you very much for your reply! I feel much more comfortable now!:) I will do some realistic model as my next project:D 

PixelMasher

your work is already lookin on point, especially if the goal is blizzard, way better than my work was looking in 9th grade hahah. keep it up and chances are you will be at an industry quality level at the end of grade 11, it not before. 

I would say the bigges advantage in your case of getting a degree would be it would help with international visa requirements for work visas in the US or Canada/europe. In those cases its the government that requires a degree, not the studios. Studio's don't really care about education as long as you can show with your portfolio you are good at the job they are looking to hire for.

I only finished highschool, never went to university or college, and it has never hurt me. However, I was lucky enough to be born and raised in canada where there is a couple big game industry hub cities with lots of studios and jobs. I have also worked with plenty of high school drop outs who are great artists, and they got jobs just fine, again being local to where the jobs are at though.

there is a thriving gamedev scene in russia from what I have seen, so it could be an option to get some experience at a Russian studio and then transition state side or something like that, but yes a degree will help you obtain a work visa a LOT easier. 

either way, keep it up, your portfolio is already looking extremely promising. 

marks

Nobody remotely cares if you went to school or not, beyond some fleeting indirect thoughts about some soft skills you may have learned from it. If you work is good, and you come across as a relatively normal human being in your interview, you're normally fine.

Zi0

iskandaarich said:

Should i graduate from uni to be hired as a game artist?

No

Barbarian

I honestly cannot recommend college to anyone any more. You can learn a skill using online resources, taking specialized courses with pros, getting feedback, and working your ass off. Lots of my friends feel the same way. College is too expensive, you want to avoid debt, and the return on investment sucks.

oglu

For me a college is still a valid option. Im not the person that would learn all by myself. At least not in a short time. 
Im to lazy if there is no pressure from the outside. It took me seven years to get a decent portfolio.
If there is the money i would aim for a college.

Biomag

You being from Russia college might be a way to get easier a visa. On the other hand Russia has now several well known outsourcing studios which are great to enter the industry. So I would say it depends on if you want to stay in Russia (chance being to get some well pay outsourcing work) or if you want to move to the EU as soon as possible. If you are going for the second I would try to finish the degree. But if you like staying or just move on a later date (with more experience and maybe even support from a company) you can just start working.

scottycharly

Your degree won't affect your chances to get hired as an artist. Only your portfolio and your attitude will. But a degree can be useful if someday you want to teach or to get a working visa.

ahmadmerheb

Nowadays a degree is almots never needed 
but as an expact i have to say a degree helps a lottttt with governmental papers, Visas , residence permits etc... 
but its doesn't have to be a degree directly related to you daily job!
for example if your in 3d animation you can get a degree in art in general that would work.

Mr_Nova

I know this post is a little late for your question (sorry) personally, your work looks great especially for just starting out! I wish my work looked like yours at your age haha. 

As for University or college... I don't think it's a "must" and this is just my opinion but based on your work right now, so long as you keep working and learning more in the development pipeline you'll make it, you clearly have the drive to do that. I'm in a similar boat, I wanna be a character artist, only I chose to go to college after my time in the military was up and I've only learned how to be slightly better at Photoshop and I learned the bare basics of Unity engine after two years.... the rest was on my own.

Essentially what i'm saying is, keep learning and doing what you're doing because what you've got right now is on the right track. I don't know the schools around where you are in Russia but from my own experience with online learning you can get more out of your time and money by taking specialized courses in what you want to do through Artstation and what not. Other than that I wish you luck and hope you achieve what you're striving for! and keep up the good work!

iskandaarich

Thank you! Now I have clear idea about it! Grateful to you guys:D But I'm still trying to chose how to be, luckily I have two years for that))