Hi everyone, I feel like venting a bit
So I have been unemployed for a bit more than a year now and after sending more applications than I can bear to count and a bunch of interviews I'm still in the same situation. I have tried to improve my portfolio over the years but I think I've reached a point where it's not going to improve my chances that much and it's more about networking than anything now. I spend most days in a trance updating job sites (Artstation, Linkedin, Gamejobs, Ingamejob, Glassdoor, etc) and hoping for something to appear but there's absolutely nothing. Sometimes I see a vaguely related job offer in
Linkedin I see it get +200 applications in just a couple of hours and it's like seeing a bunch of pidgeons throwing themselves at a piece of bread haha. It was difficult before but now I really think that trying to get into anything 3D art related is masochistic (excluding maybe arch viz and other things like that).
I see lots of people "
freelancing" nowadays but I really wonder how many of them really manage to make a living because unless you're some well known name with plenty of connections I don't see how it's viable, the internet is too big of a place to compete with so many people with already established careers and so many years of experience. And then there are plenty of outsourcing studios from places like India, Philippines or Malasysia that only hire people from those countries and work for probably a lot less compared to western companies (not blaming anyone, but I think that plays a role too). Then there's AI, the layoffs, absurd requisites like week long art tests + years of professional experience working in increasingly niche roles (vegetation artist, lighting artist, vehicle artist...), constant relocation for short term stuff, etc. I feel like I'm just playing the lottery and hoping to win someday so I get to work for a couple of months.
Any rational person would have tried to find a different career at this point but this is the only thing I enjoy. I guess I could find some small part-time job for a while and hope for things to improve a bit but I don't think they are going to and it wouldn't solve much, at least in my case. And this is where I ask for a bit of advice because I'm getting burned out like so many others. Do you think I should try a different career path? I'm mostly a character artist and animator though I guess I could try VFX or something like that, even if I think those choices aren't that much better for finding a job but I just like anything 3D art related.
How many of you have been / are in this type of situation and how are you handling it? Feel free to vent and blogpost with me.
Replies
Its going to be even tougher for those trying to get their first gig in the industry, competing against out of work seniors.
Though some companies are prioritising internships over hiring mid level so its possible that this is a way for newcomers to join the industry.
Its a good time for people to make their own games and use 3D in other applications to more directly reach their market.
Pretty much any job you look at will have hundreds of people applying within hours of the job ad being posted so you wont be getting away from that even if you change careers. AI is threatening all fields so there's no getting away from that either unless you want to go into a trade like plumbing. As far as the layoffs go, thats hitting a number of different fields including tech as a whole. And I mean what would you really switch to?
And then there is the issue of starting over with low pay until you can work your way up, which could be a problem depending on where your currently at in life. Your probably better off staying in 3D IMO.