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QA position?

Seaseme
polycounter lvl 8
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Seaseme polycounter lvl 8
Hey guys,

So, serious question here. Would it be wise to accept a QA 6 month contract position with the intent to get back on to an art team? I'm alright with it, but I'm not sure if it would be the right move for my career. I've already done that dance and worked my way up to the art team at NetDevil.

Thoughts?

This feels like a step backward.
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  • konstruct
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    konstruct polycounter lvl 18
    Is it a QA position at Netdevil? I guess it depends on what you want to do with your life, if you need to stay in Colorado for some reason. Family- etc Then a job is a job. If you want to keep pushing your career forward then a QA position probably isn't the best. With that said however-

    I know when I`m working, the will to work on personal stuff when I get home is pretty diminished. It looks like you have a grasp on 3d- use that 6 months to build an even better portfolio, collect a check- and move on!
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  • Seaseme
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    Seaseme polycounter lvl 8
    No, I was on the world art team at NetDevil. Hence, me feeling like I'm taking a step backward.
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  • konstruct
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    konstruct polycounter lvl 18
    right I get that. Sorry my response didn't make much sense -
    Going from a Art position, to a QA position is definitely a step backward (unless you really like QA)

    BUT

    I see no shame in taking a 6 month contract doing some mundane QA work while you work on your portfolio/skill set in your free-time. Hopefully the QA position won`t drain you of creativity like Art positions tend to and you`ll have plenty of moxie when you go home and rage out on some free-time projects.

    Ideally you could make a kick ass portfolio in 6 months and easily be able to land a gig better than some QA contract spot.
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  • Kurry
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    Kurry
    Don't know how much of this will actually apply to you but still.
    Ive done something similar. I used to work as a prop and environment artist but was forced to leave the studio to finish my graduation. When I graduated I wanted to get back at it but due to a lot of local studios closing finding a art position was near impossible. I decided to take a QA position(where I still work) and tried to climb the ladder that way. I can tell you from personal experience, its hard ;p. You work allot of hours, especially during crunch. Finding the creative energy after a 14-15 hour workday is challenging.

    The nice part however is that you are not taken out of the creative environment and the knowledge is still all around you which you can use to your best advantage. I'd say if the only options are take the QA position or leave the studio I would take the QA spot. Work is work but you have to keep yourself focused to your personal work and keep up.
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  • Mike Yevin
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    Mike Yevin polycounter lvl 11
    a job is a job, take what you can get. yes its definitely not a step FORWARD, but most people (me included) would kill for a 6 month QA gig..
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  • Cody
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    Cody polycounter lvl 15
    You are better than that, Tanner. You know QA are the bitches of game dev. wait for another art position, you can do it.
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  • Ghostscape
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    Ghostscape polycounter lvl 13
    If you're working QA and have to do overtime you're going to wind up coming home too tired to work on stuff and not having much time given your other life responsibilities.

    Are you going to be able to travel as needed to do interviews, etc, while you continue to try to line up work for once the contract is over?

    Are you going to be able to handle bugging something that winds up going to a former co-worker?

    A job's a job and if you're hurting for work it's certainly nicer than flipping burgers but it's going to be a stressful job given the shift in status, the long hours, and it's not going to be conducive to interviewing and working on your portfolio.
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  • Mask_Salesman
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    Mask_Salesman polycounter lvl 13
    I've heard alot of places are actually implementing barriers to stop QA from advancing onto the dev side.
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  • benji
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    benji polycounter lvl 7
    Wut, why would they do that? :(
    There's a part time QA job going at a developer near me (Climax Group) that I want to apply for - with the idea that I can get to know some of the art team and apply as an artist when I graduate :)
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  • Flava-Fly
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    Flava-Fly polycounter lvl 9
    I would say its defiantly a sideways step but if it keeps you in the loop with the company while you work on other things in your time is that really a bad thing?

    Easily the worst thing about QA is comments from a development team member like "QA are the bitches of game dev". Grim.
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