How do you choose what path to take?
polycounter lvl 7
There are so many things I want to do in the media industry. So much that I enjoy doing. And I really want to be good at it all, but there is simply no time to be professional at everything unfortunately. I have come to the realisation that I HAVE to pick a particular area and stick with it!
I have deep interest in:
-Concept art
-Programming
-Modelling for games/movies/animations
-Texturing
-Story creation
-Film
-Special Effects
-Sculpting
And I have a distaste for:
-Animating
And right now I really don't know which to pick!
How did you choose your path? And are you happy with the path you chose?
I have deep interest in:
-Concept art
-Programming
-Modelling for games/movies/animations
-Texturing
-Story creation
-Film
-Special Effects
-Sculpting
And I have a distaste for:
-Animating
And right now I really don't know which to pick!
How did you choose your path? And are you happy with the path you chose?
Replies
just head in A direction, you'll find out what you really like or don't like.
Did I just blow your mind?
But yeah, you won't be able to learn all of them at the same time.
Plus I think that is overload of work for brain capacity
Best advise is too start on something you like getting skill to something and to spend a few time on the other when you'll have the time.
To develop stuff on your own into a garage is still something you can do, but will require a little more experience and cash as well to continue living on your own
I would say learning programming is better pay that artist job that let you create a budget and take a little more time to learn the other specialties.
But really choose something you like first or that will be an huge lose of time o_<.
Yeah I definitely can't handle learning everything at once! My skill level is not rising fast enough in one particular area to be industry standard by the time I need to be! Yeah programming does seem to be the choice that is easier to get a job in.
C++ programming I'd imagine Ace?
EDIT:
I tried out programming, modelling, film, special effects and animating and I loved them all except animating. That's why I'm stuck :c
Right now it sounds like everything you've tried out is still in that new and shiny period. The question is, what have you:
-Done Concept art for:
Or has it been monsters? Mechanical stuff? Environments? Anything figurative? Thats usually when it stops being fun...
-Programmed:
Basic stuff or have you tackled the complex stuff yet?
-Modeled:
Props? Low poly? High Poly? Characters? (Characters is when a friend of mine realized that she might not want to do game art as a career.)
-Textured: Flesh? Mechanical? Current gen spec? Low spec? Hand Painted?
I think you get the idea. It sounds like EVERYTHING is still new to you.
When that period passes and the dust settles, then you'll really know what you love and what you just like the idea of doing. So just keep doing stuff and the rest will fall by the wayside.
I too have distaste for animation, concept art, drawing.
Hey now! I respect people who are great at animating or who have passion for it! I just don't enjoy doing it myself!
Anyways thanks for your insight everyone! I'm definitely going to explore each medium more before making a choice!
You're just picking which one you're going to learn FIRST. Once you get good enough at that one thing that you are employable, you can branch out into the other areas and begin to master them.
Don't like animation... why I otta...
i try to learn a lot of things since a lot interests me. I showed those interests at work and got to try some different stuff each for a couple of months, whatever they needed at the time.
Now about a year in (including internship) i've modeled mechanical stuff , sculpted , concepted , designed interfaces and implemented them in flash and scripted tools with maxscript.
It does give you a clear view on what you like better if you'd have to choose eventually.
For myself, I had a love for environments. So, I got my foot in the door doing environmental/prop modeling. Typically, that's an easier entry level position to obtain. That is not to say that environmental work is any easier or harder than any other discipline. It's simply easier to get an entry level position in, upfront. I always loved design, and knew that I would work towards a design position of sorts. So, I started leaning more towards world building. Depending upon the studio, a world building position can be a hybrid design/environment art position. It's a happy medium, and will continue to help me grow as a designer.
So yeah, find something more specific that will land you your first entry level gig, and work your way towards some sort of "end goal", internally. Chances are, even when you reach that goal, you'll want to dip into other disciplines as well. Game Development, in general, is a very fluid industry. Your prospects are only limited by your drive. Good luck!
Edit:
Again, this boils down to working from within. In most cases, you don't want to present yourself as a jack of all trades developer. You should be hired for one purpose. Using this example, depending upon the studio, it should be relatively easy to work towards VFX as an environment artist.
Scenario: You land work as an environment artist, making props/assets. You learn the in-house tools, and want some cool effects on the assets you make, bam... you spend time doing it on the side. You slowly become the person that can help out with VFX when needed, possibly turning into a full time VFX position, having a background in the environmental pipeline at said studio. It shows initiative, and can do nothing but help your career goals.
Again, I can't speak for all studios, but I've never been chastised for taking the initiative to learn a new tool/pipeline on the side. In-fact, doing this is what has continue to grow my career. Your passion and drive will take you farther than any other asset you possess.
@thatanimator & vig: What are you guys so sad about? This means more jobs for you :thumbup:
Just try a little bit of everything till you look at the clock and 10 hours passed by in what seems 20 minutes. You'll be working in an industry that is dependent on deadlines and you need to enjoy what you're doing if you have to do it under crunch and large deadlines.
In Soviet Russia? o.O
Jokes aside:
To be honest, you should know what you want to achieve and what paths you should follow to do so.
For example:
If it is about games: programming is good bot not necessary today. Learning a game engine is, 3d arts and 3d animation are also good for games so.
There you have four things you can learn for the games. Including Story writing, etc.
I dont know about film tho.
"I know I want to work on games but what field should I choose?" attitude.
for me Ive always drawn characters, since I was a kid. I went into games only when I learned I had a talent for modeling also.
Your really going to have to find something you have a talent for. because you have to really enjoy do what your doing. not just because your working on games but because you actually enjoy the process and daily struggles of what your doing.
what would you be doing if you couldn'nt work on games? would still want to model? or program?
But anyways for the time being I am going to try out the path of concept art for models that I will produce and texture.
IOf I find that Im not enjoying those things as much as I have been, Ill try out another path.
Thanks for all the input guys! Appreciate it
jks.
I strongly suggest that you should pick one or two things at a time, otherwise you will burn out and endup hating 3d entirely..