Will 3D retail design help game art career?

bobkornog · May 2013

Hello Polycount! Hopefully a quick question... I currently work in IT and I have an opportunity to take a job designing those kiosks you see in the center of the hallways in malls for wireless carriers etc. My ultimate goal is to break into game art somewhere but this job will use Solidworks and zform. I just have sense that this won't help me in my career because the art I'm creating is so different than games. I've yet to talk numbers with them but I'm anticipating the 3d job to be less money as well.

My question to polycount is will any job in 3d design boost my resume for game art gigs?

JacqueChoi · May 2013

I could be wrong, but resume's for entry level positions are largely irrelevant. They might look to see if you know Max/Maya but that's about it. Then the Portfolio is other 99% of it.

I'm not involved in recruitment in any capacity though.

Eric Chadwick · May 2013

Yeah, portfolio is like 90% of an entry level position. The other 10% is how well you do in the interviews (phone and in person).

Past experience doesn't count for much in an entry-level spot, except to clear any red flags (like if someone was bouncing around from job to job too often, or anything else that would trip someone's radar as talking against your ability to work in a professional team-based environment.)

I'd say take it though, see if you like working in 3D. It's kind of similar in workflow.

bobkornog · May 2013

Thanks guys I really appreciate your responses. I'm really torn with this... But from what you two said, it sounds like I should really just stay in IT and keep working at my portfolio.

I'm in the process of an art test for the design position and maybe I'll just go through the motions as practice for a game job I guess. Unless they offer me something I can't refuse but that's unlikely.

Thanks again guys!

EarthQuake · May 2013

I don't think it will do much for your resume, however, working with 3d content daily whether its in solidworks or 3ds max or zbrush or whatever certainly will not hurt. If the money is close I would probably take the 3d oriented job just to learn new skills, CAD orientated skills can be very good experience even if not directly relevant to games.

If they offer you a livable wage I would take it, but then again I would rather hand code 3d models in a text editor than do tech support.

Industrial design experience is likely to help you out as an artist in more ways than you might think. For instance, getting more experience in terms of how things are built and manufactured can be a great perspective for a game artists, I've seen a lot of game art where the artist has no idea how things are manufactured and it shows in the work.

bobkornog · May 2013

Thanks Earthquake. I had your same exact thoughts. In the event that the design job is less money I was somehow trying to quantify the value for the experience to make up for the difference. If it's relatively close I'll definitely take it just to get out of a the soul sucking "support" role that IT is.

I guess I should have phrased my question like "will taking any 3D design job put me in a better position to get a game art?" I'm sure the answer is a resounding "Yes." My dilemma I guess is if the experience I'll gain in industrial design be worth the drop in salary. Versus just continuing to lose my soul in IT while staying up way to late working on my portfolio. I'm probably the only one who can answer that...

I guess I'll have to wait and get the numbers and make a decision off that.

Thanks again for everyone's responses, its been extremely helpful!

easterislandnick · May 2013

I would take the job, when recruiting sometimes you get 4 or 5 people who can do the job but you always remember the guy who has an interesting job! It's a good talking point during the interview and at the end of the day the job WOULD be environment art! It sounds more fulfilling than IT too.

bobkornog · Jun 2013

They ended up not hiring anyone for the position and trying to cover their needs with freelance work. I added my name to their list but apparently they had 2 other guys they typically work with. No biggie, it was a fun exercise to go through and it was good practice for if/when I get a game job interview.

Thanks everyone for your advice! Off to keep cranking away on the portfolio!

Will 3D retail design help game art career?

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