"Internships"

pliang · Jun 2007

So after many months away and one month of trying my luck seeing an entry level artist position, I have taken the route of game testing while honing my skills to match future employer needs...however I did get a call on the same day I signed up for my QA job.

It is an internship, one month, unpaid at a company doing modeling...with possible placement on contract.

But the factors in play is that it depends on the performance of course and it depends if the results match the current slate of the company's needs by then.

I decided to go for the interview to see how they would "assess" my performance and decided if this would get me in the door faster.

What are your thoughts on this?

Tulkamir · Jun 2007

Hey Pete, I'd check around some more, ask some people who have dealt with the company and such. Not saying that this one is like this, but I have heard of a local company or two doing some pretty sketchy stuff when it comes to this.

Sounds like it could be a good chance for an in, just make sure you don't get used.

Personally if I wasn't getting paid I'd make sure it was in the contract that I owned all of the work I did and that they could not use the work without paying me.

Jesse Moody · Jun 2007

yeah you don't want to be doing "free" work for them and when your internship is up they can you and find another intern to do work for free. I know of a place a lot of students that I went to school with got internships at and I was offered one but when no pay was mentioned and they were going to use my work I told them I wasn't interested.

Just be careful and cover your own ass..

Panupat · Jun 2007

Usually what would you consider fair and clear internship deal?

oobersli · Jun 2007

I did a unpaid internship, and I thought it was just fine. One of the things that helped me get a job. Don't look at it as being a potential job, but more as a learning experience. I learned a lot of stuff that I couldn't have learned at school, and it was extra work that I could put on my resume.

If I was new to the industry I would much rather take a unpaid internship position than a paid tester job. Of course, that all depends on your finacial situation and what you can afford to do.

maybe my opinion is different than what others think, but it worked for me..

pliang · Jun 2007

Thanks,

I do agree with these, one thing I demand is that I get the neccessary skills to upgrade while working under supervision while I also own the rights to show my own work and be able to use that experience as resume material when applying for a paid job.

I expect to see that happen when I'm at the interview, otherwise I'd just keep doing what I do...I don't need the money but I don't need my time wasted either doing just free work.

Thanks for lending your thoughts on this guyz.

aesir · Jun 2007

you might as well do it if youre not hard up for cash. Part time anyways. Its only a month, and at worst, you'll probably learn something new and you'll have something on your resume.

Ott · Jun 2007

[ QUOTE ]
...otherwise I'd just keep doing what I do...I don't need the money but I don't need my time wasted either doing just free work.

[/ QUOTE ]

You say that, and not to say that this applies to you, but probably 95% of the Game Art people at my school who graduate either don't have actual studio jobs, or are freelance / underpaid outsourcing.

Why? They DONT continue their personal projects. They DONT actually sit down and improve. They DONT focus and spend a good 8 hours or so a day working on stuff.

I was an intern at the company I am at now, and we aren't pushing any envelopes, but the truth is, just sitting down DOING something for 8 hours a day a few days a week can seriously make a difference.

I basically started "getting it" with 3d about 2 years ago, having never touched Photoshop, Max, Maya, or any of that stuff before I came to school. I really struggled and had a hard time with things my first couple years at school. Once I started my internship and I was serious about getting better, I really really improved.

Sure, you might not make any money. Sure, the company may be a dump - but just being around people who know 3d, and just DOING 3d for a few months or so can really make a difference. And having some studio experience working on a real team (whether or not you ever make a AAA or a government sponsored prototype) can really help your marketability as well.

I'm not saying I'm some industry pro, but I can tell you where I stand amongst the graduates of my school, and having an internship and eventually a job at a small studio really turned things around for me, as well as other people who have been there.

P.S. The laws of internships have changed as of 2007 in the state of California, as well as a few other states here in the USA.

So for those of you who are interested in getting internships in the USA, you better make damn sure the company is following the law. And in California, that means pay for your work.

Spark · Jun 2007

Pliang, you do have to be aware that certian companies will take advantage of an intern, that is why you do a little homework, though that is something you need to get into the habit of anyway. If you do decide to take the internship, then gather all the knowledge you can, so when you come out at the end of the month, then you feel like you have robbed them, then it would be worth it in my opinon. Sometimes you need to take a risk and try, just make sure to work hard, and even if things don't work out, someone there might be someone you run into down the road and will remember you ( as this is a seriously small industry ) and they will remember you. But like Ott said, its what you put into it ( paraphrasing ) if you sit on your ass and do nothing, then nothing will come, if you get off of it, the world is open to you.

Spark

"Internships"

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