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| CAREERS HELP DESK |
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Job Hunting Inquiry & Advice Part 1
[PART 1] | [PART 2]
 Q: Russ writes:
Have you ever noticed that all the jobs you find listed in most places all want you to be this sort of computer god with lots of experience and skill?
Where does the new person with a few skills and not a whole lot of experience go to find that first (halfway decent) paying job?
I mean I am trained in 3d Studio Max: various Adobe programs; and others, including Director. But because I don't know Quark, or Flash, or some other program that wasn't even in the ciriculum at the school I attended, I can't seem to even get a response for the resumes and reels I do send out.
I don't want to get off on a rant here, but it seems to me the vast majority of the small "trade" schools who purport to teach you the skills you need do little more than seperate the average art type from his money.
....Sorry, I get a little depressed after my sixth rejection letter of the month, and I've been at this for six months. Most of the time you never even get a letter.
Russ http://members.xoom.com/cruse3d/web01.html
A: Michael S. Flynn writes:
Russ,
There is a logical reason why you are running into so many rejections. When you consider how long it takes to really learn an application inside & out, and then apply those skills in a production environment, where in the hell have all of these "qualified" individuals suddenly appeared from to teach classes at the ever-increasing number of colleges, universaties & trade schools?
I started working with 2D & 3D animation on the computer about 8 years ago, AFTER spending 9 years doing traditional artwork. I'm not saying that you have to have traditional skills to do 2D/3D animation/modeling, but it makes a difference. I also have 2 years each of pre-computer mechanical & architectural drawing.
When you applied to this school, did you check on the credentials of the instructors? How long have they been doing computer graphics/animation, where did THEY learn the programs that they teach, how long have they been using them, what kind of professional experience do they have using the programs they teach?
If I sound skeptical of 3D computer classes/programs, it's because I got into Desktop Publishing/Graphic design by getting suckered into a trade school - I'm STILL paying off the student loan!
I found out after I had graduated that my instructor had lied to get the job - she was reading the software manual at night and whatever she was able to figure out, that's what we learned the next day.
I managed to get a job almost right out of school, and I could barely function in a production environment. It took me about 9 months using apps like PageMaker, Photoshop and CorelDRAW! 40-60hrs/wk before I felt like I could meet any challenge thrown at me.
Do you know what reputation your school has in the ranks of the hiring community? My school had such a bad rep that I actually worked in 3 different places that automatically threw away any resume that had the name of that school on it. (I had learned by then not to put it on MY resume).
Here's something else to think about - how many people do you see/read in the newsgroups and mailing lists who claim to know 3DS Max, SoftImage, Maya, Lightwave, etc. Given that these programs have only gotten widespread attention since Jurassic Park, how well do these people REALLY know them? How many problems do they ignore because they don't want to problem solve, how much do they depend upon plugins to do most of the work for them? How many of them have traditional art skills?
I see the same thing happening to the 3D industry that happedn to Desktop Publishing/Graphic design about the time I got into it - The folks who got there first could set the standard wages. When fly-by-night operations started churning out unskilled/unqualified people, employers started getting pissed at the amount of money they were spending for people who didn't even know how to use a ruler (no bullshit!) So they started dropping wages. Why are there so many unqualified people? Becasue they think that a computer makes them an artist rather than realizing that the computer is just another tool.
Look at the number of place on the web that you can download hacked/cracked versions of 3D software. There are thousands of people who have no artistic background/skill who are using pirated software and scoring jobs by being in the right place at the right time, or knowing the right people.
The other thing that's happening in this 3D artist glut is that REAL artists with REAL experience are having a hard time finding work. That's why a lot of places demand so much experience - there are quite a few individuals out there looking for work who DO have the experience.
All I can tell you is to keep trying and be willing to relocate to anywhere it takes.
Myself, I don't ever look for 3D work anymore. I have my own venture that I work on when I'm not playing Age of Empires. Someday I will have my own short film finished.
For what it's worth, go to http://www.hash.com and check out their software.
For $199 you'll be able to do character work faster and easier than you can in Max. It will help you get some freelance work though. Make sure you check out the links to Avalanche, Saffire, Momentum and Space Monkey to see some of the pro work that AM has been used for.
Michael S. Flynn
Don't Miss PART 2 in this thread. |
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