Hello,
I am new to blender artists and would like to ask for advice. I graduated with an associate’s in Computer Game Simulation and Programing recently and, while I enjoy working with blender, I am struggling to find a job in my field. I am researching get a Bachelor’s but don’t what degree to pursue. I’m considering animation as it is the closest degree to 3D modeling. If anyone can give me advice about the job market for animation and related fields and/ or other options to consider I would appreciate it.
It’s really hard now adays mate, you will want to try to work at a game company where demand is always high, I hate to say it but perhaps EA or Ubisoft.
From what I have seen college doesn’t help at all to find you a job doing what you love. You may have to go the do-it-yourself route like many of us are.
I mean, I personally am trying to build my own company from the ground up and create video games and films…By myself. That’s a huge goal, one that doesn’t involve college at all.
But for now, I stick with YouTube. I (whenever I get around to stop being lazy) make animations and put them up on YouTube. You may also want to try doing something like that. But to be honest, animators don’t usually make it far on YouTube. It’s really rough for us. We have unsung potential. But that can’t stop you, you have to try, you can start with YouTube and not worry about money, have a job on the side and hope for the best. The secret to success on YouTube is the ability to post quality content at a spiffy rate, several videos a week in fact. I don’t know what your skills are with Blender, but if you made a huge amount of models and default models with variations (like with characters) you can easily make a series of videos, like episodes. Those will easily push through the rest of the vastly unpopular amateur animators crowd.
If all else fails, you can just try the animation course. I don’t recommend college because honestly it isn’t a free ticket to work. The supply and demand is really imbalanced as of right now.
While also being new to this forum, I can only agree with Miss Tiacht. Studying may only be helpful as you get in touch with a lot of people in the same field and you may have better chances in getting a job because of those contacts. Alas, most of these jobs are university stuff which neither is payed well nor will it get you further in the long run.
Also, while studying you might find yourself working on and thinking about stuff which otherwise might never crossed your mind because you’d already have been in “working mode” - that way, you might find your niche in which you do not have as much competition…
Without knowing where you come from it’s hard to tell, what the job market in general looks like for you.
But in terms of gettig a job that really is what you’re looking for, I’ve also made the experience that your private works and your portfolio will excel your university degree, which might come in handy when applying for a job in a bigger company with it’s own graphics department. There, most likely some HR manager without direct link to your field will decide based on degrees rather than actual work.
That said, one should really carefully decide whether it’s a college degree or maybe (freelance) experience s/he aims for.