Finding a Job in the Industry

Hey there Unity Community

So, here is the situation, I am an avid video game creator in my free time: I love making music, I love making art, and I am delving deep into the scripting side of things more and more with each passing day while I learn about using Unity. But all of these things aside, currently I work in a grocery store bakery and I hate feeling stuck in this job. I want to find a way to apply my variety of skills towards the wonders of video game kind, where they belong!

What I would like is a job that pays better than 9$ an hour (obviously). Alternatively I would like to make some connections with people in the industry who can talk with me / help get me involved somewhere to start... I mean honestly at this point, even some advice would be nice, because I know nobody and it would be refreshing to speak with some supportive people who know more than me!

If this isn't forum appropriate I am sorry, I just want some help with my life and I love talking with the people from this community. If there is a more relevant unity forum discussion for this topic, please let me know!

 

Go to a game development conference. Smile and talk to anyone and everyone that will listen. If you're ready, you may find a connection that gets you some information on a job. No matter what, you'll get invaluable tips and advice.

 

it's not that easy is it.


the competition is tough and it is hard to get noticed... after 3 years and having started knowing nothing, I'm still trying to put enough material and skills together to make a passable demo reel... and I've been working at this nearly full-time, solo.

 

Pick one.

Generally speaking, companies big enough to hire people don't get one person to make a whole game on their own, so you don't personally need skill in every area. They'll instead get full skill coverage by putting together a team of people who each specialise in some area - one or more coders, one or more artists, etc. as required.

So, when looking to hire someone companies are looking to fill a position. That means they'll have some criteria and be looking for a fit to that. When looking for an artist, they probably won't care if you can also do a bit of music - that's a different position. When looking for a coder, they probably won't care that you can also do a little art - that's a different position. What they will care about is how well you fill the position they're looking at, and your strength in doing that directly correlates to how much time you've invested into developing the associated skills. A jack of all trades will typically struggle to compete with a master of one.

There are exceptions, of course. Small businesses who can't afford to hire specialists for everything often pick generalists, because it's better to have some capability than none and it's useful in filling gaps. Or if you've been doing it so long that you're genuinely good at more than one field that can be super handy.

 

It's really important to have a portfolio, or some tangible proof that you have skills. It could be a simple mobile game (and you probably will get points for some moderate success on the app store) or a more traditional PC demo (doesn't have to be a 40+ hour game, a single good level could show promise). So really, I'd advise getting some demo material out there and putting it in on a somewhat decent looking portfolio webpage.

 

Move. There are plenty of places in the world with minimum wages much higher then $9

I'm in the opposite situation. I'd love to do game development full time. But I'm not willing to sacrifice my high salary for game development wages. Even the senior developers jobs advertised are going for less then a junior chemical engineer.

 

Along with a similar increase in living costs.

 

And a free health care system that works.

For the most part choosing between developed countries is choosing a lifestyle and a culture, rather then anyone being better or worse.

 

The one simple way to get a job....
Make games

Agreed. Im sure I could get higher pay if I moved, but I love england and would never leave

 

All 100% true.

I am fortunate to be one of 'big' company exceptions. Even so, as our studio is now a over at 100+ staff, there is only one other person than me, who really does that (general, wide range development). It is very rare role, most are very specific. And at times, I even get locked in to narrow roles for short periods time. Though having a broad skill set sure helps you avoid cutbacks.

As AP said, having a clear area of focus will help land a job. Usually when staffing up, it is done to fill a specific need. UI, TechArt and VFX often have more general dev tasks, or at least often have to interact with those areas.

 

Pity you dont live in NZ. Awesome sounding job going at GameLoft.

Junior Prototype developer. Would be dream job if it was a senior role.

 

This has all been really interesting to read through, I want to thank all of you for responding, I wasn't expecting this much feedback!

For those of you who were wondering about a portfolio, I do have a couple of things that I can share, but I should specify that I have only recently begun actually building my first functioning game, so when it comes to an example of a game I have made, that piece of the portfolio is still in the progress stage. For music/art stuff, I have some of my older creations up on a Bandcamp Page (all album art and background art I created):

https://alismadia.bandcamp.com

Artistic portfolio stuff I have been withholding from the internet these days because I have been concentrating very hard on making a game, but for anyone interested in seeing some developmental stuff on my project I will toss a picture or two in here just for conversation I suppose:



In the end, I would consider moving, but that would need to be a result of getting a job, not while looking for one...

Also, regarding the topic of Generalist versus Specialist, I highly appreciate the discussion. I would like to specialize in music if possible because it is my strongest of the three, but realistically I want to be hired for any of the skills if at all possible because I want to be in an environment where I can benefit in a learning way for more advanced artistic or coding challenges while being a useful member of a team... I just don't know how possible that is I guess, which in the end is why I decided to ask all of you about this stuff! -- Any advice directly related to finding music work would be most useful in terms of my most relevant job search...

As another point of this discussion, where would you consider to be the best places to find work as a game developer? - Any particular U.S. states or other countries around the world?

 

Could I make a tiny suggestion?

You could look into a job that allows you to study on the clock. There are A LOT of jobs where being there is 90% of the job and has a lot of down time that you could use to study.

Overnight positions, working at a college or university, jobs that require travel, truck driver, EMT, firefighter... All of those come to mind as having lots of free time.

Of course every employer is different, but there has got to be something more calm than working at a bakery (which I imagine is often hectic and draining).

 

Or a job in a related-enough field that it's still gaining relevant experience.

 

There appears to be senior jobs going as well.

But its in Auckland. We have such a beautiful country with so many creativity inspiring environments, and a digital company sets up shop in Auckland. With a decent internet connection they could have been anywhere.

That said, I'm currently out of work. It might be worth the commute to get an in in the industry. Despite my earlier comments about a lower salary then engineering, I'm currently not being paid in engineering.

@JamesLeeNZ You have any idea on how competitive the industry is over here?

 

Honestly, working in the bakery is a bit hectic, but think of it like this: most days of the week I am done with work by almost 1-2 in the afternoon. From that point on until I go to bed, I have been spending loads of time learning about Unity and C#. In fact, I had never once thought of using a script or expected that I might actually make my own game previous to February of this year... Since that point, I already have about 12 scripts in my game, and it is starting to function pretty nicely in terms of controls and interactivity for the player..

Long story short, I basically have plenty of time to be teaching myself the things I want to be learning. What I have trouble with is understanding how to project myself from where I stand right now into a position somewhere. I don't know how to accomplish that step without a resume that says that I went to school for game design, or that I have worked with a company in the past... so far as hiring employers are concerned, my resume doesn't look like I make games at all...

 

This, right here. I've never worked in game development. (personal circumstances and priorities) But a lot of the fields that I have worked in have overlapping skills with game development. And all of them pay pretty well. (certainly better than grocery store bakery salary) I'm currently working a job in web development, where I've been learning a lot about C#, data-driven design, and database management. (as well as a little MVC architecture) Just the other day I was able to take some Linq-query concepts that I learned on the job and apply them directly to a Unity project that I've been working on in my free time.

A lot of the skills you learn from working with Unity apply to tech-sector positions. And technology jobs usually provide consistent work that pays well. Most of them also involve sitting at a desk in an air-conditioned office, which I personally find to be very comfortable work.

 

One of the beautiful things about the games industry (and tech industry to a degree) is that constant learning is critical and in a lot of companies, built in. We have access to pretty much all online learning resources (lynda, safari, gnomen, etc), and often have several classes a week (and many of us teach them as well). There is always time made for learning. I should clarify, it is not "training". If you are looking for a job or to change roles in a company, it is expected that you have the skills for that role already.

Also, I don't know how it works in every studio, but my experience has been that sound/music is pretty separate from regular game development, often a dedicated team. Our sound team isn't even on site, they do the sound for many other games, we send requests, they deliver sound files. If you want to build more general skills and experiences, sound/music may be not be the right direction.

Left Coast is good. Oregon/Wash/Cali.

 

Texas, especially around the Dallas and Austin areas, are a good place to look for game work if you need to do it on a tighter budget. The cost of living in Texas is much lower than on the West coast. North Carolina also has a pretty vibrant gaming and tech industry, and is also very reasonable when it comes to cost of living.

Sadly, the relocation possibilities for the gaming industry are actually one of the worst aspects of working in games. A lot of people have to pull up stakes and move all over the place in order to go where the work is. Those who have already relocated to an area that has a significant concentration of game developers will usually just shift from developer to developer in the same geographic region.

Honestly, I can't necessarily recommend pushing for a full-time position in games. These days the employment scene for full-time game development tends to be brutal. Long hours, low wages, and almost zero job security seems to be the norm. The indie scene is only marginally better, with the big benefit being that you at least own what you make.

 

Really though, like everything else in the creative fields, it depends on your skill level and abilities. It is very much a closed loop in a lot of ways. It can be hard to get in, but once you are in you are pretty much solid. While it is very true that jobs are shut down quite often, (wether through failure or simply the main dev loop if is finished), the aspect that gets little press coverage is how easy it is to get another job. Though I am very happy where I am, if the worst case happened and my job was cut, I could have another one within a day easy. Though I would probably take a week or so to hold out for the best possible offer. I have worked with the same people on and off at different places for two decades now across three states. It is strange how small the industry feels at times.

The hours... well, yes they can be long. But if you work of a good company, they are well compensated for. Not all companies do, and those are the ones that have a hard time holding onto staff. Also, there is a flux of work depending on where the project is, I have days where I play pool/n64 all day, and others that are 10 hours of smashing my head against shaders, it is very up and down. While we do put in long hours during crunches, the environment is very positive, they are are not required, and we are given the time back in terms of extra days off or off-site parties/adventures/etc. (nothing like following a crunch with paintball and a beach party). I wouldn't say brutal, but it is like anything creative taken to a competitive, professional level, it isn't for everyone. It's not flipping burgers or building houses, it is a team-based competitive sport. And the money is pretty darn good. (as are the benefits and perks).

 

Oh yea, forgot about the Austin scene. I have a had a few friends that have moved over there, and done really well.

 

This may ultimately be a result of the specialization dependencies (and of course the effects of tax subsidies to a degree). I believe a studio that gears up and down looking for candidates to fill a particular purpose will have (as a result) a few core personnel (more than likely generalists, with a specialty) and fillers... short & long term specialists.

I'm not saying that being a specialist is a bad thing, it's just that being one (in my mind) would increase the potential result in nomadism.


I'm "not" employed by a game studio, but am familiar with this as it is not just limited to game developers and artists. The last industry I was in for ~14years was exactly the same way.

 

Well, you don't get a job unless you apply for one. Have you tried applying for jobs?

Just like you can't win the lottery unless you buy a ticket.

 

I have tried applying to a few places, but there are two problems:

The first is that I do not think that there are that many places to work near where I live presently (Central-Western Massachusetts)...

And the second is primarily the fact that I do not have a good way of displaying my ability to do work on a game company project because I lack experience and I don't know enough about the industry I guess..

 

Move, or be prepared too. Specialist work seldom comes to people who won't relocate.

Make a game. Publish it. Learn about the industry. Or go to game school.

No one is going to give you a job because you are a nice person and your life needs sorting out. They will give you a job because you have the skills to make them money.

 

Yep... Make a game is the plan as it stands. Trust me, the being a 'Nice Person' thing already got me to where I was heading before going down this route. From here on out I am working on my game until it is presentable, and then I suppose we will see where things go from there. I suppose the whole reason I brought up the topic of this forum was to see if there were things that I might have been missing from my plan for this project I am setting out on...

I fully anticipate that I will end up relocating in the end, nearly no doubt in my mind. I just want to feel more comfortable about having a way to support myself whenever I arrive at my new location wherever that may be.

 

Hmm... I might try that. But then again they say nice guys finish last.

 

Not every time my friend... The nice guy will occasionally find the way to rule the day! -- Or at least that is what I have to keep telling myself...