how did YOU get your first real job?

[bluegoddess16]

I was wondering how everyone went about finding their first "Career" job. Did you actively seek a job out, look in the paper, online job sites, used your networking skills ;) or had a "connection?" ect, ect.

i have just graduated from college with a b.a. in visual arts and am beginning to feel the cold hard reality of the difficulty of finding a job in the arts, or job in general that pays enough to live...sadly, my best resource is craigslist b/c there are actually postings everyday, but i feel there are too many shady people/companies trying to screw naive people over on there. maybe im mistaken but i dont think asking for someone with 5 years experience means $10/hr is adequate pay..

anyway, im hoping that everyone can just share their experiences when they first started out, and where they found salvation :)

[bluegoddess16]

nobody has anything to say? or no one has real jobs? haha i know thats not true ;)

[nelsonsantos]

yep its really hard the business, much harder when ur starting, you have to build a good portfolio and send it to all imaginable companies that adequate ur capabilities. One day someone will call you. Hope this helps.
ALso start requesting for some freelançe jobs.

[mosez]

i was doing a bunch of interviewing, and randomly my dad suggested answering an ad in the classifieds. I've been here 9.5 years now.

be persistant.
if they dont have any openings, ask them if they would review your portfolio so you can get some feedback (could lead to something)
look at every option. i would have never seriously considered answering that ad.

mosez

[bluegoddess16]

i was doing a bunch of interviewing, and randomly my dad suggested answering an ad in the classifieds. I've been here 9.5 years now.

be persistant.
if they dont have any openings, ask them if they would review your portfolio so you can get some feedback (could lead to something)
look at every option. i would have never seriously considered answering that ad.

mosez


hmm good to know. yeah, im very timid about applying to some jobs, b/c i feel the same way... that there are people much more qualified or that im just not qualified at all. my biggest issue is that i have high standards. the ads i see usually just say DOE or something lame. most people dont want to pay you more than $10/hr which i find really insulting with a degree. its a tough choice between pride and just getting paid something

[sorrowking]

bluegoddess, Try not to get to ridged with your 1st few jobs(price wise I mean) My 1st job was for a company that paid with percentage of profits. I was thinking of backing out but decided what have I got to loose. subsiquently I still recieve money from this product and many others that they have used the original work on (all done by contract).Also putting inustry experience on my resume has helped alot with the jobs I've had since then. So one low paying job turned into a real winner in the end. Sometimes you just have to risk it(but still research the company, you dont want to go compleately crazy)

[Qitsune]

For my first job in games, I got hired straight from school, the company came and interview almost all class then hired 3 people from my class. Then I worked with the contacts I got for the following jobs. Now I don't work in art full time but I do get contracts every once in a while. Being able to tell that youhave published X games helps a lot. So the first step is publishing something, then brag about it. :blahblah:

[FrequencyModulator]

Getting into the "Industry".

The one thing they don't teach you in school or Uni is "How to" get a real job.

My name is James COlmer, currently a Feature Film Concept Artist (Superman Returns, House of Wax, See No Evil).

I actually started out the same as everyone else...I went to Art School, where I soon learned that Teachers are basically all the people who didn't or couldn't make it as Artists.

After I finished, I sat around for about 9 months wondering what to do, during which time I also decided as no-one wanted my work, it was obviously no good, so I destroyed all 5 years worth of life drawing and paintings...probably the one thing I really regret. Looking back there was some excellent work there.

I decided I wanted to work in film, BUT HOW?

I saves $900 and flew to the Gold Coast and moved into the Trailer Park opposite Warner Bros. Studios.

Every Night I would crawl across the grounds next to the studios into the set of "Streetfighter". During that time I always "pretended" I belonged. I had the attitude that I belonged there.

Eventually I made firend, met people, looked at lists on walls, memorised phone numbers etc.

One day someone told me they were crewing for "The Phantom" so I went down to the Production Office and asked to see the Art Director.

He seemed impressed with my work and took me on as Props Maker.

Once you're in..YOU'RE IN...unless you do something really bad, then..."you'll never work in this town again".

I did that once and it was 4 years before I got back in again.

Eventually I started my own studio and began to advertise. I bought 2 computers, Bryce 4, Photoshop 4 and began practicing.

Although I was running a Prop Shop / Creature studio, I would also advertise as a Concept Artist, hoping to get work.

One day, I heard about a new Film, and decided I had just enough good Concept Artwork to show to a Production Designer.

He liked my work, but was looking for a particular thing. Not to be pushed aside, I offered to come back the next day with EXACTLY what he was looking for, and for free.

Needless to say, he liked it and gave me what was to be my first Feature Film job as a Concept Artist.

During that time I bought a Wacom tablet and really got to know how to use it.

I came away from the 10 weeks work with a great new portfolio, a lot of new friends, and most importantly...a CREDIT.

"HAVE CREDIT WILL TRAVEL."

Look back at the start of this message...what did you think when I wrote down my credits?

This is what Production Designers are looking for, besides Great work.

Forget school, work hard, make a great portfolio and ...BE BOLD.

As for money...I currently ask $1800 - $2200AU for a standard 50 hour week, but will be stepping up a bit now to around $2200 - $2800AU.

Freelance can be up to $200 an hour depending on the duration and royalties / assignment of rights.

Remember, your work is you..it's original, creative and you made it out of nothing...ART is CREATION. You are giving life to something. Don't give it away to crafty people who can't do it themselves.

Good Luck.

James
www.bimmini.com

[Crawley]

i'm trying to go to the next step right now. i got my first job as a concept artist from my school's job board. i sent out to lots of jobs... i had to force myself to send to this company. we do tween girl illustration! not my first choice. but hey, i took what i could get. i've been here 2 years now and have been steadily working on my portfolios. i've used alumni, friends of teachers, relatives...any contact i could get inside companies and sent what i thought they might want to see. i've found that if you can send your stuff to actual artists in a company and build a friendship, they can help you to taylor your portfolio to their company and learn their little quirks and buzz words. i'm in that process now with a card company sending things to a creative recruiter..who i got in contact with though a lady i was sending things to ocasionally and i was given her contact by one of my teachers i used to work with. so now i've sent her 2 peices and she's given me some direction, so now i'm going to work on doing a couple more peices and trying to get more feedback. untill i have built up a full taylored portfolio that will be on target with what they want to see.

so i'd say figure out what your dream job would be....this will change over time... and find a contact that will reply to your emails. work tirelessly on your portfoio and get as much feedback as you can. good luck.

[Jared_Bishop]

Some one told me after you get out of school get a job you hate. They you'll work harder to get the job you love.

Oddly enough I've been trying. I Just graduated and I'm looking for a job as a texture artist. I've sent out an application to over 50 game companies and two weeks later nothing. I know, I look bad on paper because I don't don't have 2-3 years experience and have shipped at least one game.

So, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. ok I feel better. Now back to woking on my portfolio.

[zao75231]

I posted my art work here in the employment thread and they emailed the following week. I was working 3 freelance jobs at once for 5 months, after that i posted my art here on the employment thread again and Ritual Entertainment called me the next the day. I'm still working there.

-Rob:D

[Helium Macaroni]

Heh, FrequencyModulator's story sounds like my boss' tale. He drove out to LA from Jersey and his van broke down on Hollywood Blvd. From there he met a few people, basically lived on the set of his first few projects while earning like $100 a week. Now he does contract work for just about every major studio, along with producing and directing his own films... which I design for.

Things seem to work along this route in LA quite often concerning the film and TV industry, not so much with games I imagine. You make some good work, someone sees it, they take you on as kind of an apprentice, they eventually hire you, and you go on to bigger and better things as you work up the ladder. What it boils down to is basically serendipity, and who you know. If you have the skills at the time when someone takes a look at your stuff, you're in. And you tend to meet people in the weirdest ways.

My story is similar in the whole LA scheme of things. I went to a game of broomball with a friend. The group had put an open invite on craigslist and a few people outside our group showed up to join in. One of these guys was an editor in the entertainment industry. We got to talking about jobs and stuff, and I mentioned I was a sculptor. He mentioned that he had a friend who was a sculptor who was in need of some help on his current film project. So I went and met with this guy, showed him my stuff, and basically interned for a bit. After a while, he needed some designs that he thought I could come through with, and he hired me. From then on it's been steady work, and a real immersion in the industry that I would never have gotten by just submitting a portfolio somewhere and taking a studio job.

Just keep your eyes open, meet everyone you possibly can, and take your portfolio with you EVERYWHERE. Draw in public places, you never know when someone could be looking over you're shoulder.

[Maurice]

My instincts tell me to write: "Run away as fast as you can." But that would not be very encouraging.

I had a friend tell me, "it's not who you know but who knows you." I've been working as a professional concept artist for over a decade and have been blessed to work on some amazing projects over the years consistently. I can't say how but it would seem that brand recognition is the key. You need to think of yourself as your own intellectual property. This property is your art style, quality and personal attitude. It took me some time to learn this but once I did, I was a better manager of my work. This meant for me being able to work as a conceptual artist on films, TV, games and theme parks.

Select that one real strength you have as an artist and build on it. IE: character, environment, set design etc. choose one and be known for it and then expand on your intellectual property.

-Maurice
www.mauricekimball.com