Preparing for the Future : I CAN do this!

   When I think about the potential of having a career in the games industry, it's a very exciting prospect. To determine what job I think would best suit me in this sense, and what would excite me, I would have to say that I would want to be a Concept Artist. Art, and developing fundamental art skills have always been important to me and art has always been a big part of my life. I also feel that this goal plays to my largest strengths. I really enjoy the design process that comes with creating concept designs, as I have discovered over the past few character design project, which have excited me from the word GO!

   Before I can consider this even a vague possibility though, I need to identify what skills I would need to secure an interview for a job like this, so I will look at a few existing vacancies to help me.

Here are some examples;

From looking at these, I've determined the base skills that places seem to look for;

• Good fundamental drawing skills, understanding of perspective, anatomy, proportions and colour theory. I can gain this by continuing my visual design practice, and always constantly doing more. I love drawing, so this will not be a problem for me anyway. If I can afford I will continue to attend Life Drawing classes throughout the summer breaks, and will practice at every given opportunity.
• Good conceptualization skills. This, I believe I am already learning through my visual design projects. I will keep going and keep practising this process to better develop my skills.
• Good knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator. Due to my college course, I do already have some experience with both of these programs, which I can continue to practice and develop over time.
• A Strong Portfolio. If there's anything that any job in this industry will want, it's a strong, well rounded portfolio. I will have to work hard and constantly do all I can to develop work for this, including only my best work.
• 3D skills (Maya,Max,etc). Quite a few places, for this job, will say 'good but not required' or not even mention it. It's a plus that I personally see as quite a necessary one, because the more you have to offer an employer, the better prospect you will look for them. I am still not incredibly confident with 3DS Max, however I do enjoy learning the program, so I will strive to practice more and become more confident as time goes on.
• Interest in Video Games. Pretty standard, and whilst I do have a strong interest in video games, it's rare I get the opportunity to play them now. I need to try and find more time to relax, perhaps during the Summer break, and get stuck in to playing some.
• Some places want prior experience. A possible way I could get this experience is maybe through internships, or first taking a job as a junior. 

We discussed in our last Critical Studies session about the importance of soft skills. These are things that an employer will be looking for in interview situation, outside of your base skills for the job.

• Able to work as part of a team. This is obviously important when applying to work dealing with clients who change their minds all the time. I would like to try over the summer to get a job, perhaps in retail or fast food. This will better build my skills working with other people and dealing with customers.
• Friendly. No one wants to work with someone who's going to make their job a misery. I naturally try to be quite friendly, so there aren't a lot of problems in that regard. I will say that I can be quite introverted at times, and it does take me a while to break out of my shell, but I like to think I am approachable and friendly.
• Literate. I quite enjoy writing, and I think I do write quite well on the whole. Doing these blog posts regularly should help me develop these skills further though.
• Time Keeping. This is something I feel I perhaps need to build on further, because on occasion I fall behind. I am getting better though, learning to plan out what I'm doing.
• Punctuality. This is important, and it's something I'm generally good at.

   

   It would be an absolute dream come true to turn this into reality and to be honest, I think I can do this. I have a lot to do and will try hard to achieve this and keep developing as well as I can. I feel I have already learnt so much in the space of less than a year. If I put my mind to this and really work on achieving all that I can, I think I will be able to develop these skills. I'm feeling excited for the future!