At a crossroads..(sort of)..

[MannyG]

Hello, well i made this thread in hopes of getting some advice and maybe some insight as to what i should do with my current life situation. I apologize is this becomes a long post but it is something i have been stressing about for weeks.

 

Im currently in college and my major is Media Arts and Animation, i dont want to be an animator but i love 3d Modeling in Architecture so im basing my portfolio on that. Ive been working on my portfolio for a few months now and im in one of my last quarters before finishing BUT theres a few problems i would like some insight in. Even though my teachers say my work looks great i feel it can be better (little bit perfectionist) i dont feel i would be able to finish my portfolio in time for my desired graduation date. At the same time im taking classes that i know i dont need in regard to what i want to do in life, example: 3D Special Effects.

 

Heres the issue. Im not a super rich guy, in fact im super poor, i can barely afford gas sometimes and barely make it to school. I still have an income but not enough to cover my bills which im slowly getting behind on. I LOVE doing my 3d work though, i spend most of my day thinking about it and working on my projects...i wanted to take a few quarters off and finish my portfolio while maybe taking an internship at an architecture firm or 3d modeling house. I want to get a part time job, have an internship, and finish off my portfolio and get my degree once im done. So i guess my question is do you think its a stupid idea to stop school for now so i can focus my work time solely on my portfolio and have a better income to support myself for now, or should i stay in school and start falling behind on more debt and finish my portfolio on a slower pace?

 

Im sorry for the long post but any responses would be welcome. Any similar life experiences you might have would help as well. I appreciate your time reading this. By the way ima try and post pics of my work as it currently stands right now and you can critique that too if you like...

[ahmon]

Follow your heart. My degree is in Architecture (5 year program) and in my 5th year I dropped out of studio because I did not feel the course was challenging enough for me. I had finished all the work required for the semester at the half way point. Being that I had already spent 4 years in the US Navy before college, family, friends and classmates called me stupid for dropping it and adding one more year to the already long degree.

 

Now, I see that year as the best thing I ever did in my life. I became the person I needed to be. Was already motivated in my field so wether I was in a class or not I was going to learn. I was told that learning was 25% school and 75% you. I took my 75% and ran with it while in school and that year I was not I took the entire 100% and then some.

 

If you love what you do then time is nothing. Opportunities will always be around as long a you are good at what you do. Not telling you to take a year also. Just saying, Follow your heart.

 

This is a rendering i did in my actual last year of school for fun. I searched the net for tutorials everyday almost. Hope all this helps.

[William Alexander]

in the end unfurtunately it's not how to do it....it's how bad you wnat to do it. Dang dude your in fricken 'Hollywierd' your chances of getting a "CG" job are much better than in most areas. Get one doing anything you can do. No it's not "where" you want to be but it's a STEP closer.

 

Or get the highest paying job you can, anywhere, and do the CG stuff in your spare time - aka build your portfolio.

 

We all need to pay bills / eat...that comes first. There are no "magic" solutions...just very hard work and dedication to getting where you want to be. Now getting a job in the CG field and working on your ArchViz in your spare time....will pull you forward toward a destination faster

 

Everybody I know working in CG VFX and ArchViz who are successful have put forth years and years of effort and dedication to moving forward. All have journeys of many little steps and very few leaps. A couple have had very high paying 'Art Director' positions (250K/year)...those evaporated and guess what they had to fight thier way back into the industry as artists and modelers. One in particular ended up swinging a hammer for a year before he found CG related work. He's doing well....worked on Pirates 3 earlier this year. BTW he's got an architecture background

 

Good luck and don't get discouraged....if this is what you love to do....you'll find your way, just don't wait for it to come to you.

[MannyG]

Thanks for responding guys...yes i do agree that learning is 75% you..i must say most of what ive learn about 3d modeling and rendering has been form my own research online and by doing tuts. I do feel that if you love something it doesnt matter what happens its that desire that will move you forward. Thanks

[womble]

When you talk about leaving school and getting a better income do you mean getting work as a 3D modeller or taking on another job and working on your portfolio outside of work hours?

 

I ask this because looking at your 4 images, I think you would have real trouble getting a 3D job at the moment.

 

While you're showing a bit of talent and ability I think whats really missing from these models is lighting, texturing and especially composition. At the moment they don't really tend to tell any 'story', and I think thats what great 3D should be about rather than re-presenting architecture. I'd be quite interested in seeing some of your other college work if you were willing to upload it?

 

My advice to you at the moment would be to finish the college degree, as even though its putting a strain on you at the moment, it will give you a better 'foot in the door' with a 3D firm once you build up your portfolio a bit. Plus better earning opportunities in the future. It also looks bad to have a 'black hole' on your CV where you have to explain to possible employers why you dropped out of college.

 

In all honesty I think that you are missing a bit of architectural background in your 3D work and think that you might find it hugely beneficial to familiarise yourself with some contemporary architecture and try to model some of that from eye. Architectural journals are a great (but expensive) place to start from, but you could also try websites and blogs.

 

This isn't meant to be a post to dash any dreams of yours, but just my advice that you are not yet at a place to get a 3D job, and that your finished college degree will be worth a lot more in the near future when you are at a skill level to get a 3D job than 6 months retail experience/part time portfolio building.

 

Just my 2 pennies though.

[MannyG]

I wasnt planning on getting a 3D job right away since i know my work is not to where it should be. My plan was getting a job and work on my portfolio, I agree with the architectural knowledge....since my major is more animation based but i planned on taking a few arch classes at the local college if not going to a full arch school after i was done with my degree now. I know my work right now lacks a few elements but thats what i have at the moment thats not my finished work. Thanks for your input though.

[rotten42]

if you are dsuch a perfectionist then you might have some troubles in this field. Rarely does a project ever afford you the time to do the "perfect" job. If you are still learning in school, then stay there if you can.

[womble]

No need to be snarky and sarcastic, you asked for our input and I gave it to you. You didn't specify if you were looking to go straight into a 3D job so I advised staying at college.

 

If you can't take a bit of light criticism then this probably isn't the field for you.

[MannyG]

No not at all, i apologize if it sounded that way it was not my intent. Im glad to receive some opinions.

[PAWUK]

Hard one

 

All I can give you is my experience over here , spent 4 years at college many years ago and have never been asked what qualification I have just what I can do.

 

I work in the exhibition and interior industry and we get at least 2 CV’s a week, the first thing we look at is the samples of work. Not saying that qualifications are not important just that in my experience there not the top of the pile.

 

You need to contact some studios around you and get some feed back as to what would be important to them. It might give you a better perspective as to which way to jump

 

Good luck, and keep working on your portfolio.

[nilariver@gmail.com]

Dear Brother,

What i do in this situation that i tell you. Most of the question answered in my Sadhana room( Meditation Practising room). So you also sit in Padmasana where you feel isolation and calm and start to think inside of you.Most of the confusion get over from there. And enjoy the beauty of eternal companion.

With regards

Your in the name of My Thakur

Ajith kumar

[Ernest Burden III]

If you love what you do then time is nothing. Opportunities will always be around as long a you are good at what you do.

 

A very interesting post, thanks for your insights.

 

I agree that you (Manny) will need to develop your lighting and composition skills to work as a visualizer. You can learn those things--perhaps better--in a general art environment. Start by going to museums. You live in a major city, there are tons of options there.

 

You could earn some money doing freelance modeling. You would be competing with overseas companies and individuals who can work for low rates and still have a decent standard of living, but even if you price competitively still beat what you would earn making lattes. You also could have more flexible hours which might help with staying in school to complete your degree.

 

If you decide to stay in school, but feel the direction isn't right, then change it. Figure out what's lacking and adjust your courses accordingly. There's nothing wrong with taking a year off from school, except it could become a lifetime off, no degree after all you've invested so far.

[MannyG]

Thanks to everyone for their opinions. Im heading towards taking a few months off i dont want to be out of school long just enough to get back on my feet. Its just me and my mother and we hardly get by making ends meet so not having a bigger income and going to school at the same time stresses me out. But ill come out winning, thanks everyone.

[ginsun]

i saw your picture, i think the scale of the interior is not so apporpriate, need some more work on it

[Duchess]

Hi there! You look like you're in the same boat I was.

 

My advice is to finish school. Last year I graduated with the same major as you, and I don't think I could have gotten my job without my degree. Good luck!

[Peter M. Gruhn]

Of course your work can be better. You're new. You'll find in a hundred years or so when you're on your deathbed that your recent work could be better. The tricks are being able to see not just that, but in what way it could be better AND figuring how to bring that to be.

 

"Classes I don't need" "what's this used for in the real world" etc. are common complaints of students. They're a load of hooey. Know some special effects? Great, you'll be a better compositor than the next guy. You'll be able to put together a slightly more flash animation that will help sway the board. "ooo, another architectural walk through" or "a nicely done multimedia presentation." Maybe it won't be Jurassic Park on Fire, but wouldn't a fountain or some fireworks look nice at that hotel?

 

And beyond that, the superficial technical specifics learned at school aren't the best result from school. Learning how to learn, learning about things in general. Everybody complains about math classes being useless. I was sitting carving spheres out of plaster blocks on day in sculpture class and some kid asked "OMG! How can you make those things?" I reflected on it a bit and realized that my plaster spheres come from knowing my trigonometry and calculus.

 

You might consider a bit of perspective correction if you are looking towards architectural rendering.

 

Perfection is a great thing to strive for. Knowing when you've got "good enough" is important. Office I was in, we developed a certain disdain for the city reviewers. This helped us look at a project and say "yeah, I could spend another two days making this great, but, it's good enough for the city."

 

I shy away from having an opinion on the advisability of staying in school or getting out but one thing comes to mind:

 

It is a common refrain that people who leave school tend not to go back. The extra income soon becomes barely enough and certainly not enough to afford going back to school; the project needs to be completed and the client kept happy; I like going out drinking on Fridays...