SandmanNinja Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Every company I talk to, lots of folks on this forum, everyone is saying "bad economic times" and talks about how bad business is. 3D Archtecture has been my desire for years. Why should I "waste" more of my life when the industry is dying, or at the very least slowing down? If big companies are having a time getting new business, what hope do I have? I'm just sick and tired of striving and hoping and trying to learn more and more tips and techniques that I just begin to question myself 'is it worth it?' Should I devote weeks and months of my life, of every free moment of my spare time inbetween the 2 jobs that I already work, to learn yet more skills that I seriously doubt that I'll ever be able to get employment with - even part time. With more and more people from India and China and Russia doing 3D architecture - doing the thing that I love - and charging pennies for it, then I just have to consider my future life. No disrespect for people from those countries, but a global market means for Job X, I have to compete against people who's cost of living is 5% of what my cost of living is. And they do a really good job. Working 2 jobs - Tech Support and Photographer - leaves me so little time to do ..well.. anything fun and relaxing. I have applied myself to self-study and feel I am fairly knowledgable in 3ds. I have applied to Architecture firms and to Visualisation firms and am told that there is a hiring freeze or they are laying people off or they are closing their doors soon. Do I continue to persue a dream when I've hit 45 years of age? Or do I settle down, quiet the restless 3D urge with quality time with my wife and family? Do I enjoy sunsets with the love of my life, or do I lock myself away working on yet more arcane and subtle ways of doing 3D Architecture? And I feel I'm too old and just not good enough in the low-poly work for games, and the desire - the passion - for making low-poly game objects doesn't really appeal to me anyways. I'm tired of chasing the White Rabbit down the Rabbit Hole. I might fiddle with 3ds, if I need a site plan for my gardening ideas, but no more tutorials or upgrades or anything that takes more than 5 minutes a month. So, I bid everyone on this site farewell. You all have been very kind to me over the years and I have enjoyed this site and the people that make it an online family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kippu Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 i am sorry for you having to leave this site , you had quite an exuberance in dupe the photo contests and i am especially sorry , if as your posts suggests , that people from india are to blame somewhere for the loss of your dream ...i wish you well in watching sunsets with your loved ones ...given a choice , i would love to do that too ....but its sunday and i am in my office doing clickety clack ....sigh good luck joel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 You are really in a good position, you have a regular job AND the opportunity to freelance. Don't give up, this is an industry where you are always learning. Heck Iv'e been doing this for 13 years and still feel like a noob. These are difficult times so use the down time to hone your skills. You do have an eye for this stuff and the passion. The rest is just learnt skills that anyone can do. jhv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihabkal Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 it is Sunday, and I am clickiding clackiding working hard to finish two historic houses modleing them from mere photos, if I had the choice I would bring my family and go with you and barbecue togehter wathcing the sunset. the kids would play and feed the ducks and no more stress... If you can afford to live like a normal person and have separate job 9 to 5 and family time go for it don't hesitate. But keep in touch and post somethign every once and a while. and you could do some freelancing if someone asks you to and make some cash on the side. Live a healthy balanced life, your wife and kids will love you even more. All work and no play makes for a very depressing life. Just because we love 3d doesn't mean we sacrifice our life for it. I spent all my savings on a renderfarm a few motnhs ago, and my second Lebanese animation client ran off with the animation I did for him without paying the second half of the bill. LIVE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Johnston Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Jole I wouldn’t give up just yet, this slow down won't last forever and when it picks up people will need your services again. If I were you I'd concentrate my attention on the two jobs I had and maybe picking up a girlfriend, do that for a year or two and see how things look after that. I know I'm making it sound easier than it is but you can't spend your whole life doing this even if you do love it because eventually you'll just burn out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Zaslavsky Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Hey Joel, sorry to hear that you've reached this point of a decision. i think its a very personal decision and unless you are doing this (3D) full time - it's very hard to immerse yourself and really get a huge kick out of doing it. i think i would go mad if all i could do was tutorials and hone my skills on new software. after starting this business full time about 9 months ago - i'm finding myself busier than ever before - and its awesome fun - i think we are in the best position at the moment because all the developers and agents and architects are begging to find good people to do 3D for them. at the same time - if you have two jobs and already are missing the time with the family - you gotta make a decision about something - cuz there's only 24 hours in a day and there must be some balance to your life otherwise exactly as devin says - eventually you'll just burn out. hope some of the above is worthwhile and good luck in whatever decision you make - i've certainly gained a lot from talking with you - you've got an enormous amount of knowledge about 3DS - (maybe publish an aussie book on 3D?) cheers and stay in touch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneis Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 If I were you I'd concentrate my attention on the two jobs I had and maybe picking up a girlfriend, do that for a year or two and see how things look after that. Not too sure his wife would appreciate that Good advice though...except the girlfriend part. Hang in there Joel, even if it means just standing in the wings for a while. You could also try broadening the base a little - send your portfolio to some Graphic and Industrial Designers, you might find one or two with a small job for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ky Lane Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Without trying to sound flippant, now is the BEST time to be in 3D. Why? I struggled through the DotCom crash. But, I toughed it out. All the dodgey $500 website backyarders slowly died off, and when the situation rose from the ashes, there was only a few of us qualified, experienced people who had integrity left. My sugegstion Joel, is diversify. Learn some new skills as a peripheral. This is how I got into 3D. Bored with web, I taught myself 3D and now I do both. When one gets quiet, the other covers it - and vice versa. You're a talented guy - dont waste it mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Johnston Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Not too sure his wife would appreciate that Good advice though...except the girlfriend part. Oups sorry I misread what he posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihabkal Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 (edited) Not too sure his wife would appreciate that Good advice though...except the girlfriend part. I agree, I tried that once it my wife didn't appreciate it much. But seriously I don't agree that this is the best time to start or do 3D, actually in the last few weeks after a client ran off with my $5000 payment, I am thinking this is not a life, we are too much underappreciated (maybe in the Middle East only?) and I generally feel what we do has no value. maybe I was tricked too many times by Lebanese clients. they suck all the fun out of it. Edited April 20, 2009 by ihabkal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devin Johnston Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 we are too much underappreciated (maybe in the Middle East only?) and I generally feel what we do has no value. maybe I was tricked too many times by Lebanese clients. they suck all the fun out of it. While I agree that we can be under appreciated or at least misunderstood I don't think there is no value in what we do. I've worked on many projects where the imagery was every bit as important as the design, clients need to be able to see what it is they are getting and that can be worth a lot. There are many architects out there who value what you have to offer but are to cheep to spend the money even if they know it will benefit them in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creasia Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 (edited) I have spent a great deal of time thinking along the same lines as far as working 3D aside of my full time job. This could be a good time of transition for you. Perhaps this is not the time to check your email waiting to contracts or job offers, but a time for you to point your skills in a completely new direction. It might be a good time to explore other skills or talents that you might have. Spending more than 50% of your life on a computer is far from rewarding. Get out. Spend time with other people. Take some time to enjoy your family while they are still young. Life is all about balance. When you have some time enjoy your 3D art, spend time on it as a very satisfying hobby. Maybe create a project that you could market on your own. I am considering using my 3D skills to create children's books. Heck there seems to be so many people here on this forum chatting about nothing to do, why don't we get together and make some huge 3D world together? (IE Like The Worlds Fair in Paris) Granted that this does not bring in money, which many of us may need right now, but once the bills are paid, it will still provide us with a great creative outlet. It has been nice chatting with you. Best of Luck in the future! P.S. I have far from given up my day job, but speaking of branching out, I am spending more time on my music and am looking at creating my own record label. In the middle of all this came a talent contest, so I entered... I placed in the top 25, got a band together and had an awesome time. It was totally satisfying and it sure beat sitting at a computer! Edited April 20, 2009 by creasia Added P.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ky Lane Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Originally Posted by ihabkal we are too much underappreciated (maybe in the Middle East only?) and I generally feel what we do has no value. maybe I was tricked too many times by Lebanese clients. they suck all the fun out of it. Then why do they use you? Because you help them make money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I was tricked too many times At least you got 50% up front. Next time demand 100% I can't beleive I'm going to quote Dubya but: "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihabkal Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 At least you got 50% up front. Next time demand 100% I can't beleive I'm going to quote Dubya but: "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 I know who said that, it was ex president Bush...I watch the daily show with John Stweart every night and he showed that clip a few months ago. fun times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Hunt Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Did you happen to watch Insight on SBS last night? It was all about re-inventing yourself during a recession. Very interesting and lot of good advice. It will be repeated on Friday at 1 (or 1:30), well worth a watch. jhv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandmanNinja Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 Hello everyone. First - thank you, everyone, for your kind thoughts and well wishes. In the past 7 days, I've been contacted by two companies and they both accepted by bid for services. One of the contracts is for on-going (weekly) work, while the other is a one-off 90-second animation. I've ordered an 8-core dedicated rendering machine to compliment my current quad-core. I decided on WinXP64 (again) - no worries about patches or incompatibilities. Windows 7 looks very promising, but it's not officially release for a few more months - and there will be a shedload of hotfixes and patches I'm sure. I've gotten a handle on using Back Burner (had to uninstall it then re-install from my DVD), and I can't imagine life without it now. It's so nice to render off a half-dozen scenes and then right-click and activate them just before I go to bed. I reckon there must be a memory saving since the entire 3ds doesn't load. Anyway, this has given my confidence an enormous boost, not to mention that I can start justifying some of these capital outlays for the past 2 years. I might not get any new clients for a while, but the long-term weekly contract will pay for the new computer in the first month and continue to give me regular paying work for approximately a year. This will allow me to continue to gain confidence and look to other work. So, I'm back with a gusto and will start doing admin duties as well. -Joel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ky Lane Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Great news. Knew if you beleived in yourself a little more, and stuck it out, the universe would provide. Now go knock their socks off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amer abidi Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 well done!! good on ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattclinch Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 good to have you back chief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kippu Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 welcome back mr sandman ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudio Branch Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 So, I'm back with a gusto and will start doing admin duties as well. Excellent! Glad to hear this Joel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy L Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Back in the saddle...and it sounds like two good jobs too! Happy days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koper Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Welcome back!!! Its gooood to hear some goood news for a change! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nymn Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Welcome Back ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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