[TRENCHES] Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - Artifact Of Misdirection
LegionPerseus VeilRegistered User, Moderator, Penny Arcade Staff, Vanilla Staff vanilla
Artifact Of Misdirection
http://trenchescomic.com/comic/post/artifact-of-misdirection
Good enou-NOPE
AnonymousSo immediately upon graduating I realized there was a recession going on, or something. Well, I had a shiny new degree in fine arts, specifically computer animation, and I really wanted a career in game design.
I risked some of my remaining funds (which technically I didn’t have since I was in tens of thousands of dollars in debt thanks to said degree) by flying across the country for a gaming career conference in order to make professional contacts.
I visited the booth of a smaller company that had developed an RTS title that I had really liked, and the representative there, who was dressed in shorts and sandals, spent a long time looking at my portfolio.
“You belong here.” said the guy, and then he added, “We might have some new positions in a few months, be sure to apply.”
Wow. I felt great.
Then I went to one of the largest (in the top three, and not Blizzard, they were very nice) game designer/publishing companies, and showed my portfolio to the representative, who was in formal business attire. She looked at my portfolio for five minutes in silence (which is a really long time when you’re standing to the side fidgeting). She meticulously scanned over all the sketches of weapons, monsters, landscapes, and then the 3-D models. Then she looked at my last page, which was my resume.
Upon seeing my resume, she slapped my portfolio shut and curtly said, “You should have your resume as your first page.” and then walked away.
What the hell, lady?
I graduated cum laude, from a prestigious art institute, taking classes both in traditional art as well as video editing, programming and computer animation. So why had I been rejected?
I had no work experience.
The thing is, she had spent so much time looking at my portfolio that my work had to have been good enough to keep her attention. But apparently with no work experience my apparent talent was irrelevant and I had wasted her time.
A few months later I looked at the company that said I belonged, and they had been bought out and consumed by one of the larger publishing companies (again, not Blizzard).
Now I do freelance computer animation for nature centers. I spend my time animating forest fires, prehistoric sharks, and avalanches, and I go to work every day in shorts and sandals.
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Only a mere 136 pins to go!
- It's just a bachelor's degree
- Like most bachelor's, the expected duration of study is 4 years, 5 if you have a full-year internship
I'm a hiring manager (software, non-gaming), and if I saw a resume that showed 7 years of college and didn't have justification for it, I'd stop reading it right then and there. I strongly recommend a cover letter in all cases, however this is one where you *Really* need a cover letter to explain to the hiring manager why they should hire you. If you're making the hiring manager have to guess and make excuses, or are hoping they infer that there were extenuating circumstances, etc, then you aren't going to get a call back. Hiring is hell. Going through hundreds of resumes when you have other work to do is mind numbing. Make your resume refreshing and easy. Use a cover letter to spell it out for the manager why they should hire you, and use the resume as proof of your claims.
And most importantly, tailor your resume to where you're applying. Nothing gets you dumped in the trash faster than having a resume that is obviously a shotgun resume - and that includes taking 7 years to do a 4 year degree.
Esty still not fixed.
Esty still not fixed.
Seemingly no new tale coming today.
All I want to see is a reasonable release timeline that's communicated realistically to us. If it's not going to be every tuesday/thursday, fine but come up with a system for letting us know when they're actually released. Backseating here: If I were on the team or in charge I'd be looking at finding a reliable team that can both do the writing and the artistry each weak where this is more of a priority. If the people on this project love it, but have no time for it they're doing it a disservice by staying on. I'm sure PA has the resources to make sure this actually happens, someone just has to make finding the team for it a priority.
Not this most recient PAX Prime, but PAX Prime 2014, I made it a point to go to the booth for Camp Wedontwancha, and I spoke to the artist and the writer. I told them "Thank you so much for being on time. For making each one of these comics post exactly when you say they will. It's a VERY hard thing to do, and I want you to know people appreciate it greatly." She actually was taken back by that and told me "wow, thanks! No one's ever said that." So I replied "Well, that's because when you're always on time, you never get the complaint train...."
But if The Trenches went away, what would you all be complaining about all the time?