Computer Graphics World

February 2009 45 find that the highly technical jobs are more "recession-proof " than others. Badler says: "Learning how to program for real time, how to write shaders, how to build an [Au- todesk] Maya plug-in, or how to program for the GPU are not trivial skills. You can't pick them up overnight, and yet our in- dustry is dependent on such technologies. e more advanced technical skills students have (the more they know about how a piece of software works and not just how to use it), the safer their positions will be in a slow economy. "In a technology-driven industry," con- tinues Badler, "it is crucial that students know how to make technology work for them, rather than the reverse. If you only know how to model objects in one plat- form and the company recruiting you uses another, can you adapt? If your tool set lacks something you require, can you build the tool that you need? Can you ex- plain what you need, in either artistic or technical terms, well enough for someone to build it for you? ese are the skills that keep people employed." Multifaceted skill sets and flexibility are the hallmarks of great employees, accord- ing to Badler. If you don't know how to do something that is in demand, he sug- gests learning it; after all, myriad resources are at your disposal, and virtually all new discoveries are documented and publicly available. "Can you think of any other industry that distributes all its intellectual property for free in the way that graphics does? I can't, and because of that, there is really no excuse for being uninformed. Access to SIGGRAPH papers are a click away, and the better informed job seekers are about the directions that technologies are headed, the better prepared they are for the inevitable changes that are inherent in a technology-driven industry," he says. Times of recession provide a chance to step back and re-tool. If you lack suf- ficient technical skills to land the job of your dreams, you might want to consider an advanced degree created for returning students, Badler suggests. "For example, our CGGT master's program was designed specifically for students with undergradu- ate degrees in computer science who want- ed to re-align their skills for the graphics industry. We don't teach them topics they've already mastered, but we do focus on helping them develop new abilities to add to their bag of tricks. Similar programs are cropping up all over the world, so find one that suits your current abilities and, more importantly, will help you improve your areas of weakness and re-enter the job market at a higher level." Perhaps most importantly, consider what you love to do and determine how to make it easier, faster, and better, recognizes Badler. Want to do animation? Find a way to do some of the back- ground animation procedurally, thereby freeing up your time to focus on the star characters. Love rig- ging? Build a rigging system that will work for most characters so you'll have more time for complex rigs. "Creating tools that allow 'creatives' to spend their valuable time on the jobs that really matter is the key to efficiency of time, money, employees, and companies," Badler says. "And efficient companies don't need to lay people off in recessions." Choose a Company Just as you audition for a position at a stu- dio, to some extent, that studio is also au- ditioning for you. ey want to draft the brightest, most talented, well educated, and hardworking team players to their team. And when you win that dream job, you likely will want to be gainfully employed there for some time and not laid off due to economic hardship. Apply to companies unaffected by the recession. "Companies like Digital Domain, which have diverse service offerings, are in an advantageous position to leverage talent across several areas—in our case, across our feature VFX, commercials, and games divi- sions," says Gavgavian. "We haven't seen a big difference in our hiring patterns due to any change in the economy." Whereas diversity shields one studio, another is unaffected thanks to its global reach. As a visual effects facility for fea- ture films, Double Negative's work is de- pendent on the status of the film indus- try, admits Rodgers. "We are fortunate that our client base is truly global and that, thankfully, CG is often the most cost-effective solution to delivering strik- ing images to the screen, both fantasti- cal and 'photoreal' invisible effects. [In 2008] we were the busiest we have ever been, and our recruitment has continued to allow Double Negative to increase in size at a healthy rate." In the end, the quest for a dream job do- ing exactly what you love in this industry takes heart and dedication. "Never give up," advises Rodgers. Gavgavian echoes the sentiment, noting, "Sometimes it takes working within the industry in different disciplines or positions before your dream job will present itself. Be open to other op- portunities that can lead you there. Don't give up." n Courtney E. Howard is a contributing editor to Computer Graphics World. She can be reached at cehoward@ twitchcafe.com. DMD's Ray Forziati modeled and animated a T-rex, and composited the elements in a video scene to produce this project. Recruitment n n n n

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