My husband and I listened to the original BBC broadcast of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy while driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco for GDC 2010. It was a great day for a drive and while we listened to Arthur Dent make his way through the Universe with Ford Prefect and his towel, I found myself doing my own mental traveling through the history of GDC.
I overheard a veteran head of a large developer studio say last night that the one person he is going to hire is the person that fills the “screaming desperate need” he has right now – he has a hole that needs filling yesterday. He is NOT going to hire the candidate with potential and no actual experience. Potential doesn’t show him that the new hire is a lock to solve his problem. Only actual experience in the skill he needs is going to satisfy. Actual experience can be gained either through professional employment or through independent work – but it must be actual, demonstrable work. Not a class. Not a theory. Do the work and show it. Be the donut hole.
Furthermore, he addressed the conundrum of needing experience to get a job to get experience. Basically, he said “Don’t be lazy. Go get it.” If a candidate really wants a job, he or she is going to do whatever it takes. If you want to code shaders but do not have HLSL experience, you can learn it and apply the knowledge to a personal project that will blow away the competition. If you want to animate for the leading CG house, your reel must be that quality when you walk in the door. Class work isn’t enough. The key is independent initiative, passion and hard work.
A friend of mine had a t-shirt with the message “Go in your studio and make art.” I always think of that shirt when talking to developers or students. If making interactive entertainment is your passion, you have to go grab it. You have to do the work it takes. You have to fill that gap and be the donut hole.
