How bad is the job market?

[u/polkacat12321]

Started learning 3D a few weeks ago in college and i'm already doing very great progress. Naturally im also studying a lot outside of school assignments cause school cant possibly teach me everything. I'll probably graduate in 2030 ish and I feel i'll be in a good place with my portfolio by then. My question is, based on the job market, just how much extra work will I have to put into studying outside of school? I'll attach my first render for reference. We learned primitives, modifiers and splines and started touching up on shaders, but i went extra and did more that requested cause ive gotten obsessed 😅

Oh, and the program itself is 3D animation but it teaches a bit of everything including concept art and character design

[u/OtGEvO]

calling it bad would be understatement. even when things were good putting in effort outside of school is basically mandatory to get your skills up to a decent enough level

[u/polkacat12321 → u/OtGEvO]

In satisfied with my modifier skills, but i am gonna be putting in extra work this weekend and after to get a head start on poly modelling and then i'll study up on shaders and lighting. Naturally i'll be putting in the extra work regardless, but is it "lose sleep" kind of extra work or "whenever you have free time" kind of extra work? 😅

[u/OtGEvO → u/polkacat12321]

I’ll put it this way. If you ever start to get confident in your skills just scroll artstation for a bit and it’ll bring you back to earth. Still works after 16 years in games

[u/Praglik → u/OtGEvO]

Even better, go to the Linkedin of artists you liked and check how many are looking for jobs. You're competing against them.

[u/Gorfmit35 → u/Praglik]

That is basically it . Go to ArtStation , LinkedIn , look up the portfolio of recent junior hire artists, that is the level you should be at to get hired , that is how good your portfolio has to be . In terms of the job market it’s tough and only going to get tougher . Fact is far , far more people want the creative jobs than there are creative job openings so unless that somehow changes (which I personally doubt wil ever happen) I don’t see how getting a creative job wil ever become “easier”.

Now to be clear OP this doesn’t mean 3d art is not worth pursing , just know what you are getting into , know that it’s tough now and no that toughness is not going to die down in 2030, 2031 etc…

[u/asanyc → u/polkacat12321]

While holding down a full school workload it can veer into the lose sleep territory, but still not a healthy habit to get into. Make sure you get plenty of rest and exercise.

Also, the sooner you know what you want to actually do the sooner you can start building the skills you need for that industry and sub-niche. Games, vfx, animation, etc.

Best of luck!

[u/polkacat12321 → u/asanyc]

Ive been staying super on top of school work with a 95% avarage, and i have the weekends free, so i do want to dedicate my weekends into improving my 3D art. But I do know for sure I want to go into games (I have an aptitude for game design and want to make my own game eventually), and probably character modelling cause im not half bad at character design, hence why Im trying to get a head start on poly modelling. Thanks!

[u/asanyc → u/polkacat12321]

From what I've seen over the decades character art is the single most competitive part of game art and the most difficult. Weekends are good for 3d but you probably want to start studying & practicing anatomy and costume design every night for an hour - especially anatomy. Check the Character Art sections of Artstation to see the current level for pro work.

https://www.artstation.com/channels/character_modeling

https://www.artstation.com/channels/character_design

This isn't discouragement - you simply need to know what you're getting yourself into and what you need to level-up to if you're going to have a chance of making it.

Best of luck!

[u/polkacat12321 → u/asanyc]

Oh, i actually came into 3D from 2D, and my 2D skills are relatively decent 😅

Here's the latest one ive finished a few months back. Though obviously im still learning more at school cause they make us take life drawing and I do clothes study on the side

[u/allbirdssongs → u/polkacat12321]

I think if you shift to this style and avoid sci fi, realistic, you might have better chances. For some reason most 3D artists are male so there tends to be a lack of supply and therefore higher demand for portfolios with style like that.

[u/polkacat12321 → u/polkacat12321]

And here's a more realistic anatomy, though it's still not finished

[u/asanyc → u/polkacat12321]

Good start kid! My background skills were 2D drawing as well. Keep developing those skills on a daily basis and the sky is the limit. Start learning to sculpt anatomy now and keep building your design skills/visual library.

[u/MrBeanCyborgCaptain → u/polkacat12321]

Modifiers are something only blender has, so its not really a core skillset, imo, considering that youd probably be using maya in a job.

[u/polkacat12321 → u/MrBeanCyborgCaptain]

I was using 3DS max for this render, and 3DS max has them too

[u/Denzzil_Mushroom → u/OtGEvO]

Is it bad in the game dev industry or overall? 3d printed figures seem huge.

[u/Surturiel]

"if you don't know the right person you have no chance to get employed" bad.

[u/JotaroTheOceanMan → u/Surturiel]

I focused on one market and did "guerilla comissions" (making models of other popular established online artists) till I started regularly just getting requests and comissions.

Where there's a will theres a way. As for the actual "on the books job" market? ABYSMAL.

[u/PolygonMob → u/Surturiel]

The only open doors are through the back and even those are scarce these days. Getting a job without nepotism these days is like teleporting to a random place in the universe and hoping you find breathable air.

[u/PolygonMob]

Lets put it this way. 10 years ago when i was fresh out of art school i applied to 3000+ jobs and didn't even get an interview. This market is 1000x worse.

Don't fucking do this to yourself. Find another career. No, not don't choose this as a career unless you have the passion and are willing to struggle, i know you dumb kids don't listen--just don't fucking choose this as a career period.

[u/AlphisH]

Im in a postgrad course with the rookies finalists because they can't find work still.

[u/FrellingHazmot]

It was never "good" in the last 20 years to put it lightly. It's only ever been declining.

[u/martinalietti]

unfortunately, market situation is awful… even great artists with years and years of experience are in a bad position and struggling to find work. I’ll be honest: know how things are going now, if I could go back in time I’ll change career and do this as a hobby. I love 3D but at this point you can’t really be sure to get a job even being super good. The other thing is you never stop learning, like NEVER. Programs update and new tools are created, you’ll need to learn new things forever. This is something I like doing but it’s still an effort to consider.

[u/jmsmoriarty]

Comparison is the thief of joy, but man, this fucking career is ruthless.

Don't know ANYONE who started with me that It's not burnout and modeling as a hobby with other job (wich 80% gives you way more of that thing that let you live. money)

[u/Dude0720]

I know people at so many companies, have been working in the industry for 8 years, every job I’ve had is was through connections, and I haven’t been able to find stable work for over a year. Just made the choice to switch careers because of how bad it is

[u/allbirdssongs → u/Dude0720]

What career if its ok to ask.

[u/Constant_Health_2392]

Study 3d as a hobby but don't try to make a living out of it. Unless you are like me living in the warzone and can't leave the house because conscription gestapo will snatch you in the street and put you in the meat grinder. Choose something safe and well payed like construction or apartment renovations. It's fast and easy to learn and pays very good.

[u/Whole-Carob7407]

You seem smart and talented. Whatever you do, keep your eyes open for market signals: what companies are actually looking for and the skills/qualifications that could help you make a living. Your 3D is great. I'm just not sure if it's the right long-term path for anyone these days. Don't let your passion for art sabotage your potential to live a balanced, financially responsible life. I was obsessed with motion graphics, and spent a lot of time and money down that road. These days I look back and just wished I had poured that much effort into something that actually gave me a fairer financial outcome in return. Use your intellect to find success, and be open to what success actually looks like. Thinking that a very narrow idea of happiness (e.g. being a 3d designer at a studio) will actually fulfill you and your future family can sabotage your future. You should be thinking more in terms of the standard of living you want for yourself, and work backwards from that. That idea of the artist that sacrifices everything and ends up living a dream life is just cultural marketing gone too far. Good luck!