Change From Different Job To 3DCG - The Working Etiquette & Experience Are Your Big Strengths

Is it possible for someone working in a job unrelated to 3DCG to change jobs in the 3DCG industry?

The answer is YES!

There are examples of securities professionals and chemical researchers who have turned into professional 3DCG artists.

Of course, it is not easy, and the lack of knowledge and experience in 3DCG can be a disadvantage.

However, I believe that changing from a different job to 3DCG has some unique strengths.

In this article, I will write about the strengths of people who are working in a different field than 3DCG and who are changing careers to become 3DCG artists.

This is what I think as a result own experience and after seeing 3DCG artists changing jobs around me.

 

Work is work, even in 3DCG, and business etiquette is strong

In Conclusion,
Even companies that do 3DCG work are strong with people who are equipped with basic business etiquette.

Business manners do not have to be formal.

If these can be done, it is enough.

People who have worked for companies other than 3DCG generally have a firm grasp of these business manners.

Why, because it's already been hammered into me at my previous company.

In so-called general companies, these business manners are acquired naturally through training at the time of employment. There are many opportunities to come into contact with people outside the company and the department, and you will adapt to social life whether you like it or not.

 

On the other hand, 3DCG artists working for 3DCG companies do not have many opportunities to interact with people outside the company.

The main part of my job is to make 3DCGs, so I can work without phone calls or e-mails.

Basically, the majority of designer employees do not have to deal with external communication because it is handled by leaders, managers, and a few other important people.

In this environment, it is quite difficult to learn business manners naturally through work.

Especially if you are a student and a new graduate who has become a 3DCG artist, the opportunity to learn business etiquette may not come anytime soon.

Those who have moved on from different jobs have already acquired business etiquette that is difficult to learn in a 3DCG company. And you can learn as much about 3DCG as you want after joining a 3DCG company.

In other words, if a person who has business manners from the beginning also learns 3DCG, he or she will become very strong.

 

 

There are a lot of people who came to the 3DCG industry from other jobs

Many people had different jobs before they started working in 3DCG.

There are people around me, as well as myself, who have switched from film crew to 3DCG, or from sales to the 3DCG industry.

Of course, if we are hiring new graduates, most of them are art college or vocational school graduates, and if we are hiring mid-career, many of them are experienced 3DCG professionals who have moved on from other game companies.

The majority of people employed in the 3DCG industry are those who have studied the fundamentals of art or already have 3DCG experience.

But it is also true that there are a certain number of people who have moved from totally unrelated jobs.

While many people have specialized in fine art or 3DCG, those who move into 3DCG from a completely different field of work...

In fact, that in itself seems to be eye-catching in recruitment.

 

Experience: The reason I was called in for a job interview at a game company was actually...

This is a story about when Toha was trying to change careers in the 3DCG industry from a company in a completely different industry.

At a job interview for a game company I was invited to, I was asked if I had any questions, so I asked this question.

"What is it about me that made you call me in for a job interview today?"

The answer I got back was.

What a surprise!

The fact that they were trying to change careers from a different industry to 3DCG was in itself eye-catching and appreciated.

I thought that working in a job that had nothing to do with 3DCG would only have a negative impact on my career change to the 3DCG industry. So I was honestly surprised.

At least the people who interviewed me for the job at Toha received a favorable response to the fact that I was changing careers in 3DCG from a different industry.

As a result, Toha was able to become a 3DCG artist at this game company.
It could be said that he was hired because he changed jobs from a job that had nothing to do with 3DCG.

 

 

 

Hard to show only enthusiasm, The best way to show enthusiasm is through action

When Toha was able to change jobs to become a 3DCG designer, it was a big plus for me that they felt my enthusiasm to do 3DCG even if I had to switch from a different job.

I just think I would have failed if I had just shown my enthusiasm with my mouth.

In the case of the Toha...

In light of all these factors together, I think the evaluation was "enthusiastic".

 

"I want to do 3DCG! I'm interested in 3DCG!" If you have not made a single 3DCG work, no matter how many times you say...

"Then why haven't you made 3DCG yet?" If they said, that's the end of the story.

In truth, there are many reasons, financial and time-related, for not being able to act yet.

But...

Enthusiasm is best recognized when it is demonstrated through action.

This is what I mean.

People work for a company that has nothing to do with 3DCG,
But have the ambition "I want to do 3DCG! I want to be a 3DCG artist!"

Such people should, first of all, they should put that feeling into action, whatever it may be.

Especially now, the hurdles for individuals to start 3DCG are relatively low.

If you have the desire but have not taken any action, it is unlikely that they will appreciate your enthusiasm.

 

What I learned after changing from a different job to a 3DCG artist at a game company

While working as a 3DCG artist at a game company, I realized that work is work at any company, and the fundamentals of work are not very different.

No work is possible without communication with the colleagues you work with and the customers you serve.

Of course, it is important to have knowledge and skills in 3DCG. But before that.
The "basic importance of work" is the same whether you are working for a regular company or a video game company.

One of the most important basic things to do at work is business etiquette.

I consider myself fortunate to have worked for a different company before entering the 3DCG industry.

The experience I gained from the rough and tumble of society in jobs other than 3DCG helped me a lot after I changed jobs as a 3DCG artist.

When I saw a young planner at a game company writing an e-mail to a customer with a book titled "How to Write Business E-mails" in his hand, I wondered if being able to write e-mails was one of his skills.

 

From the outside, game companies and 3DCG companies seem to be doing very special work.

This is indeed a creative job, so it is a test of competence and requires specialized knowledge and skills.
However, we do a lot of normal company-like things, such as communicating by e-mail and consulting at meetings.

The experience I have gained working in other companies in different areas of 3DCG will never be wasted.

 

Summary: Experience working outside of 3DCG can be an advantage!

In this article, I wrote about how moving from a different job to 3DCG can be an advantage.

First of all, it is important to have these basic business manners.

 

Then, I shared my experience that my enthusiasm for 3DCG was appreciated, even though I had switched from a different industry.

This is just the case of Toha, and other industries are evaluated in a more technical direction.

For example, industries that are familiar with animation such as cel-shaded animation, industries that are familiar with human anatomy and muscles, industries that are familiar with architecture, industries that are familiar with the user experience of a product...

This can be applied to motion production, character modeling, background modeling, UI production, etc.

In this way, knowledge of many things is useful for 3DCG production.

Even if you are working in a field other than 3DCG now, that in itself is not a negative thing, and I think it is much more likely to be useful.

 

One of Toha's senior artists changed his career from a salesperson to a designer for a game company.

This senior artist is currently working as the most senior chief designer in the company. I have heard that he was not so good at 3DCG when he joined the company, but he no longer looks like that.

A job like a chief designer, who organizes the people around him or her, cannot be done simply by being good at 3DCG.

I think this is the result of his efforts and the experience he has gained through his work in sales.

 

If you are interested in the work of a 3DCG artist, please read this article as well~!