Career Ambitions?

[iamnotachicken]

I am curious about the goals of my fellow forum-goers, and where they are on the path to achieving them. So tell us what you want to do with your life, (if career is too narrow a focus, ignore that part and go as broad as you like) as well as whatever plan you are working through to achieve that. Maybe you are already doing it! I'd say that career is probably over-emphasized in the U.S.A. as determining a person's identity, but it is an interesting way to learn about people.

I'll go at some point, but my 14 month-old nephew is working pretty hard to get me to play with him.

[MrSquishyDBC]

I'm still not sure what I want to do, but right now I'm starting to lean towards music production. Earlier in the year it was history, but I think I'm meant to end up in music.

But that's in the future. As for now, I'm still trying to find a summer job. In fact, I went into a store today to find a summer job, but I guess they weren't hiring now. I'm afraid I'll have to wait until the start of the next school year...

[Matador]

I'm going into game design as a writer/storyteller. Currently, I'm building my portfolio and establishing my blog.
Day to day I'm working my ass off cooking at a Pub. I'm saving money to move out to Los Angeles. Birmingham doesn't have a lot of game development opportunities.

[Tekkactus]

In a perfect world, I'd like to be an animator, but I know how mind-bustingly hard it is to get a job in that business unless you went to a college that's name starts with "C" and ends in "alArts". Right now I'm working on a degree in Communication Arts, which is a combination program of Animation/Illustration/Web Design. Keeps my options open.

[Agrajag]

I'll be working at Apple starting in July for 6 months. After graduation I plan to work at some sort of software company, ideally in Boston or New York. I'll have to see what kind of job offers I get. Possibly go on to grad school if I can't get a job anywhere decent.

[Leetmuffin]

After college I'm going to live with my grandma outside San Franciso for a while working until I get enough money to move into the city. Then I'll work as a freelance artist (and probably some other job that actually pays the bills) until I get a job in game design. In game design I want to do either art design or game direction and writing.

[PyscoUno]

Left university drained of ambitions, it's a common post grad feeling. Ended up last week with a contract as jnr online editor and helping out in the a tv scheduling department, full time hours eep. so it's related to my degree a bit. Dunno where it will go in 10 years, exciting. Highly recommend reading Gladwells Outliers when you've got a career ambition, changes the way you think about careers etc. i need his new book, fav author.

[Bronze]

I plan on being a useless drain on society/dolebludger. To achieve this I am currently in my second year of a diploma in contemporary music.

Remember kids, set your goals at a minimal level of effort and you can't help but achieve them!

[eitlobsaboo]

I don't have no real career ambition.. I did. I wanted to be a 3D animator.. however a couple years study and no job later it really put me off. Plus you have to be really good and or know people. Network the shit out of yourself if you want a job in the industry is my advice. Also I don't think there was much of a demand for it 5 years ago in Sydney. However a mate did get into the games part of it. He did it for about 3 years until he gave up. He had long hours and didn't get any reward for working the extra bit. There was just looming deadline upon looming deadline. He now freelances for architecture firms and what not.
Myself, I am now a printer. Not by choice, I just took the first job that I got offered and here I am 7 years later. Its okay. It brings home the bacon, keeps my hands busy, I'm not stuck behind a monitor all day and it doesn't induce hard labour. It does however become a bit repetitive and I'm always hoping the next day will bring some sort of challenge. So if there is any ambition it would be to just work my way up the food chain. Weed my way into an art department or work on a bigger more complicated machine & thus earn more piggies..
I want to create my own toy tho.. that would awesome.

[Desov2]

Something in game design. I am in a game dev major at my uni in Chicago, but I don't really know what specialization yet.

[PyscoUno]

eit you can go in via unpaid runner or intern work, best way to start networking. or just send companies emails saying your skills and seeing if they need extra people. tho Canada hires 3D designers at any level (found that out at a job fair) mainlyin the gaming industry, which by looking at some EA games aren't too picky on experience.

[Matador]

Also, if anyone wants advice on breaking in, Brenda Brathwaite is your lady. I'll pick out some specific articles tomorrow if anyone is interested.

Edit: Here they come!
The dark truth about student business cards
types of game designers
interviews and portfolios with XP
what should be in my portfolio '09
GDC follow-up: when to do it, how to do it.
how we become leads
getting the job
objective lines on resumes
"Do you know anyone who's hiring?"

[pie]

Something menial requiring little to no skill or creativity, no doubt.

[kleptoman]

I'm doing a four year masters course in Civil Engineering with Architecture. I'll probably end up doing this. Idealy I'd like to work at arup (they built the sydney opera house, the gherkin, the Beijing water cube).

I think I want to do this but I'm unsure. I'd like to be a proffesional musician (anything to get by on would be cool), but I never really do anything to try to get in a band or do anything. I should really change this.

I have also got delusions of grandeur of at one point being able to draw well and make a graphic novel, but that would be a long long way off.

[kleptoman]

Matt, she seems to be a goldmine of web links. Good find.