Entering into the product design or game development employment market

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sen8or

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#315919 30-Aug-2024 10:05

Hopefully this is allowed here -

My son graduated with a degree in product design / game development from UC last year. There seems to be a shortage of jobs for graduate / entry level roles. Are there any tricks to getting a foot in the door?

He has done a small amount of unpaid intern work via an Australian company, but outside that has not had any luck. Any tips would be much appreciated.

Regards

Sen

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#3277157 30-Aug-2024 13:38

I don't have any specific advice sorry, but his timing isn't ideal.

In general there's still some demand for experienced / senior technical people in various fields like security, but with the recession and the public sector budget cuts, there's been a bit of a flood of people into the market who are applying for more junior roles than they might otherwise have considered.

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marpada

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#3277175 30-Aug-2024 14:02

As Lias said it's tough market as I've never seem before so he'll need to be patient. It might help building a portfolio of projects in his github where he can showcase his skills. Also playing the game (no pun intended) of "building a personal brand" by creating content in linkedin, and grow his network by attending meetups and conferences.

ascroft

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#3277181 30-Aug-2024 14:10

This might have some contacts: https://www.nz-code.nz

Mark

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BuffyNZ

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#3277185 30-Aug-2024 14:21

Summer of Tech (if its not too late) is a good way to get a foot in the door.

Going to local events, meetups and conferences is a good way to meet prospective employers.

Canterbury Tech Summit used to be good, but I have not been for a while.

Getting experiences in an adjacent tech field if you cant get into what you really want is still valuable.

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gzt

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#3277244 30-Aug-2024 18:10

sen8or: My son graduated with a degree in product design / game development from UC last year. There seems to be a shortage of jobs for graduate / entry level roles. Are there any tricks to getting a foot in the door?

This is the degree? https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/study/academic-study/engineering/schools-and-departments-engineering-forestry-product-design/school-of-product-design/study-applied-immersive-game-design

gzt

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#3277245 30-Aug-2024 18:12

sen8or: My son graduated with a degree in product design / game development from UC last year. There seems to be a shortage of jobs for graduate / entry level roles. Are there any tricks to getting a foot in the door?

Is he looking at the gaming industry specifically and are there particular roles in gaming he is more interested in than others?

networkn

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#3277270 30-Aug-2024 20:28

Given the market for his particular interests seem a bit flat right now, I'd suggest he considers ways he could get more experience in adjacent areas of interest, especially, if they will assist in making his overall skillset in his chosen area more complete.

I am not sure of his financial situation, but potentially have him raise with potential employers a part time position.

If he's good at what he does, then a foot in the door should be all he needs.

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sen8or

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#3278185 2-Sep-2024 12:31

Thanks for the replies, yes, it was the immersive Game Design degree. He has a linked-in profile and his own portfolio of game designs / artworks / renders etc. Its fortunate he has part time employment and isn't under financial pressure (as that would really make life difficult), but not even getting so much as a "thanks but no thanks" on applications is grinding after quite a period.

networkn

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#3278186 2-Sep-2024 12:32

sen8or:

Thanks for the replies, yes, it was the immersive Game Design degree. He has a linked-in profile and his own portfolio of game designs / artworks / renders etc. Its fortunate he has part time employment and isn't under financial pressure (as that would really make life difficult), but not even getting so much as a "thanks but no thanks" on applications is grinding after quite a period.

Without any hits, I'd suggest he might consider paying a recruiter to review his C.V

networkn

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#3278189 2-Sep-2024 12:55

@sen8or any chance you could change the spelling of your subject, it's causing me a nervous tic :)

cddt

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#3279257 5-Sep-2024 12:20

https://matchstiq.io/ ?

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sen8or

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#3279421 6-Sep-2024 07:51

thanks, have forwarded the link on.

kingdragonfly

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#3286776 26-Sep-2024 20:22

In getting a job, flexibility is key.

I want to get a job at Singapore's "Bubble Planet."

But I work for those willing to hire me, on whatever pays the bills, moving to wherever the job is.

After working at a job for a year, making the boss happy, I ask for training in a career path that's a bit closer to what I want to pursue.

You may want to buy him these books

“What Color is Your Parachute?” by Richard N. Bolles - This classic career guide covers everything from CV's to finding your ideal career path.

“The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success” by Megan McArdle - This book emphasizes the importance of learning from failures and how to turn setbacks into opportunities.

not just for women

“Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” by Sheryl Sandberg - Although focused on women, this book offers valuable insights into overcoming professional challenges and advancing in your career.

toejam316

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#3286779 26-Sep-2024 20:46

Given the state of the job market, it might pay to pursue either developing small scale stuff himself to build a portfolio, or work on either creating or contributing to existing projects and mods. There's plenty of FoSS stuff he could work with and on, and mods usually are interested in picking up capable people to work on their projects.

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

kingdragonfly

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#3286844 26-Sep-2024 22:20

toejam316:There's plenty of FoSS stuff he could work with and on, and mods usually are interested in picking up capable people to work on their projects.

Along those lines, open source graphic software GIMP is popular (because everyday more professionals hate Adobe)

Open-source video editors, Kdenlive and Shotcut are popular due to their robust feature sets and active communities.

Blender is one of the most well-known and powerful open-source 3D creation suites.

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