Hey everyone!

I've got a few questions about breaking into the games industry and I wonder what your opinions are and maybe you could give me an advice of how to get a job in the industry.

I've studied a game design course in uni and I've graduated recently. I'm a 3d artist and level designer and I'm currently searching for a junior 3d artist position in any games company. While in uni I was working on courseworks and also on my own projects (basically all projects are little games and demos). My final year coursework was pretty good for a uni project and people say it has a lot of potential (link for my game is at the end of the post). But the thing is, since I want to get a job as a 3d artist, I need to know all the required software (photoshop, max/maya, zbrush, unity/unreal) and also game companies expect me to be expert at single one of them. If I keep learning all of them, then I will eventually get to the expert level, but this means I need to abandon my uni project.

So this is the thing:

1. If I continue working on my uni game (adding more assets, characters, improving gameplay) then I do not learn the 3D techniques and tools which are required to get jobs in other game companies. This is also very time consuming.

2. If I abandon my project and start learning Zbrush, high poly modeling, normal map baking and all that cool stuff, then I might end up with a good portfolio and I will have the skills required to get a 3d artist job.

3. If I make high quality assets for my game (normal maps + specular maps for all objects and characters) might get somebody's attention but it will take forever to finish the game (which is not cool)

This is why I am in such a limbo and I am not really sure what route to go.

I am also working part time in retail, and I am very very desperate to quit that job (but I can't since I need to live off something)

The game is called Medieval Legends and it can be found on my portfolio website:

http://korubov.azurewebsites.net/

and the trailer over here:

What are your opinions about this? What would you do in my case? Any advice and comments about the game or portfolio are appreciated!

Cheers!

0. If I keep learning all of them [snip] this means I need to abandon my uni project.

1. If I continue working on my uni game ... then I do not learn the 3D techniques and tools which are required to get jobs in other game companies. This is also very time consuming.

2. If I abandon my project and start learning Zbrush, high poly modeling, normal map baking and all that cool stuff, then I might end up with a good portfolio and I will have the skills required to get a 3d artist job.

3. If I make high quality assets for my game (normal maps + specular maps for all objects and characters) might get somebody's attention but it will take forever to finish the game (which is not cool)

4. I am also working part time in retail, and I am very very desperate to quit that job (but I can't since I need to live off something)

0. It doesn't necessarily mean that.
1. The fact that people have been saying your school project "has a lot of potential" does not mean you're necessarily going to become famous or rich from it.
2. That sounds like a good thing.
3. You should regard your school project as a long-term project - OR regard it as a portfolio piece... or both (keep working on improving it, but have a showable version always at hand to show potential employers).
4. Try to be less desperate about it. While you were in school, your job was to graduate. Now that you've graduated, your job is to do a good job at whatever job you're employed to do. ...And work on your portfolio in your spare time.

If you have a decision to make, you should make a decision grid. Put your options (the courses of action you're deciding between) across the top, and put decision criteria and factors down the left side.
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/m70.htm

Right now I think your main job is to find a job.

You were a student. You produced student work. You graduated.

A recent graduate may feel like their work is the most amazing thing in the world, but normally it is just barely the minimum competency in the professional world. Generally the industry veteran can create a similar project with better results in far less time than the recent graduate.

Please don't take it badly, but as a recent college graduate you are now an entry-level professional. That is how the progression goes. It is a good thing. You are not expected to be expert at the tools, but you are expected to be at least minimally competent in the field.

You have a retail job which pays the bills. Now spend some time getting your first professional job. Don't worry that you are not expert at the tools. Look for jobs for 3D artists and apply. Apply at job after job after job. Like most people across all jobs, it will sound like "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, YES." Just keep applying until you hit that last one.

Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate your advices! Its just when I apply for jobs always feels like something is wrong with my portfolio, cv, skills and stuff...

Its just when I apply for jobs always feels like something is wrong with my portfolio, cv, skills and stuff..

Of course. You're a recent grad, with very few projects (and only school projects).
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/m86.htm
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson24.htm