Question for all.

[tajahem]

I suppose I shouldn't complain about my job since it is what is getting me out of that hole I was digging myself into.

In actuallity I spend most of my days learning about things on the internet and occasionally applying those things to:
a: set up and maintain two websites
b: keep an office of 10 computers running
c: teaching the staff (all ladies ranging from 40ish to 70ish) on how to overcome thier fear of computers

My only real complaint is the fact that I don't make much more than at the fast food places I used to work at, but that whole vacation time and sick leave thing makes up for it.

(edit) btw to put the difficulty of c into prespective I'm a 22 yrs old male therefore half of the things I say are considered unintelligible.

 

[MatW]

Work's work...

I'm not totally happy with my job, but it pays the bills nicely and is modestly enjoyable.

I'd much rather be back in the gaming industry, but although I had a lot of fun there, the job was way too stressful and insecure.

And I'll never go work for NASA. That was hell!

You worked in the gaming industry? My brother is planning to go into the gaming industry. If you don't mind me asking why did you find it too stressful and insecure?

 

[ShoobieRat]

You worked in the gaming industry? My brother is planning to go into the gaming industry. If you don't mind me asking why did you find it too stressful and insecure?

Well, first off, the gaming industry is unlike any other industry on the planet...except maybe the global pet-rock foundation...

There is hardly any concept of job-security in the gaming industry. The chances that once you finish a game that you'll be let go or moved to another company, are very high. Also, the chances that the company you're with goes into the tubes is high also. Jobs in the gaming industry are extremely transient, and there's no guarantee that you'll be in the same company (let alone the same state) for more than 2 years.

As for stress, just talk to anyone in advertising or production businesses. You've got a deadline and you absolutely must must must must must have a creative mind-blowing thought right now...or you're screwed. It's two weeks to the deadline to production and you've got eight hundred different things that need to be done and it's just mind-boggling.

Legend-Entertainment (the company that made Unreal 2 and was lead by gaming legend Bob Bates) had couches literally strewn around its level-design workspace suite so that people could sack out without having to go home.


Even if you do work remotely (as I sometimes did) it was stressful. You have even less communication and interaction with your coworkers as you need, and you can quite literally get lost in limbo.

Oh, and then after all your sweat and blood and tears and all, you have to put up with software pirates who steal your hard-made work and drop your market line so that you don't get the raise you deserve and your company potentially goes in the grave. Fun.

Anyway, it's fun...but only as a short-term job. I would never make a life-long career out of doing this.

 

[MatW]

Wow so you mean if I put a game company there is a big chance that it could shut down just as fast as I set it up? Thanks for the info btw.

 

[ShoobieRat]

Absolutely. Game companies grow and die like fruit-flies in a lab.

This is one reason why big game companies (Like Sierra, Epic, and Atari) don't really make games anymore as much as they just conglomerate smaller companies to create products.

Ever turn over the box of an Unreal-Tournament game? What do you see? A big Atari logo, next to a big Epic logo, and then half a dozen little logos from the companies that actually did most of the work...and those little logos change all the time.

 

[ITwannabee]

I love my job. i get paid while learning!!! i'm only an ITwannabee. =)

 

[MatW]

Hmmm interesting stuff and I do notice that but just dismissed cuz I want to play the game.