The "corona" update

The ugly

March has come and gone… and although I got two interviews (that’s a change from NONE), they went nowhere.

One chat was not a true interview; it was more of an inquiry. It was done over FaceTime. It was for a front end developer position somewhere in the OC, and it would have not paid that much. But I never got a reply and the headhunter who called me told me that if I get no response, they “moved onto” other qualified candidates.

Another chat was a true interview but it was audio only (phone call). It was for a BD engineer position somewhere in El Segundo, but a further talk has revealed that it was not really match the role that I did back at my former worksite. I did get in touch with this person on LinkedIn… I’ll have to see what happens if other more relevant opportunities open. Unfortunately, the market for BD authors is too slim and it is getting only slimmer.

The unemployment numbers are getting only grimmer in the wake of COVID-19, and I am now left to wonder at my options. Do I seek a job that would pay just minimum wage? But I cannot risk my folks getting sick. On the other hand, I cannot take a job that is well outside my realm of expertise, with very cheap pay as well.

I have to be very fortunate that I am not on the hook for rent or medical bills / student loans / car payments. I would declare bankruptcy almost immediately.

Next steps?

I have found the web developer world to be an incredibly competitive one. I am going to have to hope against hope for just an entry level job, which won’t pay much - but I have to get something, because I’m tired of getting nothing.

So right now, I’m currently learning how to be a 3D artist and have a programming background that’s focused with gaming in mind.

In recent days, I decided to enroll on a few online courses via Zoom webinars being offered by Unity Technologies and Epic Games, for Unreal Engine training - and the best part… they were free.

I am trying to see how much I can do with the Substance 3D suite, but I have found that Substance 3D’s suite is oriented toward material / texture creation, and although it’s still important to learn how to texture models, I want to learn how to create 3D models too. The student license I have for Autodesk’s Maya software has done some wonders, but Maya has a really high learning curve and it takes a lot of knowhow to create your first models. Had I not took advantage of the free student license for Maya, I would’ve opted for Blender, the open source alternative. Lot of people still prefer to use Blender.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to start learning how to use Pixologic’s ZBrush software. The software is primarily designed for those who want to spend time creating models now. Finally, perhaps, I will be able to see how much usage I can get from my Wacom tablet that has not seen a lot of use.

It’s very likely that in the remote chance I get a job either this month or next, I will still be stuck at home.

In the coming years, my hope is that I will be known as an artist who can program, not just be pigeonholed into a dead media format.