Need Advice...

[DreameR]

~ I'm still in my final year of study at university; but I have had a pair of possible job offers. Both of which are in north america, although I'd rather finish my degree instead of take a job right now but I don't graduate until next year summer.

I don't really want to just reply to both offers with a simple "nah, im not really interested right now", and one of the studios is asking me to do a phone interview and possible follow up art test.

What would be the best way to handle this and keep my relationship cool with them. I'm exactly not god's gift to game art and I'm worried that if i turn down the offers I could be burning bridges for the future, which I might depend on... :paper:

[Firebert]

i wouldn't worry about burning bridges on this kind of subject. i think most places will really dig and respect a decision to stay and finish school. however, the economy blows right now. any experience you can get, you should take it.

with as many layoffs that are going on, the market is filling up, and if you're getting offers, you better jump on that ship. i would think that you would be able to find a school close to you that you could pick back up and transfer credits to (depending on the type of educational facility we're talking here; traditional university/art university/etc) but i would look into that as the first option.

take the interview, take the test, get a job, and finish school later. your work and experience matter THE MOST. education is secondary to landing a position in the industry but looks good on your character for finishing.

[Elcura]

Isn't it easier to get a work visa with a degree? Maybe not, but it's good to follow this up and then talk to your school about what to do next.

[Ritorian]

Ya i'd jump on the job oppurtunity, getting that piece of paper saying u finished school isnt really that important, the game industry (art department) usually relies on talent and skill, which you have alot of. If you've learned what you needed to learn then i'd say leave and save some money and start working. What Firebert said, work experience is what really matters.

btw I never finished my schooling, I went and learned what I needed to learn then I jumped boat to find a career, mostly to save money. Sometimes I wish I woulda finished, but rite now I dont really care anymore cause I landed my dream job. They were only interested in my talent and skill level, I never got asked about my schooling.

I'd start off by doin the interview and art test and see where it takes you.

good luck ;) and congrats

[mr_ace]

hey dreamer. I'd finish up uni personally, but i gues these guys know more about this stuff than i do. it seems like an awful waste of £20k to stop now when your so close to finishing. I'm sure any prospective employer would consider waiting a few months for you to start work.

I would explain this in your interview, I'm sure they'll be understanding of your plight, but yea surely you can wait off a few months? Also, are they good jobs with good companies? in which case i can understand leaving uni more, but if theyre not, it's probably not worth not finishing uni for, considering how close you are

[LowRez]

Ya i'd jump on the job oppurtunity, getting that piece of paper saying u finished school isnt really that important, the game industry (art department) usually relies on talent and skill, which you have alot of. If you've learned what you needed to learn then i'd say leave and save some money and start working. What Firebert said, work experience is what really matters.

btw I never finished my schooling, I went and learned what I needed to learn then I jumped boat to find a career, mostly to save money. Sometimes I wish I woulda finished, but rite now I dont really care anymore cause I landed my dream job. They were only interested in my talent and skill level, I never got asked about my schooling.

I'd start off by doin the interview and art test and see where it takes you.

good luck ;) and congrats

It can massively change the ability to get a work Visa for the US. I'd be surprised if you can get a visa over there at the moment without a degree and some experience? Unless they bring you across on a work experience 1 year visa. Which is what happened to a friend of mine he thought his visa was permenant as long as he was working but he was told to leave the country. The game companys lawyers then told him they'd applied for that visa as he wouldnt have qualified for the other.

[Ritorian]

oh ya, forgot about the visa thing. that might pose a problem then.

finish yer school, if you only got a few months left.

[Yung]

Finish your degree first. The truth is no matter how talented you are, if you have no papers, it will be very tough for a company to take you in. They will have very little reasons to convince the government you are what they want, especially if you have very little work experience. Unless you are super duber talented born with the hands of god, very young and the company is VERY big.

Congratulations on the job offer though. You are certainly one very talented artist. Best of luck!

[MM]

finish your school, so that you can at least tell your kids that you are educated and not have to make excuse and make stuff up to tell them why they should go to college too.

tell the company politely that you cannot relocate at the moment and if u want u can offer them off-site freelance service.

studios really dont care about your career or have your best interest. they just want to fill their open position with the cheapest/best talent possible so i wouldnt worry about burning bridges. you should keep working on your portfolio too so that u get 5 more offers next year.

if u drop out now, i can guarantee that you will regret later in your life. besides, a degree is not just a piece of paper. it should be taken as an important milestone in an educated society. it will help you in many different aspects of your life (not just for finding better jobs)

[crazyfool]

I totally agree with MM, you dont have long left either and theres plenty of awesome studios in london you can apply/intern for straight after graduating. and a student loan can easily keep you going in the meantime. its also a very big jump to move out to the US for your first job in the industry, unless its epic then go for it ;)

[grimdc13]

You can always get more job offers if stay and graduate. And you can always back to school if the job doesn't work out. Just don't fall into the trap of thinking there's only one right answer and if you choose option a you can never do option b.

You have to do what works best for you. You have to look at what you want do the most..weigh the pro's and con's. Do you research on the companies making the offer.

A big reason companies may be scouting you besides your talent, is that without your degree , you'll work for less than those with degrees. This is my opinion that you should finish school, keep those contacts, keep in touch and reapply after you graduate. Then it will be easier to get that Visa , work or maybe an internship like crazy fool says.