Career & Lifestyle Assessment
After taking different assessments related to career choices and how the professional industry dynamics are shaped, I learned a significant amount of information about the career that is most suitable for me. I was surprised to learn that my behavior and character can extensively define my career path. The intuitive nature and the interaction with other people, the way I think, and approach different issues is critical in evaluating the nature of a career that I am likely to venture and succeed. Answering the questions was fun and challenging at the same time, but the urge to know how my personal choices can impact the career path I take was overwhelming. After participating in the numerous assessments, I learned how to be patient and re-read the question before choosing the right question that reflected my behavior and character. Learning about value and work/work characteristic required in the professional career, and the responsibility that I have to exercise was enlightening. However, I was surprised to learn about my personality through the assessment quiz was enterprising realistic and conventional, which placed me under the jo zone 1& 5 with a potential and Salary is between $10000 & $160,000. Well, I agree that the salary range was also surprising because I have always thought that people who are not very extroversive will tend to settle for minimal Salary. I have ever considered myself as a conventional person, but the interest profiler assessment results came as a surprise, indicating that I was instead enterprising. The assessments were generally exciting and surprising at the same time, and it challenges a person to look deeper into oneself to accept who they are and the value they hold.
I researched about the Game Design and Animation career, and it slightly correlates with the different assessment I undertook in determining the suitable careers that will be suitable for me. The most profound thing that emerged about my chosen career was the fact that the financial or lifestyle expectations did vary much with the career I researched. The skill profiler matched was not outstanding because the skill order of strength was complex problem-solving skills, which was the highest followed by social skills, technical skills, basic skills, resource management skills was fifth. Finally, the system skills came last, which is critical in my researched career. I was surprised that the little things that I plan to have in my life, such as rent an apartment, cable television, and internet, would cost with Monthly earnings of $4,929. The spending will be approximately $3,414, which will significantly lower the amount of money that can be saved to $1,514. However, while taking other assessments such as personality assessment, the salary range in my chosen career was about $10,000 to $160,000 in California. To be a professional Game design and Animator would mean that the job will be able to sustain my basic needed only, and the amount available for saving will be less than $2000 per month.
Informational Interview
Name: Justin Clarke
Job Title: Game Designer
and Animator
Company: Gstel Communication Services
Educational background: Bachelor’s degree in computer graphics
The game design and animator job requires a person who has an impressive portfolio and impeccable technical skills, which are regarded as the main tools that will help in coming up with new game designs. Most of the interviewee job involves creating images that have movement and visual effects specially designed for entertainment. The pay in this industry varies because most of the time, a fresh Bachelor graduate will receive half of the Salary of someone like Mr. Clarke, who has years of experience, which is about $75,250 annually. The interviewee confirmed that the job outlook was about 4%, which was faster than the average. Case in point, he affirmed that in the “stay at home” situation, they had experienced sales in games as many people continue to stay at home, thus turning to games and animation for entertainment.
I have to say that the interview with Mr. Clarke was interesting because he shared an experience that was rather sad but inspirational at the same time. He was always fascinated by technology as a child, and the curiosity had taken over when he was\ about 9-10 years, and he would even miss a meal to watch animations and play games. The issue did not go well with his mother, who, after warning him several times to concentrate on books, took away the small television set to her room. He thought that the act was the cruelest, and he vowed to work hard to buy the biggest television and even better make himself. That was how he got started as a game designer and Animator who has made himself a name in the gaming industry. He joined several online classes while continuing his regular studies so he could familiarize with self with what was trending because technology advancement kept changing as it does today. I think that Mr. Clarke choose this career due to the sad confrontation with his mother and more specifically because his personality, interest, and skills allowed him to be a successful game designer and Animator.
Game designers and animators conduct different tasks in a typical day, which include designing characters, coding using different programming languages, projects management with juniors programmers, designing levels, drawing art and animation, and creating puzzles to be used in the games. However, the most repetitive task Mr. Clarke conducts every day is maintenance and coding to remove bugs from different gaming and animation applications for both windows and android.
The work environment is mostly in offices or even from home, which I think is advantageous during a pandemic such as COVID-19. The work description is flexible, and sometimes a person is not mandated to attend the office all year as a lot of work can be conducted through a laptop or a desktop. The only physical requirement is when conducting project evaluation in the workplace. The work environment is usually in the office where a person stays all day coding and drawing various designs. Game designers and animators typically prefer to work alone if the task is not too complicated for them. When a big project is about to be undertaken fast, then a team is considered an alternative to minimize the cost and time of developing a game or an animation. Coding can be stressful to come up with and different languages such as Linux, which offers security to their customers.
The most positive aspect that Mr. Clarke mentioned was what I almost expected: the ability to work at home. In a global situation where the world is forcing a pandemic, the game design and animation career has rather experienced a boom as many people are at home and will be prompted to seek gaming as entertainment. Another positive aspect that he mentioned was the flexibility that the career offered because he gave an example where he had gone to German for a family function. He was able to work on a project anytime he wanted while he was still in German. Mr. Clarke argues about the Salary, and he wishes that future game designers and animators will be paid more than what he had to earn in his initial days in the industry.
Interviewing Mr. Clarke was inspirational and eye-opening to the game designing industry. I learned about the different tasks that one is expected to perform and the extra information about the different languages essential in developing fun and secure games for the customer. I learned about the various bugs that can infect a gaming system and detect them early and the possible solutions.
In conducting the informational interview with Mr. Clarke, I felt compelled to pursue this career because the most skills and interests that he shared correlated with mine at a great instance. I can say the experience was positive because I learned valuable information about technology, coding, and navigating around the industry quickly.
The first unique question I got to ask Mr. Clarke was about the hazards and health factors related to his career. The response that I received was that ergonomic hazards are the most prevalent due to awkward postures and repetitive motions, which was something significant to learn. The second question was about the job outlook and the future of game designers and animators. The most important thing I learned from his response was the fact that the game applications’ consumerism is projected to rise, especially with the news that the COVID-19 is not going away soon.
After the interview, I think I am interested in following Mr. Clarke’s path in becoming a game designer and Animator because I pursue this as a major as a freshmen at Berkeley City College. After the confirmation about what the industry entails, I think I will pursue this career and, in the future, own a game studio.