Need some advice, starting VFX career

[ethervoid]

Hello all. I come from a background of working with Max and some equivalent experience with Maya, but doing modelling and animation mostly. I am interested in engaging in a VFX career and i'm having an existential dillema that i'm sure i wasn't the only one:

Should i go learn VFX with Maya since i already know the basics or should i jump right into Houdini and focus 100% on it ?

I am enjoying very much my Houdini apprentice experience, i really like the procedural way of thinking. But although it doesnt scare me, i realize its an intensive program to learn and it takes a long time to master it. So my question is not based on those "which one is better" questions but purely on a time spent/is it worth it to do the leap of faith of doing a reset on my learning curve and bet my future on it, since im just out of college (from a cinema degree) and i'm worried i may regret it later on.

Another concern i have is that Houdini, being the top dog on the VFX world, seems to make employers seek people with lots of experience in years and number of professional work done with it and i don't see many junior positions offerings for it, which makes me worry that even if i get good at it, without experience i wont get a job anyway because i lack those "minimum 3/5 years of industry experience" (its seems a common paradox in this industry: cant get the jobs to start getting experience for the jobs).

So i thank any advice from someone who can relate with my situation ( or any advice anyway ) Thank you!

PS-I'm also learning Python, but that is transverse knowledge so no problem there

[Annon]

I would suggest learning Maya if you're wanting to jump straight into VFX.

Most junior roles would require Maya work, only progressing to Houdini if you get the chance later on.

Doesn't harm to keep learning Houdini on the side, but there's very few studios in the world that are Houdini only at the minute.

It's only my opinion of course, it's up to you what you decide...

C

[Hello world]

I would second what Christian has mentioned. Maya is frequently used and many companies use Houdini only to create effects which are complex or cannot be created in Maya even though Houdini is awesome.

[lukeiamyourfather]

Should i go learn VFX with Maya since i already know the basics or should i jump right into Houdini and focus 100% on it ?

If you learn the underlying fundamentals you can transition to other packages relatively easily. I like Houdini because it forces you to learn those things. Should you focus on Houdini 100%? That's a loaded question because there's a lot that goes with it. For example there are fewer studios that use Houdini compared to Maya or Max (but that's changing it seems) so you might have to travel farther to find work with Houdini than you would with Max or Maya. Also the variation in work is narrower (mostly effects), for example you probably won't see a job for architecture visualization or motion graphics that uses Houdini. Above all I'd say pursue what interests you the most because things have a way of working themselves out for hard workers that pursue what makes them happy.

Another concern i have is that Houdini, being the top dog on the VFX world, seems to make employers seek people with lots of experience in years and number of professional work done with it and i don't see many junior positions offerings for it, which makes me worry that even if i get good at it, without experience i wont get a job anyway because i lack those "minimum 3/5 years of industry experience" (its seems a common paradox in this industry: cant get the jobs to start getting experience for the jobs).

There are apprentice and intern programs at many large studios. Those are a good way to "break" into the business because the expectations of abilities and wages are lower, they're usually a predetermined amount of time which limits risk for the employer, and everyone knows these things up front. I think when times are good employers are more willing to take a chance with new people. When times are bad I think employers are less willing to take risks and new people are a risk. They could turn out to be wonderful and stick around for years or be terrible and a waste of resources that stick around for two months. If you can't afford any mistakes it makes sense to go with folks you know can get it done right the first time rather than having to pay to get something done twice. That sucks for folks with little or no experience but that's how it goes with any profession. Good luck with whatever you end up doing!

[ethervoid]

Thank you all!

After some consideration I've decided to keep Max for non-procedural modelling, animation and rendering (at least for now) and embrace Houdini for all its vfx-wise potential .I've realized Maya always felt like something i forced myself to learn to be able to get a job based on what i read on ads and magazines/sites and word of mouth, but never really clicked or had real fun with it like i did in my first hour of Houdini awesomeness (like a convenience marriage that where you don't really like the bride but her dad has the moneys, and one day bam, you fall in love at first sight with a beautiful brunette at the bakery and realize she's a foreign princess).

So, since i went to movie making degree, leaving an IT career, because it felt good and made me happy, it seems logical to follow the same reasoning about the tools i use as well . So even if things go awry career wise at least i did my best and had fun.

Thank you all again for your opinions, see you around in this awesome forum

Edited November 11, 2012 by ethervoid