3D Career Change: The Why

Why change careers? This is a question that quite a few people have asked me. So I thought it was worth sharing how I got here.

I've had a great career in software and been fortunate to work with some fantastic people, companies and technologies. I'm very grateful for all the opportunities I've had, especially when I consider that it was just something that I fell into after university.

That said, although I've really enjoyed it, I've often felt like I had an itch it wasn't quite scratching.

Ever since university I've had an interest in 3D/CG, which I've always put to one side. I’ve also wondered whether my art teacher, who pretty much cried when I explained I was dropping art in favour of Maths, Physics and Biology for A-Levels, was right when she said I should continue developing my creative talents.

At the end of last year I began talking to some people in the CG industry about the viability of changing careers. To be honest, I was fully expecting them to laugh in my face, put me off, and lay the idea to rest. As it turned out they didn't and were actually very encouraging. This, as they say, put the cat among the pigeons!

After reflecting on it for a while and talking it through with various folk, whose opinions I respect, I decided that I'd give it a whirl.

I'm under no illusions, there are definitely some big challenges that I have to face, some mountains to be climbed, and a lot of unknowns. But it doesn't feel like a totally insane idea. Time will tell ....

For anyone who's wondering, I've mostly been rigging this week and doing some exploration of MotionBuilder just to get a feel for the core differences with Maya/HumanIK.