Career Coach: How to Win the Game

The Career Coach pontificates about how general gaming skills can be applied to advancing your career.

By Pamela Kleibrink Thompson | Monday, March 7, 2005 at 12:00 am

Posted In | Magazines: AnimationWorld | Columns: Career Coach

In the career game, it’s important for you to know what the ultimate goal of your employer or client is and focus on helping that employer or client to achieve that goal. If you can anticipate their needs and deliver what they want, they will be more receptive to helping you attain your goals.

The career game can be fun but also treacherous. Be careful that you don’t alienate others by failing to deliver or spreading negativity. You’ll be able to overcome any setbacks and advance if you keep your objective (goals) in mind, recognize that there may be many paths to your objective and be willing to explore alternative paths if you encounter too many obstacles on one path, and continue to add skills and experience and be ready to help others with a positive attitude and enthusiasm.

Pamela Kleibrink Thompson is a recruiter/hiring strategist and career coach. Her most recent recruiting clients include Paramount’s feature film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Toybox, a Canadian visual effects company. She speaks regularly on career issues at colleges and universities.

Printer-friendly version

Comments

Well every single thing on this site is enough for me to get my jaws dropped till my knee by holding such vast knowledge about animation, but there is still a "but", I want to make my career in 2D Animation Movies. I know softwares like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects, 3Ds Max, and still many more. I also write fiction and non-fiction stories. "But", after having all the arrows with me I am unable to decide where to shoot for the bull's eye. Phew.... I writed too much. But I would be really glad and more than that grateful for helping me out. Thanks

Reply to this Comment

Nitesh Chaturvedi (not verified) | Sat, 01/14/2006 - 01:00 | Permalink

Career Coach, All of this sounds good, but what about when the market goes sour, and the big companies run the roost. So how is the little guy suppose to compete and become more recognized when art has become a battlefield. I am told that the computer has become such a crutch for so many that the good ole' illustrator don't stand a chance in the market. The pro's keep saying that you need good drawing skills and a creative background, but yet production rules with the machine I am sending this e-mail to you on. And if I don't have the smarts to figure it out then I sit without communicating. We have all become dependant on the computer. As Florida found out when there was no power during the hurricanes, this state was at a standstill. No ATM's, phones, gas, power, the necesseties or should I say conviences to survive etc....... nothing but silence. The traditional animation is a dinosaur, along with pencil and paper and the mind to come up with something. The computer has made us weak, and less problem solving. It's made us greety for more at a faster rate. When was the last time you hand wrote a letter? I love playing video games with my kids, I grew up with pong! I have many ideas for games and I don't have them blowing off somebodies head in the process. I have seen that in real life and the computer can't even simulate that. The world we live in right now is vicious, and we need help. Gaming helps kids face the fears that they face everyday in real life, it's the parents responsibilty to teach them the difference between what is real and what isn't. And not to glorify the outcome of shooting someone when it isn't. Thank you for your time Surviving illustrator