Confused, counsel needed

[Soica]

Hi all,
Im actually graduated from a civil engineering school few years ago, but after that i never thought i want to get any job in that industry(my old man insist me to go CEE just becoz he is a civil engineer).ok, I took a lot stupid work after school, like 7-11...hmmm and now Im in a MMOG franchise company as a product manager.
Since I was a kid, i dreamed to become a cinematographer.for this reason I did hell a lot homework on that. Afterward, when i was in college I start to self-study compositing technic and software as well as NLE, Even i got all A+ in 3D software courses opend in my college for engineering students and made a fancy video intro for my final year project which won me a A in the presentation. All these years I never stoped to train my self, I have done a lot personal project for my family and friends, thinking that if one day I get a chance to squeeze my butt on that train I must be prepared.
So after two year's wandering i think the day is come, one of my old friend gathered a bunch of veteran from television and media industry to start a new company, he want me to be there help him out in the post editing part to assist other pro guys. that is really a big chance for me, I mean even I need to kick away my current job which has a fair constant incoming and large promote space. Look, dude, Im going to step on the path to my real dream!
I filled up my resignation paper just waiting to deliver it to HR dept on the right time. meanwhile, I went to talk with my Boss about I m gonna to leave becoz this might be a Once in a Lifetime chance for me, and Im not gonna let it slip away. Then he told me that Im too late to convert, "Even you can barely draw a portrait for me, how can you become some film compositor or visual effect pro? you are born to be a product manager, and you do work fine here. you are not a artist in anyway". He ask me to think abt it, tho i dun believe in what he said, but still got confused and make me a insomniac these days.

what Im thinking is
1. Is that true Im to late for this, I will be 25 in the coming may.
2. Im weak in art technic, character drawings or whatever. Do i really need these to become someone work in the post-editing pipeline?
3. Im really kinda fast-learn guy in this area, Dose good learning skill count? or I should just keep it as a hobby to kill some off hours..
4.Should srsly leave the company where I got higher pay than my dream' path in the currently stage.

I got faith on what Im gonna to do, but why these questions still haunting me, make me confued. I would like to hear your opinion on this, any suggestion are appreciated.thx

[chrislee]

well...you had alrd said to you its a chance of a lifetime??

don think age had too much to do wif pursing ur dreams here. you are never to old to be doing/learning something new. you be amaze in life when the things that u learned at ur product manager position might comes handy 1 day in terms of suituation solving or even PR skills even when u are not in the line anymore. you are upgrading urself in terms of skills...don see anything wrong wif that although there is a change in ur salary and ur future becomes alittle 'unsure'...but well...life is full of risks, live wif no regrets?

being able to draw well of cos helps you in terms of designing/layout stuffs as u able to project them on paper...but that does not means u have to have that skill set. alot pple who just either sketch roughly on paper the concept(whereby only him/herself can understand...lol), or jus project the image on their mind and work on projects...

frankly speaking i think at ur age ur brain are still able to pick up new stuffs and absorb them more easlier then most pple i seen in their 30's...

but then again...the choice is urs...
all the best...

[Hugh]

1) I know people who started in this industry at 40......
2) I'm a full-time compositor, and my degree was in Computer Science. I can't draw for shit (although I'm trying to learn)
3) Definitely - a good learner who knows little is often better (apart from when a deadline is looming) than a slow learner who knows something...
4) Do you have anyone depending on you financially? If not, and you've got the job lined up for you already, then I say go for it

[Yossarian!]

Sounds good Soica! Chris and Hugh have some really good advice.

It may be worth having a serious talk to your friend about how long the company can survive if work doesn't immediately come in - often the danger in a new company. You don't really want to throw in a safe, reliable income for one that could dissolve after a month or two. But having said that if you have a good feeling about it and your friend has come clients already lined up then take the chance! That sort of a position will lead you up the ladder in due course and you'll learn an absolute packet in the process. Don't worry so much - what is your intuition saying?

(Don't listen to your boss - he's probably just disappointed about losing you and caught off balance. I can't draw for shit either, never had to so far.)

[girlcompositor]

I came into this situation when I was first out of college. My boyfriend got a job at in LA and I so I told my boss I was going to move with him, because I also wanted a job in the film industry. So was totally against it and tried to give me advice about how it was such a bad idea, that I didn't have a job out there, that my boyfriend didn't make enough money, that it might not work out with him and I wouldn't know anyone.

But I wasn't happy at the company I worked at and I wanted to work on movies. That's always been my goal, so I decided it would better for me to take the plunge, with no job lined up than to have a job and never know what could of happened if I'd gone after my dreams.

I work on movies now, and I am really happy. If you want it, and will dedicate yourself to learning then do it. Otherwise you will always wonder what could of happened. I see too many people in jobs they hate just because someone else wanted to see them there, or they wanted the money. Don't be that person. You aren't too old, you're actually pretty young, so don't listen to your boss. He's just lazy and doesn't want to look for someone else, just like my boss was.

Go for it!

[JohnnyLA]

Maybe my story can help:

When I went to school to get my assoc. in computer animation I had no art background whatsoever. Now? I have been a video game artist for almost 9 years and I started at 28 years old!

Over the past year, I was getting pretty unhappy and burned out in my situation so I "took the bull by the horns", created some savings, and now I've taken a sabbatical to create a demo reel to be a lighting td.

I agree with girlcompositor..if you want it, dedicate yourself to learning, and go after it, and you can eventually make it, or you will always wonder...

Since you have a chance to be on the ground floor of a company and a job could be there for you..go for it! Nothing beats having experience on the job..

Good luck!

[max]

man if that is your dream fallow it no matter what any body say because you don’t want to be lying on your death bed 1 day and saying fack I did not do what I want but the its to late, you only live once. I am 27 now after being in the army for 7 years and hawing good carrier getting paid good I mean good money, I decided to quit because I was not being creative there I love to paint sculpt so I decided to quit and enrollee in to film school focusing on editing and sound design and in September I am entering 1 year animation school. My family was telling me u are crazy why did you quit you wore making so much money. I was but after some time I stopped liking it I always wanted to do something in arts related field. As I said do what you like because at the end you won’t regret it.

no mater what they say in the end its your life.

[Soica]

Thanks for all you guys gave me those encouraging advice.
I dont want to feel any regret when Im too late to pick up new things. so I decide to quit my current job next month when the contract is finished. after that, I m going full time!
LOL
Thx!
( )

[hiphopcr]

What's with all the people in their 20's thinking they're too old??? I've seen this train of thought in multiple threads.

[Yossarian!]

What's with all the people in their 20's thinking they're too old??? I've seen this train of thought in multiple threads.

Maybe the lingering psychological anxieties of a bygone era when you had one job for life. Or perhaps just us 20-somethings looking at the work coming from the teenagers here and thinking shoot how can you be so focused at such a young age - maybe there's something wrong with me... a form of cyber performance anxiety - all nonsense of course.

There seems to be an impression 'out there' that post houses are full of pre-pubescent bright young things doing ground-breaking work. And whilst there are individuals here and there doing just that, I think people would be surprised of the mean age at effects houses. At a large company here in Sydney for example there are very few 2d and 3d operators under 30. And we're talking several hundred staff here. Why? Because the work is highly specialised and demands a degree of life experience and maturity to cope with deadlines, self-management and the like.

Back on topic, congratulations to you Soica for deciding to take the plunge! Its going to be a wild ride and it sounds like you'll be in way over your head but I can't think of a better way to learn!

[Aruna]

Chad man.. I'm totally too old for this gig. I'm thinking I'm going to retire in a couple years on a beach somewhere.

[Double Supercool]

I got my first job in the industry as a compositor last year, age 31. Fast forward one year and I am now a f/t comper at a 3D animation studio.

When I got offered my job I was 2.5mths into the second year of my course after deciding to quit my government job and follow my dream.

My reasoning was "if it doesn't work out, I can always go back or do something else."

As for drawing, I can draw well enough but I can't say it has come up too often as a comper. It's more about an eye for composition (duh), colour, movement etc.

As you said, it's a dream opportunity. Take it and if it doesn't work out, do something else.

Or you can stay in the boring job, advance, hate it and then look back in 30 years time and wonder " what if . . . ?"

[hiphopcr]

Chad man.. I'm totally too old for this gig. I'm thinking I'm going to retire in a couple years on a beach somewhere.

Well, you are too old... how long have you been doing this for? According to IMDB since '95! Shake wasn't even around yet and Adobe had just had it's first release of After Effects!

You're ancient in this biz, but have fun out on that beach!

[Yossarian!]

What was life like before Smoothcam, Aruna? My imagination just doesn't stretch that far back

[Aruna]

Smoothcam? What in the world is that? I keep hearing about it, but I've never used it.. Something to do with Shake, perhaps? Oh.. That IMDB thing is wrong.. While the Outer Limits started in 95, I wasn't on it till 2001 (when it came back after a hiatus), my first year of Stargate was 99. Of course, when I added the Outer Limits thing in IMDB, they didn't have options for seasons at the time.