Stage 1 - Part 1 - "JOBBY-JOB!"

Hello people!!

Yes, as you might have guessed by my title, I have got myself a job in the industry! I am more than elated, I am slightly hysterical! Now before I continue, I can't tell you what I'll be doing and where purely because I know what some of you internet folk are like!!

Funny thing, the first response I got when I told someone I had got a job was,"So does this mean you'll stop being so grumpy in your blogs?" to which I have 2 answers:

Yeah... it's all smiles now eh, kid?

1. Ok, so your parents won't buy you that bike you wanted as a kid. It took them ages to finally realise how much you wanted the bike, so they get you a bike. Now that you have a bike, does this mean your parents can never do any wrong ever in a lifetime of events? Exactly.

2. Fuck you am I grumpy!

Allow me to explain how this has come about, and hopefully it shall not be too much of an anti-climax. So, in previous posts you may have read about how it is all about location, and all about ensuring that when you move somewhere, the jobs you want or desire are close by. I threw my toys out of the pram about how living where I am now basically puts me in the pool when I want to be in the ball pit. Turns out (Select relevant doctrine) God/The Universe/Circumstance/Shit hot luck had a little ace up the sleeve.

I was contacted by a friend via text, saying there were openings where he worked, and thought I would be good for the role. Also turns out he gets paid a little something if I get the job, so he was keen to get me in! I had previously applied to this company, but heard nothing back, unsurprising as there were no jobs going. In re-applying, I got an interview and was due to take assessment day with 14 other candidates.

What I felt I was up against...

Now I have been to many interviews in my time, some stood out like the one that started this blog, and some fade into the background as something of a single sperm in the load, but I have never been so nervous in my life. When I turned up there were all different types of people there, ranging for 17 year old boys to 40-something year old women. Some people knew the company and their products well, some had never even heard of them, and some knew the company a little too well... which got really annoying.

No one likes one...

So in a day's assessment (should have taken 7 hours, but it took me 11 thanks to my asshole of car breaking down) I had teamed up to make a bridge out of newspaper, negotiated 4 spaces on a spaceship and handled some the toughest Q&A sessions handed over by the general public... cryptic I know!! By the end, I wanted to slap ol' "Know-It-All" round the head 20 times.



Little hint people, if you think you know a lot, and you want to share it with everyone, for fuck's sake don't. And DO NOT interrupt the guy running the assessment day on multiple occassions to remind everyone how much you know. The only thing you will be asked at the end is probably what the company's ass tastes like.

What was mean, was the manner in which the news was broken to me. They said they would get back to me in at least 3-4 working days (Yes a weekend was involved) IF I got the job. So naturally, days 3 and 4 were indeed 'Watchingthephone' days. But nothing... nada... and I was put down. I was so upset that I actually considered chucking my current job and work as a bar manager 30 seconds up the road. Not that I would have hated it, but I had sworn myself off Hospitality after 7 years of it.

To me the stage had been set perfectly for them. I had been left feeling rejected and hopeless, so was willing and ready to whore myself out for any source of a good feeling... couldn't have worded that better. What took place was a phone call that gave me the marvelous news, and I was so happy I ignored any opportunity to earn myself more than they were offering. Arrogant? No. I just know was I was worth in what they required and in the blood, sweat and tears I was ready to leak all in their offices. No I just took the salary and after hearing the long, LONG list of perks, I was just happy to get the job. Very happy. So in a way it may have worked for them. It was sneaky, and if I ever become the authority in 'talent searching', I shall remember this technique.

So yes, I am now an employee in the games industry. Very exciting. If you are worried I am not going to give you any advice or pearls of wisdom then... I can do nothing for you. In my case, it was not what I knew, but who I knew, however what I knew did help a lot once the who-I-knew put my hand to the knob... door knob. Come on guys...

I guess I could add something. I may have mentioned that I did not have the skillset or talent to work in the industry, and I believed that they truly did take on the elites in specific fields exclusively. Maybe that is still the case in some companies, however, I forgot something essential. Every games developer has more departments than Programmers, QA, Modellers, Animators, Writers and so on. There is Player Support, Community Management, Public Relations, Promotions, basically the people that have the personability and personality (I know what you think I am suggesting and I immediately disagree) that become the voice and face of the developer. The people that represent the ethos, attitude and overall meaning of the company. With this in mind guys, if you are still looking for a squeeze into computer games, there is ALWAYS a way in. You just have to find out what you do best, and sell it like crack on the corner. Put it out there, and let people know what you got going for you, as you never know what it could do for you.

I am going to end it here, simply because I need to remove my'self' from this metaphorical gentleman here. It has been a good week without a shadow of a doubt, and I am rather sure it will only continue to get better!

Anything else kept me in a good mood this week? Yes it has...

NEXT WEEK: "You're simply the BEST"

If you have anything you wish to share with me or indeed the readers, feel free to comment or e-mail me at twentyfiveand0@hotmail.co.uk - Don't forget to check out the What Have I Been Playing pages found on the right! OR Check out my channel at www.youtube.com/ike1luv