Expert Designer Shares Knowledge about Multimedia and Game Design Career Paths

seeking out degrees that lead more directly to job placement. One of the most promising job markets today is in technology and design; in fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that demand for Multimedia Designers will continue to dramatically increase in the next decade—up to 14 percent. Ed Sargeant, a Multimedia Technologies Instructor at Rasmussen College, Bismarck, N.D. college campus, is an amazing example of someone who got in on the ground floor of visual effects.  Before teaching and working as a freelance 3D artist, he spent time in the film industry and has worked on several blockbuster movies, including Batman Begins, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Thunderbirds. “While studying at art college, Toy Story had just been released and had me hooked immediately,” Sargeant says. “I knew I wanted to be a part of the new trend in 3D animation.”

 

Opportunities in Multimedia Design and Animation are wide-ranging. From working in motion picture and video production, to advertising and design firms; Multimedia Designers can work in a variety of settings. A day in the life of a Multimedia Designer ranges from using computers to create animated images or special effects, to building dynamic layouts for a website. All in all, this type of education can lead to various careers and areas of expertise. Sargeant illuminates: “the medium has expanded to such an extent that it is impossible to be a master of every area.  Because of this, in the animation world you typically see 3D modelers, animators, lighting experts, rendering experts, effects specialists—the list goes on and on.”

                                                                     

Sargeant makes clear that this specialization is often advantageous for designers, as “it means numerous positions are available, and professionals have a great deal of choices.” Moreover, the wage that is associated with this profession is a big draw. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean wage estimates for Multimedia Artists and Designers is $62,810.  

 

Where do you start? First, says Sargeant, “you need passion to experiment with different types of design.” Careers in design allow you to play around with different variables—like a mental puzzle—which calls for an undying fervor to “create”.

 

“Design and animation students need to be self-motivated.” Perhaps most importantly, students have to be in it for the long haul. Sargeant relates, “Software, hardware, and techniques change continually and at a fast pace… To this day I am continually researching and learning new skills.”

 

After passion, Sargeant notes, comes education. A formal education—where a student can be among game-designing peers—is also necessary. Whether you receive a Multimedia Technologies degree, Information Management degree, or even a Game and Simulation Production Specialization —higher education in this career path is advantageous to design careers. Sargeant speaks of his education at Bournemouth University, where he received a degree in Computer Visualization and Animation, as “an amazing experience, teaching me everything about the industry and its techniques: from correct story development, animation and modeling techniques, video editing and compositing, to specialized math, programming, and rendering algorithms.”

 

After asking Sargeant what his biggest career accomplishment is, he notes: “it is extremely rewarding to see students coming onto the course with little or no knowledge of design software, producing fantastic design pieces in a relatively short space of time,” Sargeant maintains. “They soon realize that given enough determination, anything is possible.”

                                                                                                                                                                  

 

Sources:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Artists and Related Workers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos092.htm (visited July 14, 2010).

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Multi-media Artists and Animators, http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes271014.htm (visited July 14, 2010).