VES Publishes Career Opportunity Guide and Hosts Career Transition Forum

By NAOMI GOLDMAN

In the midst of a rapidly evolving industry landscape and economic instability – as VES members may be looking to change their role within the visual effects field or explore new opportunities in adjacent or new industries – the VES Education and Outreach Committee published the VES Career Opportunity Guide. Edited by Committee Member Laurence Cymet, the resource reflects the input of more than 26 industry experts, including career and recruitment professionals, industry practitioners, as well as those who have made career transitions. The guide was created to: highlight the deep value that VFX professionals bring to the table, and how to leverage it in career transitions; provide practical guidance on improving position and stature within the VFX industry; assist in exploring opportunities in adjacent industries; provide useful tactics in approaching job and career changes; and provide useful information on opportunities for VFX professionals in outlying industries.

Download the VES Career Opportunity Guide at https://www.vesglobal.org/jobboard/.

As a complement to the new guide, the Society hosted a live global webcast around the theme: Retooling Your Career: Transferable Skills and Industry Shifts. Moderated by Susan O’Neal, VES 1st Vice Chair and Recruiter at BLT Recruiting, the panel of experts included: Andy Cochrane, Immersive Content Creator and Consultant; Debra Coleman, (PCC) Founder, Open Frame Coaching; Laurence Cymet, WeFX Head of Technology, Educator and VES Toronto Chair; and Simon Davies, (DAX) Digital Artists Xchange Founder and Digital Creative Talent Specialists Member. From SaaS to tech, from gaming to education, the forum explored how the hard and soft skills honed in VFX can transfer into adjacent industries – ones still rooted in familiar tools and teamwork.

Highlights of career advice from the expert panel:

On adopting best practices to provide meaningful value to studios in the current market: “Know your company’s capabilities, know who their direct competition is and bring meaningful connections.” —Susan O’Neal.

On roles or departments that are most welcoming for career changers: “We’ve definitely moved away from specialists towards generalists, so make sure that you work to cultivate skills in both 2D and 3D (and totally unrelated skills like photography, etc.). Be flexible and reliable. Always deliver, never give up, never stop learning new things.” —Andy Cochrane

On handling burnout: “If you are feeling burnout, you need to take care of your physical and mental health first and foremost. Rest, be healthy, do things that bring you joy, reset. Then it will be easier to find your way forward.” —Debra Coleman

On opportunities for professionals who have been part of the production on-set side of VFX, including data wranglers and photographers: “Learn everything you can and help out while on set. Outside of entertainment, there are many industries that need people who can observe and gather data from a physical location, including architecture and construction, which have entire fields focused on LiDAR, photogrammetry and other types of reality capture.” —Andy Cochrane.

Get more career advice and watch the Retooling Your Career:
Transferable Skills and Industry Shifts webcast replay at
https://www.vesglobal.org/jobboard/.