What you got to do to get a job, dammnit?

Published May 30, 2011
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Hey.

So still unemployed. This is getting a little bit crazy now. Been almost three months. I'm spending at least an hour a day sending out CVs both for advertised jobs and on spec to companies that may have something suitable. Having to sell the car has massively limited my options with regard to location but it was unavoidable.

Fucked up the sobriety big time and back to day 1 again (would have been day 10 today without the slip) so a bit gutted but never mind.

I've been piddling about with my 3D modeller a little bit, although not as much as I would have liked. I've moved rendering of the perspective view into a vertex shader now (for the actual model, not the wireframe) and it now supports wireframe, flat shaded and smooth shaded (a la Milkshape) as well as the option to draw backfaces black and to render the wireframe overlay.

Bit stuck on the UI for tools and so on. I don't want to get overcomplicated but also don't want anything too crappy as it will become hard to use. I'm determined to find a way to keep the majority of tools on the same pane as I always found flipping between panes a, er, pain in MilkShape, especially when trying to assign vertices to bones.

Still got no interest in Squishy whatsoever I'm afraid. Classic for me - the majority of the programming is done, content creation is what is required and bang, motivation goes through the floor. Spent sodding weeks of effort on getting the editor user-friendly and still just not interested. Oh well.

Better get dressed and go out for a bit I think. Becoming a bit of a hermit (long, flowing beard, fingernails, taking to furntiture etc).
0 likes 6 comments

Comments

JTippetts
If I might humbly suggest something: personally, I think you should finish Squishy. I know, you're not in the mood. I understand that 100%, since that has been the bane of a thousand of my own projects. But in the last several months, I've begun to learn the value of just doing it, even if I'm not in the mood. Being able to do that, I think, is what it takes to elevate any of us to the next level. I honestly think Squishy could go somewhere; at the very least, if you finish it and start selling it you might be able to afford another can of beans and enough bread to work on another one. So you're having a hard time finding a job; maybe that's because, at least subconsciously, you think you could make it as an indie. Maybe you can. But you won't find out if you don't finish Squishy, learn from it, and move on to the next one.
May 30, 2011 02:38 PM
kiwibonga
Have you looked into private funding?

It's what I'm doing now... Contacting everyone I know to find someone who can inject a measly $5k into my project. I feel like a panhandler! But there are many success stories out there... I'm sure your videos of Squishy would be enough to convince potential investors; no doubt about it.
May 30, 2011 06:48 PM
Aardvajk
Thanks guys.

It's an idea kiwibonga, but I'm not really in a good enough place in my head to take on the responsibility of having other people to answer to at the moment.

I'm also in the process of having a debt relief order sorted so not in my interests to earn more than minimum wage for the next 12 months. :)

Just a joe-job will suit me fine for now. Programming is just a hobby to me. Don't want to pollute my enjoyment of it by putting professional pressure on it, but hopefully that will change one day. I'm afraid that until I make some bigger steps with my alcoholism, I can't really take on anything more complicated.
May 30, 2011 09:04 PM
freeworld
[quote]
Fucked up the sobriety big time and back to day 1 again (would have been day 10 today without the slip) so a bit gutted but never mind.
[/quote]

Don't let relapse get ya down, just cause you're having a hard time with employment. Take it from a long time alcoholic, one of my favorite things to do when I'm thinking there's nothing else to do but grab a drink. Just go outside, people watch, hell just sitting on a bench surrounded by others when all I'm doing is thinking about my current project. It's a great stress reliever.

If there is one thing in life everyone should learn is that no one is perfect, and never hide your faults. Wear them as diamond armor, that way no one can ever use it against you.
May 31, 2011 03:28 AM
a_insomniac
Have tried some of the programmer for hire sites? Like Guru, IFreelance etc?

You might at least be able to pull down a few projects to keep you on your feet until something more permanent comes along. Squishy would definitely help sell your skills to potential online clients trying to validate potential freelancers.

Good luck with the sobriety too bro. Remember each day you wake God gives you a "[b]Do over[/b]" so dont be so hard on yourself...no one is perfect.
June 02, 2011 03:27 PM
coderx75
Alcoholism, plummeting towards rock bottom, unemployed and a video game project. Ah, I miss those days. Damn, I actually feel somewhat jealous. Just don't be too hard on yourself. You'll come out of this with a completely different perspective on life. Eventually, you'll come across a few ego boosting experiences to remind you of what you're capable of. Things usually turn around with far less effort than you'd expect.

As for finding jobs, I usually leave interviews feeling that my lack of a jaw ache and knee pads lost me the position... and I'm usually dead-on right. I just took on a project with a company in the middle of an acquisition but the guy I interviewed really impressed me. It's much better to work for good people in a bad situation than to work for bad people in a good situation.

By the way, I'd warn against freelance sites. It may not be a bad long term solution but in the short term it'll likely just tear down your self worth. Probably not what you need right now.

Just don't quit the game.
June 04, 2011 03:55 PM
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