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The State of the USA | A Portrait of the Recession: Jobs and Unemployment.

infographics employment

Cleverly co-scheduled with the premiere event in Information & Scientific Visualization (IEEE VisWeek), Kitware has just announced the opening of a new EUropean Office in Lyon, France.  Named Kitware SAS, it will be very similar to their US division, focusing on open-source software and their many libraries, but will now be able to focus more on opportunities in the European market.

“[Kitware] recognizes the need to reach out to the international community and work with the most talented scientific computing professional and software engineers wherever they are located,” said Dr. Will Schroeder, president of Kitware’s U.S. office. Kitware’s open source systems have global impact, and the Lyon office provides a unique opportunity to expand into European markets and broaden the Company’s international reach.”

Kitware currently has many job openings (although I’m unsure of where they are), and several of which are advertised here on VizWorld in the Sidebar.

Now’s an exciting time to join a growing company!

via Kitware – News.

Science employment, kitware

Over at FXGuide, neonmarg had a great writeup on a recent event where the Visual Effects Society invited some experts to discuss the challenges and details of working 1099.  Recently this has become a hot-topic as several VFX companies have been bring in 1099 workers to help with projects, and in doing so these workers find themselves getting stiffed for paychecks if the company goes under or the project goes bust.  The details of 1099 are tricky, but in particular I found this fascinating:

Rogenson pointed out: “It’s really not up to the worker and to the company to determine whether an individual is an Employee or Independent Contractor, it really depends on the facts of that relationship”. This is a complex issue made more complex because the various agencies involved have their own rules and tests (California Labor Commision, Federal Department of Labor, the IRS, State Tax Collector, National Labor Relations Board, etc). As complex as it is “it’s not up to the worker or the company as to how they are going to classify their relationship”.

I personally know a few people who work 1099 because they like the higher paycheck that comes without worrying about benefits, or they have a working spouse who takes care of issues like insurance, but based on the criteria he talks about they are quite clearly ‘employees’.  It’s a tricky issue, with both workers and companies seeing clear advantages and disadvantages in all scenarios.

The discussion has lots of details regarding ‘day rate’, insurance, 1099 tax status, workers compensation, and lots more.  If you work in the VFX industry or are interested in the 1099 situation, you should definitely read it.

via fxguide – after effects vfx – VES: The 1099 Dilemma.

Graphics employment, vfx

The State Of The USA website has an interactive graphic showing job growth and loss across the private sector, federal government, and local governments from 2007 to present.  Some of their observations:

• Local governments cut 38,000 jobs in July, but lost 128,000 since the recession began.
• State governments trimmed 10,000 jobs in July and lost just 6,000 jobs since December of 2007.
• The federal government eliminated 154,000 jobs in July, but gained 262,000 jobs since the start of the recession.

Don’t be too surprised tho.  The huge jump in federal jobs is (I’m pretty sure) related to the Census, so they’ll all be laid off (many already are).

Hit their site to see the numbers.

The State of the USA | Still In the Red: The Recession’s Impact on Job Growth.

Science employment, financial, government, recession

Next time you’re negotiating a raise or a new job, be sure to look at this spreadsheet from ‘VFX Soldier’ that compiles salary data across the vfx, animation, and gaming companies.

The Animation Guild conducts a voluntary wage survey every year. There is also a website called VFX Wages that also encourages artists to voluntarily submit their wage information. My information comes directly from the facilities. It does not include bonuses, stock options, or weekly guarantees.

I feel this information is useful to get a better understanding of what artists and technical directors can expect to be paid when they are negotiating their next deal at facilities such as DreamWorks, or ILM, etc.

I’m still looking at the data myself, it’s pretty extensive. I’m still looking at the numbers myself, but he’s already noticed a few interesting trends:

I deliberately separated PDI and DreamWorks Glendale so it’s a little easier to compare wages. DreamWorks has two facilities, one in Glendale, and PDI in Redwood City. The Glendale facility is under a contract with The Animation Guild while PDI is not. The wages are generally higher in Glendale which begs the question:

If unionization is so costly, why doesn’t DreamWorks send more of it’s work to PDI? It’s only a few hundred miles up north.

You always hear the argument that if a place goes union they’ll just send the work elsewhere but the irony here is that the Glendale facility is massively expanding and has been doing about 2 out of the 3 films DreamWorks produces each year.

He’s sharing it as a Google Spreadsheet, but it’s generating enough traffic that Google is dropping back to ‘basic’ mode.  If you want an offline version to review, I’ve uploaded a PDF version (27Meg) you can look at.

via Wages In The VFX, Animation, And Games Industry « VFX Soldier.

Graphics employment

Over at Escape Studios, they’ve published a helpful list of tips and advice for recent CG graduates looking to get their first big gig in the industry.

We all know that finding your first job in the CG industry can be tough, but we have good reasons to feel pretty confident about future job prospects. That’s because the industry has seen growth for the ninth year in a row. There are jobs out there and I am particularly well placed to comment as I sit opposite our Recruitment Team and so I get to hear everything about the jobs they have available. Over the last few months, they have all been incredibly busy, and that’s good news for all aspiring artists.

via Job hunting: 5 tips for CG graduates.

Graphics employment, list

Kitware, the company behind such ubiquitous scientific visualization tools as VTK, ITK, and ParaView, just let me know that they’re growing like mad and have plenty of openings available!  They’ve hired 22 people so far in 2010, and they’re looking to hire 12 more!  The current openings cover the gamut, and include:

• R&D Engineer
• Computer Vision Software Developers
• Digital Library software developers
• Biomedical Engineering Software Developers
• Various other Software Engineers & Researchers

These are byproducts of some huge contract wins from LCA, DARPA, and other organizations that are fueling new products and enhancements across the board to not only their visualization tools, but their process management and code evaluation tools (CMake, Dart, etc).  Go hit their website for all the details and get your resume in today!

Science employment, kitware

Over at Sinisthesia, the author has a detailed story about his departure from Disney Animation Studios into the VFX workforce at large, and how he found it less attractive than he expected.

By that time I had a Master’s degree in Computer Art, and I felt like there was no reason someone with my rare technical prowess shouldn’t own their own company in no time. So here I was, a recent Disney graduate, ready to take on the World. But the World was not ready. The greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression was now irrevocably underway (this was just after the housing collapse of late 2008/early 2009), but that wasn’t the main problem. After all, during times of recession, entertainment industries flourish, with so many newly unemployed customers suddenly having more leisure time for movies and games.

via Sinisthesia: The Tragic Plight of Hollywood VFX Sweatshops.

Graphics employment, vfx

So you’ve out of college and got a nice little portfolio of work and want to get into the Visual Effects business in Hollywood, but don’t know how?  Check out this article on io9 that interviews several major names in the industry to give you pointers on how to get noticed.

“What worked for me was meeting people at conventions, sending samples of my work to various companies, making phone calls for interviews and knocking on doors,” Meng says. “Meet as many people as you can and get your stuff out there any way you can. You never know what opportunities might happen.”

However, it’s not too optimistic on your chances, opening with this stark paragraph:

One thing that young people should know is that the field is now overcrowded with designers. In the past 10 years or so, the ranks of the illustrators have probably tripled due to colleges all over the world that now have ‘designing for film’ courses, cranking out eager, young people ready to head out west and seek their fortunes. Yet Hollywood is making less and less movies each year (this is why movie actors are increasingly taking jobs in TV). This is something to be considered before setting off on a career in Hollywood.

via How to break in as a Hollywood concept artist: Artists share their secrets.

Graphics employment, vfx

Post Graduate Employment Options & Opportunities in the United States. via Visual Loop

infographics education, employment