Career in flash ?

[hdxmike]

What do you think about getting a career in flash game deving or something like 2d animation ?

Also if you were given the chance to squish school and do flash would you ?

By squish i mean either compress the ciriculum to an hour or two or completely get rid of it

This question is mostly aimed at the 14-16 group but anyone else is welcome to share their thoughts

[Cojones893]

My last job and my current job are entirely using flash. At my last company I was on the R&D team as their flash developer. At my new company I work as the lead flash developer.

[JKR]

Squishing school sounds like a good idea, but in practice it often does more harm than good. Even the classes and things that seem useless have this funny way of coming back to help you at some random point. Weird, I know, but it's true.

As far as Flash as a career, if it helps you to achieve your goals then it's certainly a good starting point. If you want to get into animation, Flash can get you moving. You probably won't do everything in your whole career in Flash, but it is a great place to continue learning all the ins and outs of animation and for practicing.

[bl00db47h]

Well, I would like to say I could do it, but in reality, I often stray from the project, wanting to do something else. I guess it's sort of like having ADD, only having it with flash.

[E-YeahStudios]

My dream gig would be somewhat like the Brothers Chaps do with Homestar Runner. I think they are the only/one to the only people who have actually made a living off of Flash cartoons (not doing designs or other freelance stuff).

Never going to happen, but I can dream.

[4urentertainment]

A lot of people make a living off of flash.

As long as you can crack out a game every few months, then you're all good.

Dropping out of school for it is definitely NOT a good idea. You keep hearing about how the flash industry isn't stable, and you could find yourself one day, jobless and no college education to back you up.

[zrb]

Sure it'd be fun in short term but if you ever got in financial issues with no backup job, no school diploma, no higher education, your pretty fucked.

So you should do school, keep it as a hobby until you've managed to get enough education to be able to get a job if your flash career falls apart.

Basically everything 4urentertainment said :P

[7IsUnlucky]

Happy Tree Friends is made entirely in Flash

[zrb]

At 11/2/09 08:28 PM, 7IsUnlucky wrote: Happy Tree Friends is made entirely in Flash

-______-
So, anything to add to that ? Explain how much they make...etc ?

[Gustavos]

Well, I'd "squish" the school first, then decide on what to do.

Well, I am a flash animator now, so it wouldn't hurt to have a career using the program. But really my dreams involve me working with 3D animation on the cutscenes of video games. If I could get to that position, I'll have lived a full life.

[zrb]

At 11/2/09 09:18 PM, Gustavos wrote: Well, I'd "squish" the school first, then decide on what to do.

Well, I am a flash animator now, so it wouldn't hurt to have a career using the program. But really my dreams involve me working with 3D animation on the cutscenes of video games. If I could get to that position, I'll have lived a full life.

But to do that you obviously need to have had education to get hired. So you couldn't squish school to do that, unless you are some amazing animator and every company would be drooling to have you even though you dropped out or something. But the chance of that is next to nothing.

[Gustavos]

At 11/2/09 09:20 PM, zrb wrote: But to do that you obviously need to have had education to get hired. So you couldn't squish school to do that, unless you are some amazing animator and every company would be drooling to have you even though you dropped out or something. But the chance of that is next to nothing.

I was just kidding. Without school, my life would be so dull. Not having friends with similar interests.

[zrb]

At 11/2/09 09:44 PM, Gustavos wrote: I was just kidding. Without school, my life would be so dull. Not having friends with similar interests.

Ah, in that case forget my lame speech :)

[grafik2d]

In everything you do education is better than not. Like someone said you wont make a career doing just flash and if you wan to move up, get hired or get a good wage, a degree or a B.A. in whatever will help you. I understand how appealing it is to squish school, since I was working full time as a flash programmer during my last year of doing my B.A. (in philosophy...). I would wake up at 6 to catch up with my studies go to work then directly to school and come back home at ten in the evening. And I still manage to review 2 script for books/teaching material on game design and gameplay mechanic for my employer, something they proposed to me since they felt that my opinion would matter because I was just about to graduate at Concordia university (in Montreal, Canada). So when I'll look for a job or ask for a raise or a promotion I can say I completed a DEC in Cinema (DEC are a 2-3 years dregree between college and University in Quebec) a B.A. in Philosohy that included optional classes in Marketing, Education, Psychology, Art History, Micro Economy, Bussiness and Reviewed two book. Althought I can only speculate since I'm 23 and just finished my B.A. this summer and still looking for work since I had to move to another province because my girlfirend got accepted to the university of Ottawa. The trade of thought is that I never really got to work on my own project on a regular basic and include someone to do the artwork and animation in order to have a complete project to show off so I guess I will struggle to enter the market again.

[DrClay]

I think its a little unlikely to get a job in it these days, I have a job where I help people out with flash and other programs, but the thing is my school just dropped the flash course (assholes) so yeah...

I would love to make a living off of it though

[the1manwiththeplan]

Definitely an education before a leap of faith into a flash career that may backfire
Don't underestimate how important a full education could end up later on, priorities shift...

[hdxmike]

Not trying to be ungrateful for your insight or anything but this was more to discuss a career in flash or some interest spawned off it ie 2d animation.

It wasnt about dropping out of school to do it , which i wouldnt .

[the1manwiththeplan]

At 11/2/09 10:22 AM, hdxmike wrote: Also if you were given the chance to squish school and do flash would you ?

By squish i mean either compress the ciriculum to an hour or two or completely get rid of it

Srry I was just referring to this part of the question

[hdxmike]

At 11/3/09 04:01 AM, the1manwiththeplan wrote:

At 11/2/09 10:22 AM, hdxmike wrote: Also if you were given the chance to squish school and do flash would you ?

By squish i mean either compress the ciriculum to an hour or two or completely get rid of it

Srry I was just referring to this part of the question

Thats ok T1MWTP but it was an 'also' question , just a little extra :)

[Nayhan]

I would really like to get a career in flash doing something like Adam Phillips does, although it's probably a bit hard to get there.

At 11/2/09 10:26 AM, Cojones893 wrote: My last job and my current job are entirely using flash. At my last company I was on the R&D team as their flash developer. At my new company I work as the lead flash developer.

That would be awesome to have a job like that. What kind of things do you do?
I'm currently working for a family friend and doing stuff on flash, making banners, remaking old outdated pictures and other things. It's pretty good (I'm not getting paid yet cos he bought me a laptop) but it's not creative enough for me.

[PBass]

Go to school, but go to the right school. Never take a class that won't help you earn at least as much as it cost to go to that class. I unfortunately took a Fundamentals of Color class, which was full of a lot of cool info, but I doubt that my investment will ever be returned.

[Rustygames]

I'm not going to preach any advice either way, but here is what happened to me:

I dropped school when I was 17 because I wasn't learning anything, and I got a job as a flash developer. Almost 3 years later I'm still working as a flash developer and making a good living from it.

[Toast]

At 11/3/09 07:50 AM, Rustygames wrote: I dropped school when I was 17 because I wasn't learning anything, and I got a job as a flash developer. Almost 3 years later I'm still working as a flash developer and making a good living from it.

And then you're forced to make flash games for kids for 90 years until you eventually die from a heart attack at the age of 107 because you don't have a degree or any proper education.

Don't take advice from ninja chickens.

[Cojones893]

At 11/3/09 07:50 AM, Rustygames wrote: I dropped school when I was 17 because I wasn't learning anything, and I got a job as a flash developer. Almost 3 years later I'm still working as a flash developer and making a good living from it.

I did the same thing. I left school at 16. Got my GED and entered college at 17. I worked for 1 year as a Research Assistant before landing a flash developer job. I now have a stable job and make a good income working as the lead flash developer at my company.

[UknownXL]

Ive been living off of it for about 2 years now and I have managed to live by myself and I have bought two cars since I have began. But it gets hard sometimes trust me. Its not an easy thing to do. You have to have passion.

[Shadowii2]

As I kid I really admired the work people do to make their 2D animations, and always wanted to do some myself aswell. With little to no artistic talent at all, I then began practising Flash when a local friend of mine gave me his copy of Flash 5. Since then I have been using Flash every day to some extent. This year I also picked up programming in Flash and making a game with it right now, and I'm thinking my future career may require expierence in Flash. The pay may not be all that good for Flash developers in Finland, but I would still love my job.

But if not Flash, I'm hoping to get in to the video game designing career.

[Axiom]

You kidding?

If I had a chance to get paid for something I do anyway? It would be a dream to find a job in Flash development.

[doctormario]

As you've already mentioned that you're not intending to bounce out school, I'll just shut up about the pros and cons of that. You've already made the right choice on that one.

The career thing can be as lucrative as you want to make it. I'll be real though...1 in 80 jobs you do for clients will actually be as fun as something you make for NG, on your own time. Most of the people with the money are interested in slideshows of handshakes, compasses, chess pieces, and other smarmy business memes. Sad, but true. Also, startups are a little more scarce these days than they used to be. Thank the economy for that one.

My advice, in a nutshell, is to carefully pick the Flash job you want. If you don't, Tad and Biff will headhunt you, and you'll make be making XML galleries of their sleepy powerpoint presentations forever. May the force Bwith U.

[Jereminion]

has anyone heard that many people hate flash and like html4 or 5 or something? some people say flash is buggy and has memory leaks and many developers are moving away from it. adobe is doing a bad job making it.

i am just a messenger i still make flash games that is just what i heard from many people

[hdxmike]

At 11/3/09 12:05 PM, Jereminion wrote: has anyone heard that many people hate flash and like html4 or 5 or something? some people say flash is buggy and has memory leaks and many developers are moving away from it. adobe is doing a bad job making it.

i am just a messenger i still make flash games that is just what i heard from many people

Firstly its HTML5 which i am learning , secondly let me see you animate waterlollies or program FPA2 with HTML5 , adobe isnt doing a bad job , maybe with the IDEs but they brought 3d AS3 and IK and several other things including (soon to be ) iphone development , both languages are good for what they are intended for