Advice for once you've gotten your foot in the door?

[tomoegozen]

Hello!

So, after waffling around for a bit trying to figure out what to do with my life, I somehow managed to get hired as a QA tester for a publisher. I ended up on an awesome project with amazing coworkers, enjoyed the work immensely and am now certain that this is the industry I want to work in.

Problem, though: as you know, it's pretty common for QA to get laid off at the end of a project, and that's exactly what happened to me. I really tried my best in the position, and I survived two major layoffs -- but in the end (the third layoff was unexpected, I'm really not sure what happened) I got laid off anyway. I'm not upset about the layoffs themselves (that's life), but I am feeling a bit frustrated right now, because it's not clear to me what I could do better for next time. That's why I'm asking: once you get in the industry, how do you stay in? I imagine that it's going to be hard to "move up" if I keep hopping around doing QA at different places, though that is my plan for the immediate future.

The second part of my question is: how exactly does one actually move around and up in the industry? While I really love testing and don't mind continuing with it for a while, I don't just want to sit around in QA as if someone will magically walk up to me one day and ask if I want to be a Producer or something. So, what types of positions should I be looking to move into from QA?

tl;dr - What is the best way to deal with QA usually being temporary work in terms of building a career path? How exactly does one move up from QA? What should I be doing in order to make sure that I can take that next step?

[tsloper]

Originally Posted by tomoegozen

1. I am feeling a bit frustrated right now, because it's not clear to me what I could do better for next time. That's why I'm asking: once you get in the industry, how do you stay in?
2. I imagine that it's going to be hard to "move up" if I keep hopping around doing QA at different places, though that is my plan for the immediate future.
3. how exactly does one actually move around and up in the industry?
4. I don't just want to sit around in QA as if someone will magically walk up to me one day and ask if I want to be a Producer or something.
5. So, what types of positions should I be looking to move into from QA?

1. There is nothing you can do if the Big L is coming down on you. It happens to everyone at one point or another, except for the lucky few.
2. Don't let your imagination carry you astray.
3. Work well, work hard, keep up your enthusiasm for the job. Read these:
http://www.igda.org/games-game-april-2004
http://www.igda.org/games-game-april-2006
4. Sounds like producing is not what you want to wind up doing? I have a story to tell. I know a guy (swear to God) who was laid off from QA at least 3 times, and now he's an executive producer in Seattle.
5. Dude, this is your life, your decision. You don't really want strangers on the internet to tell you what you ought to want, what your passions and dreams ought to be. Read up on the careers, and start thinking about making a portfolio. Try this, try that, find out what you like and can get good at.
http://sloperama.com/advice/lesson7.htm
http://gamecareerguide.com/getting_started/
http://www.skillset.org/games/careers/profiles/
http://archives.igda.org/breakingin/career_paths.htm

[tomoegozen]

Thank you so much! It's good to know that having been laid off doesn't mean that I'll never get the chance to progress to another job. And having concrete resources to start with is a huuuuge help!