Visualization Students Gain Industry Insights During Annual Career Fair
Visualization students seeking internships and jobs explored the annual Viz Industry Fair, hosted by the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, on March 1 at the Memorial Student Center.
Kaylyn Luna, co-director for Viz Industry Fair and a graduate Visualization student, said both the in-person fair and online fair were a success. Luna said students camped in the hallway an hour and a half before it began, eager to meet with industry representatives.
“It was so great to see so many students wanting to be the first ones here,” Luna said. “There are 11 companies this year in person, and we had some attend virtually, which was great. All the students seemed to have a great time and all of the companies had a great experience too. I am very grateful for all of the hard work that went into this.”
Companies participating in-person or on Discord included A Bunch of Short Guys, Electronic Arts, AEM Creations, Cinevva, Framestore, Populous, Bluepoint Games, Audience Media Group and Overland Partners.
Kathryn King, a graduate student in the Visualization program, met with three companies during her visit and asked about potential internships and job opportunities following graduation. King said she was glad to see some of the companies were architecture-based.
“It was interesting to see some options that use the skills that I have been building for the past four years in a less traditional manner,” King said. “Getting to work at an architecture firm and help design and create their vision is really interesting to me.”
King credited the Visualization program’s “teamwork-oriented space,” which helps students prepare for future career opportunities.
“Even when you are working on individual projects, everyone is so willing to collaborate and help out and share their knowledge,” she said. “I think most of my learning has come from working with peers, and I think that is a really valuable skill to have — especially going into the industry. I think it is a really safe space where we can all work together, which is unique to Viz.”
Industry representatives gave presentations throughout the day, including Gracie Arenas Strittmatter, director of technical operations at Electronic Arts. Strittmatter, who graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Computer Science in 2004 and a master’s degree in Visualization in 2008, recalled how nerve-wracking career fairs felt. Despite those nerves, Strittmatter said she could see a sense of resiliency in each student she met.
Ben House, senior technical artist at Bluepoint Games, graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelor’s degree in Visualization in 2014 and a master’s degree in Visualization in 2016. He and his team looked over resumes and portfolios and provided feedback. House said the students he visited with were enthusiastic and well-prepared.
“The industry is so incredibly competitive — especially now — and any opportunity that any student has to get an internship or an entry-level position is solid gold,” House said. “This is a great opportunity for them, especially the networking and portfolio reviews and experience. All of that feedback is invaluable.”
House said Bluepoint Games currently employs 11 Visualization graduates, which is about 10% of its studio members. The caliber of Aggies graduating from the program is unlike any other, he said.
“Viz in particular makes really good tech artists,” he said. “Viz almost has a ‘trial by fire’ mentality of sorts, which makes for really hard-working, dedicated, passionate people when they get through the program. Viz students are super-passionate, eager to learn and are always willing to take on all of the problems and responsibilities that you throw at them — which is awesome.”
