designer???

(To all designers out there, a word of truth. Not written by me. But I bliff it's kinda true. So what will ur future be?)

I had been in the CG line for 12 years now. When-ever there are some kid ask me if its good to go into this line. I will ask them "What do u want in your life?

1) Money?
2) Job satisfaction?
3) Flexible working Life

If your answer is number 1, sorry, art in Malaysia wont make you rich (May be 1 in a 1000 will get rich) after 5 years you may be able to get 3-4K, but to break the 5K barrier is difficult, then to break the 10k barrier is almost impossible. Unless:

1) U start your own studio (U dont need a lot of money to start, but u need a lot of money to survive)
2) U are good and lucky to get a good boss and u are the head of department or supervisor or something (Only 1 or 2 in a company, and has to be a big company)
3) Freelance (None-stable income + PITA to collect money)

And if your answer is number 2, sorry also. Becasue 80% of the time, what u do is not what u like. Changes after changes, u will end-up with the version that u dont like, perhaps u will start to hate it.

If your answer is number 3, LOL. Almost all studios now require u to work late, and guest what? U still have to go into the office the next morning. U work till 3 last night? may be u can be late for 1 or 2 hours. But what is 1 or 2 hours compare to working till 3 AM.
So if for those who like art and CG, just remain it as a hobby. When ppl told u that making your hobby as your career is fun. he is bullshitting u. U want money? Go study business, economy, Oil & Gas/ Aerospace Engineering, doctor, lawyer or even a start your own business nor matter how small it is.
U want job satisfaction? Well depends what u like most. U like Flexible working hour, become a sales-man, insurance/property/direct-sales agent. u will have plenty of time.

Trust me... youngman, before its too late. Dont waste your 3 years and 60K fees in this line. its not worth it. Trust me...

May be i shouldn't post it at the first place. I understand your situation, as i had gone through it myself. Ppl said the same thing to me 15 years ago, and i react just like u. But after so many years in this industry, i see some ppl in the same industry doing good, but majority of us are still suffering from the low pay, long working hour nightmare. and i dont see there is anyway to change this in the near future. Art can make money, but not in Malaysia, not even in Singapore, and Hong Kong and China. If u manage to work in Australia or NZ or even better, US or Europe, by all means go for it. But its not easy to get a job there especially in this line.

After 12 years of doing what i love initialy, i started to think, am i doing this for myself, or for the client. Should i be so selfish to let my family suffer with me? How many hours can i see my wife and kid a day, or perhaps how many hours a week. Everyday when i go to work, my wife ask me if i am coming back for dinner, i can not give her an answer. And she ask me what time roughly do i come back from work, i cant give her an answer. And she ask again if i am coming at all that day, i cant give her an answer. I am like a police, i dont know if i am able to go home that day every morning when i step out of my house. U may think i bullshit, i am telling the truth, i live like that everyday. even on weekend when i need to go to my wife home town i have to turn off my phone, so they cant find me. I use to stay in the office for 2 weeks with all my cloths, underware and pillow. After that 2 weeks my girl friend break off with me. And i am not the only one that experienced this. If anybody already in this industry who never experience this, its either u are working in a not so happening company, or your boss is too good.

Try ask ppl who are working in Silver Ant or MFX how is their working life, and u will be surprise. I know we are all doing what we like, but the client and your boss use that as an advantage, to make u work like a dog. U may be willing to take it for the sake of love for art, u may be thinking money is not important, u may think that 14 working hours is nothing. but how about your wife, how about your kid? How about your old and lonely parent? Are they suppose to suffer together with u, just because your love of art? If u are 21, fine no worries. 25? Still good. 30? Start thinking about what u want. 35? 40? 45?

Go to any animation studio or post production and see how many ppl there are over 35. In this line if u are over 35, u better be someone, other wise u are dead. At least 50% ppl switch line before 35, and that is if u are lucky. Dont ask me how many ppl over 35 that i had meet in this line. But i am sure everyone of them had a sad story. And i even know some is over 45, and their career is over, its gone. And they dont know what to do, because thats everything he knows. And he had 3 kids to take care of, and the eldest son is going to college. His salary may be 10K, so it would be 120K a year. How much do the college charge u? 20K for a year. Thats 2 months of his salary. How about other son, they are going to Uni soon. How abot house loan? Car loan? May be your son need a transport, a bike? a car? Well, do the calculation.

For those of them keep saying this line is good, this line is fun, this line can make money. U are either too naive, too un-experience, or u are working for the college. Yes, art can make money. But not everybody. So if u have a rich daddy to give u the money to start a studio, u are lucky. If not, u are just a slave to your boss, to your client, and to art. Think about it, not for now, but for the rest of your life. Think what u want to do when u are 40. And come back here and tell me.

「伴」，就是一人一半，湊在一起才完整。

陶子重義氣，她要我做什麼，我就做什麼。她要我談一談婚姻感情，就談吧！反正我也到了開口說話會帶點道理，但年輕人聽不進去的年齡。

我跟太太戀愛八年結婚，婚後十七年，總共認識了二十五年。這麼長的時間日夜相伴，身旁偶爾沒有她，感覺很爽，倘若此後一輩子沒有她，萬萬不可。

像前一陣子看到一則意見調查，問年輕女孩，家人、父母、孩子、老公與事業，如果硬要抉擇，會先放棄哪個？

女孩選了選，先放棄了事業，然後家人、父母，剩下老公與孩子難以抉擇，最後選擇放棄孩子、留下老公，理由是家人、父母、孩子最終都會離開身邊，但老公會是終身伴侶。很殘酷、但也很真實。

中國字的寓意深遠，「伴」，就是一人一半，湊在一起才完整。

現今許多人適婚卻不婚，老人家看了奇怪，過去從沒發生過類似狀況。這現象代表五、六十年來沒有戰亂、年輕人長大過程中享有家庭溫暖與親情支援，因此認為單身也能過得很好，不論敗犬或是單身貴族，不覺得非要個伴，是歷史上首度可以一個人過日子的平安歲月。衰老未至，沒有歲月的壓力，等年齡到了，開始覺得孤獨、害怕孤獨，想找個人分享，還是需要個伴。

若要進入婚姻，套一句不負責任的老生常談，要靠緣份，除了緣份以及感性的感覺，還要理性的選擇。婚姻確實需要理性，如果女兒論及婚嫁，我一定要求要看看對方家庭，什麼樣的家庭會養出什麼樣的孩子，當然，也有破碎家庭的孩子更努力維繫自己的幸福家庭，但一定要仔細觀察。

而另一個老生常談就是婚姻需要兩個人有相同的價值觀，但這不是說「我喜歡的你一定要喜歡」，而是「我不討厭你喜歡的」，就可以了，兩人可妥協，可退讓，願意試著接觸自己本來討厭的，看看是否真那麼不能接受，有這樣願意妥協的心情，比較容易維繫感情。

而婚姻與愛情最大的不同，在於願不願意改變。願意為了對方改變自己，是真愛，從頭到尾都不想改變自己，這段感情充其量只是對方愛你。

戀愛是短暫的交會後很想在一起而開始，很想閃的結束。開始時乾柴烈火，講究原汁原味，眼前的他什麼都好，是全天下最酷的、最美的，不需要改，但等到愛情疲了，才發現這人酷到不近人情、美得過於臭美、連刺青的位置不對，趕緊推給個性不合閃人。因此戀愛講究的是如何好聚好散

進入婚姻，當然還是會有許多衝突，學習重點是「相處的藝術」。男生該學的第一課就是上廁所必須掀馬桶蓋，一開始改變很不習慣，後來融入身體，像吃飯喝水一樣自然。

但最近老婆說不只要掀蓋子，尿完還希望我拿衛生紙擦擦馬桶周圍留下來的「遺跡」，按照過去的脾氣，一定就「老子愛….」，但現在的我會聽太太的意見，因為「愛」字裡有個心，不是光用腦想著該送什麼禮物給她，要用心。

太太也改變不少，她不喜歡戶外活動，婚前知道我愛潛水、跟著背起十幾公斤重的空氣瓶跳進海底求生，這麼愛美的她怕晒黑、塗防晒油塗滿臉，一回頭、嚇一跳，怎麼來了個歌仔戲花旦跟我一起玩。

婚後我又想潛水，她就說「不必了」，理由是家裡有孩子，不宜從事太危險的活動。

以前一個人在台北發展，要自己照顧自己，還要爭名奪利，不自私很難在短時間之內成就自己。結婚之後學著喊太太的媽媽「媽！」，有食物，不能先放進自己嘴巴，要顧著妻小先吃。我開始懂得心疼與珍惜，因為太太很好，捨不得讓她不舒服、捨不得讓她傷心，這些捨不得讓我自然學會了讓、學會了愛，也自然的改變自己，從自私變成大方。

婚姻的路是每天類似的風景，同樣的過程、淡淡的，要相處得好，真得靠慧根，所以找對象不能光想找個腿長奶大的辣妹，或是像金城武的帥哥，要找個讓自己想起他來心裡甜甜的，回頭一看，那人就在燈火闌珊處，這就是最好的對象。

而所謂另一半，也不是一開始就契合，是在修正中不斷的磨合，你多一點我少一點，像拼圖一樣拼在一起，才能一起過一輩子。

當然，歲月無情，人生最終還是分離。像我媽媽十六歲嫁給爸爸，相守相愛了一輩子，爸爸十多年前過世之後，媽媽真像少了一半，常凝望遠方，像爸爸就在天的那一邊，令人感傷。但人生如果少了婚姻、少了隨之而來的酸甜苦辣生老病死，少了孩子延續家的價值與感情，真會少掉很多滋味。