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A quick Google search for unreal engine tutorial returns over 19 million results, with 2 million videos. Armed with AI assistants now, what stops anyone from mastering tech art within 6 months? Let’s talk about human connection, motivation sources, and the power of mutual obligation.
In other words, let’s talk about mentoring! I’d like to describe my particular experience. It’s the first time I’ve took part in a dedicated mentorship. But having educated online & on many conferences for years, I have some comparisons to make. I want to encourage you to try being a mentor for someone :) I’ll scatter helpful tips throughout.
I just finished being a mentor for 1 fresh high school graduate, in CD Projekt’s Girls in the Game programme. Every year, 20 girls are chosen among hundreds of candidates. Each of them gets assigned a single mentor - an experienced CDP employee - from the discipline of their choice (production, art, audio, coding, etc). It lasts 1 year, during which the mentee (= student) has a short weekly session with the mentor. In the time in-between she focuses purely on growth and making their project. So, this is not an internship. At the end of a year, the mentee goes on stage to present what she learned & created.
I’m basing the advice on this specific form and duration. In your case it may be something different. The most usual thing is probably an online 1:1 mentorship for one or few sessions, paid by an hour.
2D -> Tech Art#
My case kind was kind of special, because I haven’t participated in 2023’s edition from the start. My mentee (Alicja) joined with 2D illustration & concept art in mind, under another mentor (Marta, an experienced concept artist). However, after a few months she realized that she’s more motivated by making games in general. She found that out I work at CD Projekt, and knowing my tutorials, asked mid-year if I would consider teaching her.
Six months later, the things she did (not to mention a lot of concept art and 3D) include:
- Dot product snow shader. A tech art classic 👌
- Spline tool for landscape-snapped fences. Okay, more tricky!
- Spline tool user documentation in Obsidian
- Transparent shaders, profiling, optimization
- Procedural house generator, with roofs, in Blueprint
- Furniture distribution tool, that aligns it with walls and avoids windows!
- PCG for scattering foliage in a village, without intersecting any houses
…and I know it sounds like my usual topics, but I really haven’t done much. It was her work and research mostly, with my occasional guidance. Simply providing the keywords, core concepts, then unblocking here and there.
Basics#
So, back to the beginnings. Before I made a decision whether to be her mentor, we had an hour-long interview (was supposed to be 30 min) on which she showed me her experiments so far. That included… data-driven gameplay logic (Data Tables), a procedural top-down “map” in Excel. She’s also done animated, textured 3D weapons at that point. I haven’t expected questions about the dot product at that stage :) She gave an impression of someone who will be naturally curious - therefore low maintenance. That was crucial for me, due to my intense calendar, jumping between 2 projects at the time. But even if you’re less busy at work, you still probably don’t want to overstretch yourself.
So that’s a first but very important step - figuring out if the mutual expectations are compatible. And if the personalities kinda match as well! Are the topics interesting enough for you to discuss over a long period? Have you enjoyed explaining things at the given level? You want to have a natural challenge in it for yourself too. Again, low maintenance, natural motivation.
Effort, boundaries#
Now having the foundation established, it’s time to think how much time & energy can each party dedicate. Be realistic! It always feels better to negotiate expanding the initial plan, rather than having to cut it.
A written contract may be a great thing! It doesn’t have to be very long. You can refer to it later.
Set milestones with practical objectives. It can be skills (“I will be able to …”) or portfolio pieces (“2 static renders of a weapon”). It will keep the motivation afloat. In case of some unfortunate event, you can agree to finish the mentoring earlier, still having achieved something tangible.
Keep in mind that you won’t be just explaining. You’ll be checking on their progress, demanding certain changes, asking for more effort despite a pushback! That’s hard work sometimes. Also in case of newbies, it’s you who’ll have to establish a framework for any project they will be doing - be it a plan for a game, an environment scene, and so on. Without experience, their own idea may descend into chaos if no guardrails are set.
Oh and that’s wonderful, by the way. For younger folks you may be one of the first ones that treat them like normal people: giving them knowledge without handing out bad grades; Asking them questions, not just asking for homework; etc :)
Don’t max out your calendars, both of you. Life is bound to happen in the meantime. Flexibility is the key to make sure this doesn’t break over a long time horizon.
More than skills#
Motivation crises tend to happen quite frequently. Of course it depends on the student’s experience: with working in general (even at retail or in construction), in the game dev industry, at their current seniority level at a company/university. You will have to guide them through it a little bit.
If someone doesn’t have an experience with working in a team, then mentoring is a great opportunity to explain the usual requirements at work. Tell them how does a typical day in your role looks like. Don’t skip details too, like: how often do you take a break? what’s accepted/frowned upon? Things obvious for you may be invaluable for them.
Life advice - when solicited, of course - may be great too. Look for cues for potential topics and don’t be afraid to ask if they want to hear a story about it. You may have a lot to share by the mere fact that you’ve spent some years in the industry.
In my case, I told Alicja how did I get into every job I’ve been in. It has been a lot of luck, and at the same time, I’ve been ready for the unexpected opportunities (CV always fresh, small experiments in shader/procedural topics). I also mentioned my ratio of securing the 1st interview via a beer gathering (CDP!), a friends’ recommendation (3x) and the regular application via internet (only once!)
Other advice included: The importance of communication, documentation; Being assertive, even with those who pay you; Working by a minimum-viable-product philosophy (incremental steps); Getting the right amount of sleep (Gen Zs seem to beat millenials at this, so maybe it’s me who needs to be mentored!)
Goals, career#
Ask them: what’s their goal in the year after the mentorship? What’s an ideal stretch goal? Is it finding a job? Switching careers? Or just positioning themselves for a promotion?
I noticed that people fresh out of school tend to think they will be “judged” on interviews, like on an exam. Which makes the job hunt way harder than it has to be. That’s because companies hire to close a certain gap in competencies. They have a problem and look for a new hire to solve that specific shortage. If a studio doing a forest-themed game needs foliage models, and the candidate happens to love modelling trees, they may be already miles ahead of others, despite e.g. a shorter experience. Additionally, a company would never dismiss any candidate for that role by their character modelling skills.
Conclusions#
Okay, so - did I enjoy it? YES! I didn’t expect to be so proud of her (and our common work) in the end. Did she found it valuable? As hell! The student said that me and the 2nd mentor made it one of the best years in her life. And she got a job in an indie studio🤘
Is it hard? It can be. Well, I probably had it a bit easier than the average. She was impossibly strongly motivated to learn by her own. My skill level in TA is around 9000, so I had natural authority here. I also have experience in teaching these subjects (+ patience). I joined mid-year, meaning that the 1st mentor already cleared some initial troubles: misunderstandings, self-critique.
It was also a particular time in my life, where I had almost zero other obligations after work. I can imagine that in different circumstances, mentoring a high school graduate 1:1 could be a bit straining. It’s a relationship, after all. All the usual stuff applies here. Mentor is not a therapist, but on the other hand, sometimes a grain of empathy goes a long way. It’s an act of balance between dependence (you don’t want that) and being too rigid. In a case of older adults, you may need to set boundaries about your availability.
Caveat emptor: Please keep in mind that it was my first mentorship of that scope and length. Therefore I feel uneasy giving you specific advice! Make sure to consult other teachers before setting up a mentorship pair.
See you!