Re: FLASH: You don't know Jack...(OT)

[David Gary]

Christopher J Falvey wrote:

Everyone:

I think many things come into play here, and in the end i don't think there
can be a definitive answer- especially in such a young industry.

Firstly, its a balance of risks either way you plan on going-
"jack-of-all-trades" vs. "master-of-one."  If youre the Jack, you better
make sure you have the knowledge to be a master of any one of those trades
if necessary.  If your're the "master" you better make sure you've chosen
your trade wisely, because if it fails or becomes less in demand, youre 100%
S.O.L.

....<some good points snipped>

Hiya Chris,

If you were replying partly due to my post, i guess it would only be fair if I defined my comments
a little more than the overall general viewpoint I gave on "Jacks" and "Masters".

The area is grey and I should have imphasized that a "master" might not be an actual "master"
of ONE piece of software. The fact of the matter is,  in the design industry and digital art, once a designer
gets enough experience with certain "industry standard" software alot of new software to follow is not that
hard for a experinced designer or digital illustrator to pick up. Layers, channels, font layout, vector, bmp, jpg,
gif, CYMK, RGB, etc, etc, are genral concepts that shape any new graphics proggy that hits the market. If
your experienced in one graphics proggy, its really not that hard to master a new one. This evolutionary
process however does NOT define a "Jack of all". Graphics IS a specialty field, even though there might
me different areas of that field.

Same goes witht the programing(Coders) and 3D animation fields. If a 3D artist is seasoned in SoftImage, MAX,
Maya and some of the other industries standard 3D proggys. This does not make him a "jack".
This makes him a ""Master" 3D artist.

My definition of a "Jack" is the guy who knows a little programming, a little design, a little 3D application,
a little about hardware, a little about how to set up networks, a little about how to fix your dryer,  etc, etc.
He really isnt seasoned in any catagory specifically. If this is the case then you see it in his work or whoever he works for. Theres nothing he does that really stands out as very professional or real quality . For instance, His design lacks, his programming lacks, his 3D applications lack, his knowledge of networking lacks. He really doesnt know enough about one specific field that would really let him standout or shine because he dispersed his energy in too many directions. Therefore he really doesnt deserve the income in that a specialized field has to offer.

Technology is moving so quickly that its almost impossible for even people who specialize in specific areas
to keep ahead in their own craft.

A producer is really not a "jack of all trades". His knowledge is usually of management and a team leadership.
He knows just enough about everything to know what to ask of his designers and teamplayers and put together
a final package. This does not make him a jack of all trades however.

Ahh, thats enough on this subject.

-DG-