The Corridor Crew brilliantly explain how VFX isn’t bad, it’s rushed. Yeah I know it’s the title of the video but it’s true. The upper management of the studios seemingly have no idea what they’re asking for. There’s also some eyebrow raising examples of what happens in the industry as well.
To prove the point, Jordan has to create the visual effects shot needed in 5 minutes, then 5 hours and finally 5 days. Despite having the extra time in each case, it’s still stressful for the artist.
Oh just watch the video, it’s better than me trying to push the same point. 😄
As far as the broader tech industry, you need to do a balancing act between specialization and general skills. Never know when the whims of a megacorp will suddenly kill the specific niche you’ve built a nice home in, so make sure your skills are general enough to be transferable.