{"id":14209,"date":"2018-03-02T18:19:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-02T18:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/view\/news\/315096"},"modified":"2018-03-02T18:19:00","modified_gmt":"2018-03-02T18:19:00","slug":"blog-leaving-my-dream-job-to-start-my-own-business-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2018\/03\/02\/blog-leaving-my-dream-job-to-start-my-own-business-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog: Leaving my dream job to start my own business – Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra\u2019s community.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.<\/small><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Most game releases feel like an explosion. Pressure rises for months until the big boom of the release, followed by an incredibly calm, often boring, period.<\/p>\n

The release of The Witcher 3 didn\u2019t feel this way.<\/p>\n

It was more like climbing back down after reaching the top of a mountain. You are tired and your feet hurt, but it\u2019s not really over.<\/p>\n

From this point on, however, things would slowly get better.<\/p>\n

This post is the third part of\u00a0a longer story.\u00a0<\/strong>Read part 1<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0part 2<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Signs of improvement<\/h2>\n

A few months after my first raise, my financial situation stabilizes.<\/p>\n

It takes most of the money from my raise, but I move into the apartment I still live in today, for an additional 100 euros a month. What an improvement that is! I now feel good when I am home and I am pretty sure the birds sing better around here.<\/p>\n

The other great news of the end of 2014 is that I finally reimburse one of the banks, so my payments drop by half.<\/p>\n

I am 26 when the Witcher 3 comes out and I earn 1250 euro after taxes. My living expenses, including my student loan, leave me 300 euros. Half of it goes into a saving account, which gives me 150 euros to do things like going out, enjoy a good movie or buy a game here and there.<\/p>\n

Things are starting to look better, but hell\u2026 I have been living like a student for the past 8 years. Honestly, I don\u2019t understand how people even afford to buy a car in one lifetime.<\/p>\n

Surprise, surprise<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s jump back to May 2015.<\/p>\n

Now that the game has been released, each employee gets\u00a0called in over a few weeks, for their annual review. It is the opportunity to hear what management and your team think of your work, as well as to give some feedback on how you feel here and what the company should improve.<\/p>\n

Crunch, salaries, management, there\u2019s not a single point I forget to talk about. I try to balance everything out with some good stuff about working here: the incredibly talented people, the creative freedom, and the responsibilities. I also hear some very positive feedback about my work, so that\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

After about 30 minutes, the review is coming to an end. I am about to stand up when my lead starts talking again.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne last thing. The release of the game is the opportunity for the company to offer a salary bump to all the employees\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been very satisfied with your work and agreed to give you an 18% raise. It\u2019s amongst the highest bumps, so congratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n

*Animated GIF of a rapper wearing an extravagant outfit and making the money rain*<\/p>\n

To create a company\u2026 why not?<\/h2>\n

We are about a year after the release of The Witcher 3. Since then, I had the opportunity to work on\u00a0the first big DLC for the game<\/a>. Some people crunched to make it happen. I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

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Among the improvement that followed the release of the game, there is the more lenient policy on crunch. It\u2019s still a thing but much less encouraged.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

One thing I haven\u2019t talked about yet is my long-term\u00a0goal for my career.<\/p>\n

When I started school, I built a clear plan: I would work 10 years as a designer, to gather experience, then create my own company using what I had learned.<\/p>\n

Since then, I had cut it down to 8 years, so that I would create my company when I would be 30 instead of 32. Round number, nice and smooth.<\/p>\n

Only I start to meet several people who already own a company while working at CDProjekt. Apparently, to create a company is not such a big deal. One of my good friend, \u0141ukasz S. \u2013 the designer who actually interviewed me 4 years prior \u2013 tells me he can set me up if I want.<\/p>\n

Is it that hard to create a company?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is how it works:<\/p>\n