Alessandro Manghi
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Alessandro, and I'm from Florence, Italy. During my career, I obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture, and I have worked in this field for some time, but never fully passionate about the subject. Quite by chance, I had the opportunity to design some applications in AR and VR, which involved me fully, giving me the opportunity to develop every part of those projects, from coding to model creation, environments, experience development and much more.
Then I joined Mastered, as I felt the need to change my career, and thanks to what I’ve learned, I was able to get a job as a 3D Generalist, which gives me the opportunity to learn and face new challenges every day.
Why did you decide to join the bootcamp?
I was at a point in my life where I felt the need for a change, something that could renew my enthusiasm and allow me to better understand what I wanted to do when “I grew up”. What prompted me most of all to join the bootcamp was to understand if my knowledge and my skills would have been useful for working in other fields.
What did you like the most about your bootcamp experience?
The fact that it was a constant challenge every day, learning new things and perfecting techniques that I had already acquired in the past. Approaching each project has always been exciting, and I absolutely owe this to the many incredible mentors.
Tell us about your job search process. What helped you keep up your motivation?
The key was certainly to strengthen my presence on Linkedin, building a profile more carefully and starting to create a network of connections with artists and creators in the sectors in which I was interested. All things I hadn't fully realized the importance and potential of until bootcamp. After a while, it was no longer me looking for a job, but others were looking for me; thanks to this and the incredible support of mentors my motivation in the search was never lacking.
A short movie made by Alessandro with fellow Mastered creators in Unreal Engine.
What’s your advice on building a portfolio that got you noticed by recruiters?
First, you must start showing the world what you’re capable of. One of my mistakes was to have just a pdf with all my work and zero online presence. Artstation nowadays is a standard and excellent platform to showcase your best work. Start by posting the best ones, quality over quantity, and not only the final result, but also show the process, the story behind it. People are generally more interested in “how you get there”, and that also demonstrates how much passion you put into each of your works.
How important were networking and community building?
It was fundamental, as mentioned before. It's a factor whose importance I didn't understand, but creating connections and getting to know artists and creators sometimes open up unexpected possibilities. Never be afraid to send a message to a creator you follow and appreciate, whether it's on Linkedin, discord or elsewhere, and simply to ask for some advice, or feedback or to know what their journey has been. From these people, you will learn a lot in a short time.
What helped you most during the interview process? Did you do anything different from what you used to do before?
Thanks to the bootcamp, I learned many notions that have turned out to be extremely useful, especially in the time frame preceding the interview. For example, do research on the company you will be interviewing with. This will make you stand out in their eyes as someone genuinely interested. As for the interview itself, I always felt comfortable and always try to face them with a positive and relaxed spirit, as if it were an informal chat.
What would your tips be for creators looking for the same job as you?
Much of the advice I would like to give applies to various roles. Be patient in learning and job hunting, especially taking the time to learn the ropes, get to know the industry standard tools, and feel comfortable using them. Contact creators and get advice from those with more experience. If, like me, you like to cover multiple aspects of a project and you’re looking for a job as a 3D Generalist, learn multiple skills and software, and never stop learning. Don’t be scared to accept some freelance jobs, they’re useful to build your portfolio and your cv. It's a long journey that requires time and sacrifices, but in the end, everything will pay off.
You can follow Alessandro on LinkedIn, Artstation or Behance.
