If you want to work in gaming, contract positions can help you achieve your goals and obtain the work-life balance most workers today desire. Contract work exposes you to a variety of companies and job duties in the gaming industry, can help you determine what you want out of your career, and provide opportunities to connect with more professionals and employers in gaming.
If you’re new to contract work in gaming, consider these five reasons that it might be the right fit for your career right now.
1. Test Drive a Studio Before Committing
Fair or not, researchers have found many employers still consider job-hopping a red flag, even in a work era known as “The Great Resignation”. Contract work provides a way to test drive a company, so you can move on if it’s not a fit, without the stain of leaving a role “too quickly” that puts off future employers.
Searching for and applying for full-time jobs can be a time-intensive process. According to a December 2022 report by LinkedIn, it can take a month to six weeks, on average, to hire a full-time employee.
Your time is valuable. Since contract positions can be filled much more quickly, you can save time while vetting companies. If you really enjoy working for the contract employer, it’s easier to explore full-time options once you’re integrated into the gaming firm.
2. Receive Potentially Higher Pay
According to a 2023 report by Indeed, contract workers generally receive a higher hourly wage compared to full-time workers. Since you’re being hired for a very specialized set of skills to apply to a specific project or projects, it’s easier for an employer to determine your value for the project and pay accordingly.
A higher hourly wage in contract work can help you accumulate savings that can help you post-contract. Once you finish the gaming studio contract, you can use savings from a higher rate to support you while you search for your next role.
3. Optimize Your Career Journey
With contract work, you can learn about new companies, different job duties, and various technologies in a variety of roles. If you don’t like a project, you know what the end date will be so you can move on to a new opportunity. You’ll have gained the knowledge of what you like and don’t like about a role, which can help you when you apply for future gaming positions.
Contract work can also help you quickly grow your professional network. You will meet more people in the gaming industry who could help you in your career journey in the future.
With each contract position, you accumulate more knowledge that can help you optimize your career and the time you spend at work. You’ll be able to hone in on what your perfect gaming position looks like, rather than risk working years at a company in a role that never really fulfilled you.
4. Develop Diverse Skills
As a contractor, you’ll also be able to gain diverse skills across different types of companies. You may be able to diversify your portfolio with different types of work, which could impress future employers and expand your qualifications.
In a full-time role, you may be limited to working with certain tools on certain types of projects. In contract work, you can gain exposure to more types of technology, platforms, and tools than you might when limited in a full-time position.
5. Gain Flexibility
According to a 2021 Jabra survey of more than 5,000 knowledge workers, 59% of respondents said “flexibility” is more important to them than salary or other benefits. With contract work, there may be more options for remote and hybrid work. Companies that need to hire contractors may structure roles so they’re able to be filled quickly, which may mean sourcing remote candidates from a wider geographic pool.
Another way contractors achieve flexibility? You’re in total control of the projects you work on. As a full-time employee, you may be asked to do work that doesn’t fulfill you. With contract work, you gain the power to say yes or no to any project before taking it on.
Contract Work Is Becoming More Common in the Gaming Industry
The gaming industry is one of the most prevalent industries that use contractors for projects. Often, contract work is an entry point for full-time work. If you want to work for a specific company but there aren’t full-time positions available, you could take on a contract job and impress the studio with your work, which motivates them to create or offer a full-time position for you.
Contract work can help new gaming professionals diversify their expertise and strengthen their portfolios. It’s also an ideal solution when you want to try something new in gaming, but you’re hesitant to commit to something full-time.
If you’re interested in gaming studio contract jobs, contact ggLocators to connect with our gaming recruiting team. We can help you find roles that interest you and that help you grow your gaming career.
