I'm finishing up a Games Design degree and I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to work in games. The industry feels unstable right now and honestly I'm not sure I want to spend years grinding as a junior environment artist only for my studio to get shut down. I want to do something where my skills feel valued and the work feels like it matters.
I'm proficient in Unreal Engine, Maya, and Substance Designer and Painter, and I've been looking at arch vis and engineering visualisation as natural directions. The real-time side of things feels like it's shifting in a way that plays to what I already know, and Unreal in particular seems to be crossing over into a lot of industries beyond games. I'm just not sure if the pivot is worth it in terms of extra training and time, or whether the grass is just greener on the other side.
I'm also curious whether there are fields I haven't considered where this kind of skillset does well. I have some background in systems theory and data analytics from my degree, though I'm genuinely unsure whether I'd be competitive in anything that leans heavily on that side without more formal training.
Has anyone made a similar move or work in a field that pulls in this kind of background? Would love to hear whether the pivot was worth it and what the realistic entry points look like.