u/Independent-Pin-1961

What career path would realistically be worth investing 6–7 years into today if my long-term goal is working in Canada?

Hi everyone,

I’m a Korean student currently living in Japan, and I’m trying to seriously think about my long-term career direction.

My goal is not simply “to move abroad somehow.” I want to build real experience and skills in Japan first over the next 6–7 years, and then eventually transition to working and living in Canada.

Because of AI, outsourcing, layoffs, and how quickly industries are changing, I’m trying not to think about this in a simplistic or idealistic way. I’ve been researching a lot about VFX, Technical Art, realtime workflows, Unreal Engine, Creative Tech, and related fields, but the more I research, the more I realize how complicated the reality is.

To be honest, what I truly want to pursue deep down is still film and visual storytelling in some form. But at the same time, I’m also trying to realistically think about long-term survival, global opportunities, and how industries may change over the next decade.

So I wanted to ask people who are:

- current students preparing for these industries

- currently working professionals

- former workers who left the industry

- people working in Canada or aiming for it

If someone were realistically willing to invest the next 6–7 years into building a career that could eventually lead to working in Canada, what fields or roles would you personally focus on today?

I’m especially interested in hearing honest opinions about:

- long-term survivability

- future demand

- global mobility

- AI impact

- realistic career paths

I would genuinely appreciate honest and direct opinions as well. Even if your advice is harsh or very realistic, I’ll listen to it seriously and humbly.

reddit.com
u/Independent-Pin-1961 — 6 days ago

I originally became interested in VFX/3DCG, but recently I’ve been thinking more seriously about Technical Artist / Creative Tech roles focused on Unreal Engine, realtime rendering, pipelines, and hybrid technical-artistic work rather than traditional VFX artist roles.

With the current state of the VFX industry, AI, outsourcing, and layoffs, would this path realistically have better long-term prospects?

I’m especially interested in hearing from:

- Technical Artists

- Unreal Engine professionals

- people working in realtime/VP pipelines

- anyone in Japan or Canada working in these fields

reddit.com
u/Independent-Pin-1961 — 6 days ago