This may be a biased place to post this here, but I am looking for confirmation and any corrections or additions to my list.

I am a 22 year old 3D Animator, I’ve had animation jobs mostly as remote contract jobs (never had in-house studio experience). Animation industry comes with a lot of pros and cons, and whilst I love my work, I doubt this will be beneficial for me in the long run.

I’ve been dwelling into Linux servers in my free time: pihole, pivpn, uxplay speakers, file sharing etc. I realized I really LOVE this stuff. I’m very new at it, using an old laptop as the server but I’m thinking of getting a mini PC and learn more.

I have been thinking if switching to a Sys-admin/IT career might be a good move. I know everything has it’s goods and bads. Can you please check this list and offer your thoughts?

#PROS AND CONS:

Animation career

Pros:

• My passion (I like having the ability to give “life” to characters, to make their own world.)
• Getting to know all cool people who are behind the works that I love
• Sharing a part of myself through it. Opening up my vulnerabilities to the whole world to observe and judge.
• Pay is bad for the amount of work I put in

Cons:

• LOTS of work
• Stressful pushy work: deadlines, high expectations, toxic environments (some)
• Sharing a part of myself through it. Opening up my vulnerabilities to the whole world to observe and judge.
• Privacy: Having to be both a freelancer and open for jobs means I will have to market myself on social media. Sharing my mind on platforms from Meta is against my values.
• Be at the mercy of the algorithm. If my art isn’t pushed, no one will contact me.

Sys admin Career:

Pros:

• Doing my passion (been a PC & IT geek ever since I owned my first computer)
• Opportunity to tinker with stuff and get paid for it
• Good pay
• Don’t need SM activity

Cons:

• Might be a routine job which I don’t like. I like having to explore and find new solutions.
• High Company wide responsibility: They will put their trust on me to make sure everything works
• Other cons I may not be aware of at the moment

I do not intend to offend anyone by sounding as Sysadmin is an easy job. I know it is not. But compared to animation ind. it seems a much more healthy place.

TLDR: 3D Animator, found homelabbing, now thinks of moving to IT/Sysadmin. Animation Industry is stressful and has an impact on mental health. Loves IT and tinkering with stuff.