How To Find Jobs In The Metaverse?

The metaverse took off in 2021 following Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that he was changing the name of Facebook to Meta. Since then there’s been tremendous hype about what the metaverse is and what potential it has. However, it’s hard to predict exactly how the metaverse will take shape since it’s very much in its infancy.

For example, will there be a single metaverse as depicted in Steven Spielberg’s film, Ready Player One, or will there be multiple virtual worlds that people can enter?

Nevertheless, there are companies already trailblazing the way into the metaverse, and those companies can be examined in order to understand what type of job fields are in demand and who will be responsible for creating this new technology and experience.

To find and discover work in the metaverse, jobs seekers should have a thorough understanding of the companies building out the metaverse and creating all its aspects including connectivity, bandwidth, apps, servers, and R&D.

Web2 Companies Building Out The Metaverse

Meta

Meta’s intention is to create a metaverse in alignment with the basic understanding of what a metaverse is: a virtual world where people can socialize, play, work, and perform almost any activity connected to the real world, plus the things that cannot be done because of physical limitations. This naturally demands an extensive workforce. Below is a list of job fields as found on Meta’s career page:

From this list you can see that the jobs Meta is looking for to build out its version of the metaverse are heavy on AR/VR, design, data, user experience, infrastructure, engineering, and product.

In particular, here are some current job openings: Optical Scientist/Optical Systems, Game Sourcing Lead, RL Research Software Engineer, and Graphic Software Engineer. However, there are so many job openings that they cannot all be listed in this article, which is a testament to the industry’s potential.

Epic Games

Epic Games is an American Company founded by Tim Sweeney in 1991. It’s an entertainment company and provider of 3D engine technology. The company operates the extremely popular video game Fortnite and developed Unreal Engine, which powers video games, film, architecture, automotive, manufacturing, and simulation fields.

The combination of Fortnite and Unreal Engine is what makes Epic Games a contender to be one of the leading companies when it comes to virtual worlds, and thus the metaverse. After all, in Fortnite, a free-to-play cross-platform, users can engage in Battle Royale, build islands, watch music concerts such as the one performed by Travis Scott, watch movies, and socialize. Of course, all of this can be accessed through an Oculus headset.

Web3 Companies Building Out The Metaverse

Distinct from Web2 traditional tech and gaming companies that are building out their own small metaverses, a slew of crypto and blockchain projects have arisen over the past two years with the goals of creating Web3 versions of mini-metaverses. One example of a project that has launched a metaverse is Decentraland.

Decentraland

Decentraland, built on the Ethereum blockchain, describes itself as the first decentralized virtual world controlled via a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), where the users vote on important decisions rather than a third party. In Decentraland’s metaverse, users can purchase land, create art, create clothing, play with their pets, and use the MANA cryptocurrency.

What Areas Can You Find Metaverse Jobs In?

When it comes to jobs at Decentraland and other projects such as The Sandbox, Axie Infinity, Yield Guild Games, My Neighbor Alice, Enjin, Gala Games, Livepeer, Selfkey, Mobox, PlayDapp, Ceek VR, Bloktopia, and Victoria VR – they’re mostly in the gaming, development, design, and infrastructure areas. Thus, if you want to get a job at these companies you’ll need superior computer science, engineering, and graphic design skills.

Art & Animation

For example, when playing a video game or watching an animated film, there is an individual(s) drawing and animating everything that is seen. The same will apply to the metaverse and all other connected virtual worlds. What will the world look like? What will the characters look like? What will the storyline be? Questions like these are the responsibilities of the artist. It is the artist, to whatever degree, that will create the things that the users interact with the most. Therefore, artists will be in high demand for jobs in the metaverse.

Engineering & Design

Moreover, the engineering component is responsible for creating the equipment that “houses” the metaverse. One great example is the Oculus headset. Design, on the other hand, is responsible for in-game mechanics. This means designing the structure of the game, character dynamics, gameplay dynamics, level structure, software, and so on. These types of jobs are very prevalent for the Web3 blockchain projects I mentioned above. Developers and engineers are in high demand, even during the bear market.

How To Get A Job In The Metaverse?

There are many companies in the metaverse/virtual world industry. As stated above with the example of Mark Zuckerburg’s Meta, there’s no shortage of job openings. However, what about the individuals looking for a career change or those looking to enter the workforce for the first time? What type of decisions should they make?

1. Get a degree in in metaverse-related fields: One obvious path to finding metaverse jobs is pursuing higher education in metaverse-related fields. But, of course, what should that individual decide to study?
   • Tech: The metaverse is unique because it combines technology, computer science, engineering, and art. Therefore, students should focus their studies heavily on the fields that support technological development such as physics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, and software development.
   • Art: However, the artistic side is not as simple as the hard sciences. This is because art, in a sense, cannot be taught. Yes, there are specific drawing techniques that can be taught such as perspective drawing and proportions, but that will only take a person so far. Typically, a person is born with artistic ability. Therefore, if a person has artistic ability and is able to pursue an education in hard science, that person will be in a unique position to have a great career in the metaverse field.
2. Find tech companies that offer student programs: Furthermore, tech companies offer student programs. For example, Meta offers intern positions where the intern is paired with a mentor and, like an actual employee, participates in real-world projects. Currently, Meta has a software engineer intern position open. In that position, the intern is responsible for code-based assignments, creating web applications, and building high-volume servers. In addition, Meta also offers a Meta University, which is a ten-week paid internship program for underrepresented communities, that focuses on three fields: engineering, analytics, and product design.
3. Check job boards: Besides the education route, there are job boards and websites that are hiring for metaverse talent such as web3.career, cryptocurrencyjobs.co, and even Accenture. For those interested in applying, you can visit these sites and scroll through the job opportunities yourself.