So, who here works in the industry?

Yeah, what the title says.
I'm curious on how many of you here on GB work or have worked in the games industry. And if so where? (Not necissarily which company, just where in the world)
I'm trying to get into it myself as an artist, but jobs are extremely scarce, especially in this country.. there's pretty much only one game company left here, so going abroad is pretty much the only way to go.
So if anyone here's in the industry, how do you feel about it? Are you optimistic for the future? Stressed out? Happy, sad, angry, hungry? And how did you get in?
 
Cheers!

Oh...the games industry...I thought you meant a different industry...also in media though...

Well, this IS a video game site.

@armaan8014: Yeah, I started a games design education in the UK to get a BA degree, but (not to sound like a douche) I was just too far ahead the rest of the class to actually get anything usefull out of that course... except 2 wasted years and debt. So I didn't finish it. So right now I'm basically just working on my portfolio, and hoping pure skills will be enough to get me in somewhere. I have a couple of years worth of professional 3D artist experience, so that should count for something too I hope. And good luck to you!
 
@DanceDanceKennypants: Really? I always notice the opposite when browsing for job openings. Game companies seem to be screaming for developers, and I rarely see any character artists job postings.

I'm currently studying Gamedesign at university with hopes to become either level designer or gameplay designer. 
A tip for getting into the industry is to build up a strong portfolio and a high-quality demoreel.
A good place to start looking is  http://www.gamecareerguide.com. There's tons of great articles there for you to read about the different areas in the industry.
 
It might also be a great idea to participate in MOD-projects. Not only does it serve as good practice, but it also looks really good on you resume if you actually have taken part in team projects. Head over to www.moddb.com and see if you can contribute in your field of expertise.
It's most commonly known that the easiest way to get into the game industry is to participate in the field of Quality Assurance. It's seldom that companies announce open QA positions due to the high number of available applications being tossed at them on a daily basis, but there's plenty of tricks you can utilize to raise your chances to get a QA employment.
If you're interested in game testing, please check out this article: http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/372/the_acid_test_qa_as_a_bridge_to_a_.php?page=1
 
Might I ask what country you're from rflx?

If you're stil in the UK then there are a bunch of different studios you could go to.