Hey guys!

I want to get into lighting artist position for feature.
Is it ABSOLUTELY important to become an expert at Renderman?

Is it okay if I demonstrate rendering/lighting skills in Mental ray(maya)?

Do I have to work on POVray, Vray, BMRT, Finalrender etc.?
Cos I've never even seen 'em!

As far as Renderman goes , is there an educational version(free) & how do I get trained on it if it is irreplacable?

Please advise!

Thx!