I need advice about education & the computer industry

Jimmeh · April 2007

Hey guys,

I don't know how to structure this so I'll try my best to not confuse you.

Basically, I want to get a job in the gaming industry as a programmer. I'm currently in my first year of college taking doing 4 AS Levels (Computing, Maths, History and Philosophy) and I'm getting kind of sick of it because half of it doesn't relate to what I want to do in the future. I enjoy learning when it comes to things that I actually enjoy - I enjoyed learning HTML, and am currently learning VB in my computing course which I really enjoy.

The problem is, I don't enjoy doing things that aren't what I'm interested in. For example, in Computing we're doing a lot of things that I either already know or don't feel are relevant. I want to learn VB, I just want to make programs that I feel are relevant.

I have a book to teach myself C++ (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Teach-Yourself-Days-Sams-Yourself/dp/0672327112/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/203-3810709-0302340?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176774348&sr=8-1" target="_blank">this one</a>) but am currently too bogged down with college work to concentrate on it. I also want to learn PHP, CSS, DirectX, OpenGL, Java and probably a couple of others.

If I stayed on at college, I'd have to finish this year (got another lot of exams coming up and got to finish coursework) which I could probably do easily since I got high marks in the exams I've just had. After that, I'd probably go to University to do a computing degree.

But basically, is there much point? Would it be easier to quit college, teach myself C++ and PHP, followed by DirectX or OpenGL (or both), make a portfolio of game demos and whatnot, or would it be easier to stay in college, go to University and get a degree and work through that? I'm worried that if I do go to Uni, I won't have any work experience to actually get a job straight away anyway, even if it's just a small job.

I'm thinking basically thinking about quitting college, learning the languages I want, doing jobs as a freelance website designer (for free at first to build a portfolio, followed by hopefully paid jobs to raise income), making a mod for a game (probably HL1), followed by my own game demos, then trying to get work experience. Is that the right way to go about it or have I got it all wrong?

Anyone have any idea what game developers would prefer? What would be best in the long run in terms of overall knowledge and ability etc.?

I'm just confused and without much direction at the moment.

EDIT - I've read websites like Game Career Guide, but I'd prefer advice from someone more familiar.

Liku · April 2007

I definitely would like to know more too, Them could probably help.

I entered my college with my sight set on the same thing(But not the programming, the visuals) but I've been taking more and more music classes and I'm leaning toward something in music because it just seems easier. I've taken a class in C++ and it was confusing at times, not much really stuck either.

Haze · April 2007

College is always going to be better than self taught, simply because at first glance you look more impressive than the guy next to you. If I were you, I'd stick to college and while you're learning C++ there (or wherever), spend some free time picking up other skills that are valuable to the job you're interested in obtaining.

My formal answer: College, and you can research yourself whatever you feel you need in addition to.

Dubers · April 2007

DO NOT leave college on the basis you think you can start up as a freelance web designer. This is absolutely not a career choice for somebody without a degree unless they are EXCEPTIONALLY talented in the first place! Most of the freelance designers I know spend a lot of their time doing regular jobs anyway.

My advice would be to stay on and finish your courses which will put you in position for University applications. In your holidays and spare time learn all these programming languages to the best of your ability and start putting together a small portfolio of work that would be relevant to the choice of course/career you are aspiring to.

In terms of applying for University avoid doing a straight computing course if you are interested in games design. I know that my Design School at Northumbria University in Newcastle offers an excellent Computer Games Software Engineering (BSc (Hons)). This course is a sandwich course which means you will be required to take a year’s industrial placement after your second year after which you come back and finish the final year of year of the degree. So you’re getting the qualification and the work experience in one package.

I'm sure there will be other universities around the country which offer similar options although I would defiantly recommend looking into studying at Northumbria Uni as our Design school is one of the best in the EU.

It's a long road ahead but it's a really solid path and you will come out at the end a valuable asset to any company which is the real objective at the end of the day. Dropping out of college and 'freelancing' would be a mistake in my opinion.

Bottom line is stay in school kids.

Hope this was helpful and feel free to correct me anyone <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />

digz · April 2007

A degree is priceless as a marketing tool for yourself, you are competing against programmers with a degree and a portfolio... whereas you only have a portfolio. Your problem is with the university you are attending, look towards another one that doesn't give you the "general studies" reach around. Go to one of those ITT or Devry type schools for game design and programming.

enf0rcer · April 2007

e/ scrap what I just said.

+ 1 to what everyone else said.

uni = win, it's like a standard for applicants to serious professions.

[WHO]Them · April 2007

I'm not familiar with the European games industry, so everything I say here is based on my firsthand experience in the US games industry.

People without degrees are the norm for programmers at game companies. The thing that gets you a job is experience. So, your problem boils down to getting the first job and keeping it.

Your best bet there is to make a couple games on your own and bring demos and code samples to interviews. The problem there is that you have to prove the amount of work you actually did. There are far too many people out there claiming they made a whole game from scratch when all they really did was take an existing engine and tweak the SDK examples or something along those lines. So you need to be very clear about what you did and prove that you did it with detailed knowledge of how it works and what problems you faced getting it to work.

I absolutely would NOT drop out of school. You're going to have to both teach yourself all the meaty bits and have someone spoon feed you stuff that you'd probably never think of. While I was at DigiPen, everyone had to teach themselves engine design, graphics, audio, input, and game logic programming. The actual courses were to get you thinking about higher level problems like inverse kinematics or thinking about how stuff like Direct3D or OpenGL work under the hood.

Speaking of which, be ready for failure. I can't even count the number of broken/unfinished projects I've left by the wayside in the past. And I'm not even talking about the simple weekend projects that just didn't pan out.

So, to summarize, stay in school and get cracking on the c++ book, and work work work work work.

Drfuzzy · April 2007

College? Sir, you want technical school if your going for computers. I goto ITT in louisville, taking html/css, visual basic II, and math. Everythings going torwards what i want to learn, not mythology and pointless wastes of money. You prob wont do good in the game industry there, but anything computer wise its a good school.

KungFuDiscoMonkey · April 2007

While large parts of the degree feel pointless, it's half of what gets people to talk to you and take you seriously in the first place. The other half is being able to show that you can do the work. Make sure this is something that you're positive you want to do. To really succeed you should be the kind of programmer who loves it so much, that even after a day of classes you come home and want to program some more on your own personal projects.

torque · April 2007

As another US game industry professional:

DO NOT drop out of school. I mean sure, you can do it in exchange for trying to get yourself some experience, but as someone in the gaming industry who actually interviews and makes decisions on hiring people - a degree goes a long way. In the end it's really going to depend on your portfolio and what you show you can do, but you can develop that while you're in school.

It's also about passion. Have work that shows this is your field and something you care about. We've hired people who weren't really that qualified, based on their passion for gaming and the understanding that they would have to exercise their passion by being willing to learn.

THEM nailed it on the bat. He is a wise man, and you should do as he says.

Thaldarin · April 2007

Don't quit college, if you ever look at computer games and IT industry jobs everywhere wants you to be trained to degree level, even for JAVA mobile phone developers.

Another reason to stay in education (and my main reason for posting) is view this university:
<a href="http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDetails.cfm?CID=185&Key=002.001" target="_blank">http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDetails....amp;Key=002.001</a> - Undergraduate
<a href="http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDetails.cfm?CID=186&Key=002.002" target="_blank">http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDetails....amp;Key=002.002</a> - Postgraduate

A couple of years back when I wanted to go down the computer games and design route every lecturer and IT person I know and got hold of recommended Dundee to me over every other university out there. The short term benefit of your boring college course at the moment will be out-weighed by the long term interesting university possibilities, and then what the forum professionals have said above me related to the work. Makes me wish I stuck at A-Levels sometimes.

At the end of the day it's your decision alone Jim. Just remember the education makes the opportunity easier to reach.

EDIT:

Jimmeh you ever looked in to contributing to some Open Source projects ie. Open Office or something similar too? I would the diversity would help with your portfolio and it would advance your skills further.

Dubers · April 2007

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Thaldarin @ Apr 17 2007, 04:14 PM) [snapback]1621486[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'>
Don't quit college, if you ever look at computer games and IT industry jobs everywhere wants you to be trained to degree level, even for JAVA mobile phone developers.

Another reason to stay in education (and my main reason for posting) is view this university:
<a href="http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDetails.cfm?CID=185&Key=002.001" target="_blank">http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDetails....amp;Key=002.001</a> - Undergraduate
<a href="http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDetails.cfm?CID=186&Key=002.002" target="_blank">http://www.abertay.ac.uk/Courses/CDetails....amp;Key=002.002</a> - Postgraduate

A couple of years back when I wanted to go down the computer games and design route every lecturer and IT person I know and got hold of recommended Dundee to me over every other university out there. The short term benefit of your boring college course at the moment will be out-weighed by the long term interesting university possibilities, and then what the forum professionals have said above me related to the work. Makes me wish I stuck at A-Levels sometimes.

At the end of the day it's your decision alone Jim. Just remember the education makes the opportunity easier to reach.

EDIT:

Jimmeh you ever looked in to contributing to some Open Source projects ie. Open Office or something similar too? I would the diversity would help with your portfolio and it would advance your skills further.
</div>

University of Abertay has an excellent design school and reputation. Definatly worth looking at aswell.

remi · April 2007

Pretty much everyone else said it...

College sucks, but getting through it says a lot about you to your potential employer.
At the very least getting through college shows that you can stick with something and finish it.
If I was interviewing a potential employee I know that I would immediately question someone's ability and motivation to actually finish a project if I saw that they dropped out of college.

But then again, I see this lack of motivation thing with a lot of people in college...

--

Oh, and I'm at Worcester Polytechnic Institute getting a major in "Interactive Media and Game Design - Technical".

I wouldn't reccomend this college to anyone because it kills me, but there are a few good classes, and they do teach you some game design things as opposed to just the programming.

I need advice about education & the computer industry

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