Quote: Original post by stupid_programmerQuote: Original post by seekingKnowledge
Hi,
I do understand where you are coming from as I had a similar issue 2 years ago applying for an internship at a game company (won't go into detail on that). It's obvious one would learn more at the job in a year than in school, now doesn't that depend on what is being taught at such schools. For instance, if one choses to be a mechanic, one can actually apply for the job & get trained on site, or one can equally enroll at a mechanic school, where one would be given the same sort of training (but much at a slower pace in order to build ones confidence). Now am not giving reasons to buttress my point but I know (not heard of) couple of people that have equally benefited from a Master's programme which helped them build a portfolio much better than if they had to do it solo.
My main reason for saying this is because trying to learn on the Job is one thing, getting a company to actually put you on the Job to learn is a whole different ball game (which is why I lost the internship) because companies are not willing to take such risks bringing in a newbie just to be trained. Now understand that this was during my Undergraduate years, which meant I had little or no time to actually build up a strong portfolio to convince such a company to take me on.
So, stupid_programmer tell me exactly what you would do if you were in my shoes. By the way I truly cherish your response. Thanks
You can be techically competent but still have no idea what really goes in to software development. What you learn in the class room is often different then how things get done in the real world. School may teach you things but it doesn't really prepare you for the real world. Which is why I said I learned more in my first year. Not specifically techical knowledge (although I did learn DirectX/C#/third party game engine, but it was really just learning sytnax and using skills from school) but lots of life experience on working with a team and getting things done on a deadline. Yeah this is stuff you do in school but its not quite the same. Getting points deducted for a late submission is different then getting deducted from your job if things go badly.
Also remember there are more to games then AAA games. Many smaller companies might be willing to take chances on people who may not have large portfolios but know what they are doing. I've never touched any AAA game code in my career but I can say I'm quite happy with my job as it pays really well and it gives me some creative freedom when doing my job (I'm not much above a junior programmer either).
If I were you I might take a crappy job for awhile to pay the bills while working my games in my free time to build up a portfolio and submitting a resume everywhere. Consisdering the job market and if I had the money I might do grad school as well. But probably a regular CS masters which sometimes can work very well for you if you wanted a job outside of games. Another option might be delayed entry to grad school to like fall of next year to see if you can get a job and if not then you have everything setup to go back to school instead.
Couldn't have said it better, I should look more into this issues with great care. I think it's best I get started with the portfolio while seeking a Job as you mentioned. Thanks for your time.....
