A Dream or Reality

[blackend heart]

Ok im currently a college student and after sepnding a year doing all the wrong subjects for AS Levels i have now changes courses to do at BTEC national diploma in IT. Im planning on going to university after this to get a Degree in Computer Games Design, but im starting to have doubts as to whether i should go ahead with this, i mean sure this is my dream job and i really enjoy working with computers and i have enjoyed programming so far, but... is this a suitable career path ? Should i try to set my sights lower so that i wont be disappointed? Basically what i am asking is am i doing the right thing in trying get in to my dream career from the beginning?

 

Many thanks, and i look forward to reading your replys.

 

NDG

[rose2summer]

NDG,

 

If you are truly passionate about your career choice?,

 

Why wait? Reach for it,

 

Why not get your dream career from the beginning?,

 

Make sure you research it well,

 

Talk to people in that area, see how they like it,

 

I know a guy who did game programming,

 

And he loves his job,

 

It's a dream come true for him,

 

Follow your dreams, BUT follow them with full force,

 

Hugs,

 

Rose

[blackend heart]

thanks rose, you have given great advice, im going to do all that you said and i am glad you said what you said, i will try to talk to people already in the industry and i am will continue reserach in to universitys and in the games industry as a whole. it will be interesting to find out all about it.

[avman]

Should i try to set my sights lower so that i wont be disappointed?

 

Never, ever do this. So many people take this option thinking they aren't good enough to follow their dreams and then they end up regretting it for the rest of their lives because they never tried.

 

If you like game design and you think you are good at it then go for it. Follow your passions and be the best you can be. Find a job that you love and do it well. It's one of the secrets to life satisfaction.

[rose2summer]

Avman provides excellent advice,

 

About not low-balling yourself,

 

You need to be your strongest believer,

 

Believe in yourself,

 

I know with my career, I was scared of failure,

 

But I have fought each and every day to succeed,

 

I am the only person I can depend on to make it,

 

So I must believe in myself,

 

Do the same too NDG,

 

Be your best cheer squad,

 

Check out this site about becoming a computer game programmer:

link removed

Here's the intro, go to the website to read the rest:

 

So, you're interested in becoming a computer game programmer? Congratulations! Game programming is one of the most difficult, challenging, exciting, and lucrative forms of programming. If you have a genuine talent for it, you have excellent career prospects. Imagine getting paid an entry-level salary of $35,000-$45,000 for something you actually enjoy doing. When you were a kid did your parents tell you that you'll never amount to anything if you waste your time on computer games? Well, here's your chance to show them that you were right and they were wrong.

 

There is currently only one way of getting a job as a games programmer, and that is to write a game - or more properly, write what is known in the industry as a game demo. These days, a typical commercial game might take 100,000 lines of C++ code written by a team of 3 programmers over a period of 18 months with a budget of a million dollars. As a novice game programmer, you are obviously not going to be able to compete in that arena. But you can and should write a fully functional game of about 10,000 lines of C++ code that has at least one and preferably several features not found in commercial games. Game companies are less interested in your resume than in what you have done. So write a game, put it on a floppy, and send it to the game companies that you would like to work for. If they like it, you may strike it lucky.

 

So where are you going to get the knowledge to write your game demo? One way is to get a college degree in Computer Science. Do you have to have a college degree to get a job programming games? Not necessarily, but things are changing as the industry matures. You can get a job by programming a drop-dead game demo, but many companies are looking for employees who have produced great games and have college degrees. This makes sense because college is a place where you can get the background knowledge that you need to be a competitive game programmer. If you are fortunate, it can also be a place to meet design people who can join and support you in your quest.

[avman]

There are actually many more components to games these days. Many times they contain a lot of components that are shot just like movies. Green screen special effects, actor voice overs, musical scores, and so on. It's more than just programming so you have many options of areas you can specialize in.

 

Budgets for game design can run into the tens of millions.

 

The above article is good, it's just a little out of date (1997). Things are very different now and of course they continue to evolve quickly. I would be cautious about specializing only in programming. These days many general programming assignments have been offshored and take place in lower cost countries India and China. So those salaries have eroded. Specializing in areas that are difficult to offshore like project management, directing, green screen technology, motion capture, and so on will give you a leg up.

[blackend heart]

well so far i have mainly been looking at universitys and i think i have found a course that is perfect for me, also it isnt too far away from home, and the course is quite a well established course.

 

Take a look.

link removed

[avman]

That looks like an excellent course. Looks like it will give you some excellent skills in the right areas.

[blackend heart]

thanks very much for the advice guys, and hopefully in about 6 years i will be working in the games industry. i will be sure you keep you all posted on my progress.

 

Oh and another good thing about that course is that it offers a year in the industry which means that i get valuable experiance

[AntiLove_SuperStar]

I always wanted to study/do drama or acting.

 

However, I went for Science subjects at my sixth form...I had a complete mental breakdown that year, partially to do with depression arising from choosing such subjects...yet I NEVER believed I could take a Drama class..I'm far too inadequate/rubbish etc.

 

BUT . . . last year I changed colleges. I started over - including A Level Drama.

 

The fact that it freaks me out so much that I've now dropped it is irrelevant. Because I STILL proved to myself that I can do it. I CAN. I CAN act; and I've come away with an AS Level in it, so even academically, it wasn't a waste of time.

 

I do have to accept now that I don't have the mental capacity to act professionally - but NOW I can base that on experiences with Drama/Acting classes, not some rubbish in my head...in other words, it's been better in my case to have tried and failed than to always have wondered "COULD I have made it and been an actor?"

 

So go for it. The failed but attempted dream is always better than the one not even tried. And hopefully, you'll succeed anyway...if you don't try, you'll never know.