Quote:Original post by JohnBolton
Quote:Original post by ravyne2001
... I'd say 10% or more of the senior class leaves Digipen every year because they've been "poached" by employers, ...
Apparently a Digipen degree is not worth much if people will throw it away just to take a job.
How do you reach that conclusion? Certainly I would never choose to go the same route, but I fail to see how the program is de-valued by the fact that some students are valuable enough to hire even before they've finished. If anything, wouldn't that speak to program's quality?
Quote:Original post by JohnBolton
Quote:Original post by ravyne2001
... and probably 40% have standing offers upon their graduation...
40% is not a very good number. Compare it to other universities.
To be honest, 40% is a very rough number that I basically pulled out of the air from my recollection, its very likely higher, and by Standing offer I mean they have a job to go that starts at their earliest convenience after their graduation.
Quote:Original post by JohnBolton
Quote:Original post by ravyne2001
...he beat out ~200 applicants, many of whom had industry experience.
200 applicants! Think about what that means. If you are hoping to get a job in the game industry, there are 200 other people just like you competing for that same job.
Look, I'm not saying his case is par for the course, but its not atypical either. You seem to concentrate on the competition, rather than the fact that he beat them out -- including so-called industry vets -- This was a smart kid, straight out of the Arkansas pubic school system, excellent in math but no University experience and nothing more than an interest in computers. Digipen, combined with his own intelligence and determination, turned him into a really solid developer. I have no doubt that he would have thrived equally in any other program, but Digipen is what provided him with the framework in which he grew.
Quote:Original post by JohnBolton
The reality is that it is very difficult to get a job in the game industry. Your plans for college should account for that. A degree in CS or engineering will give you the opportunity to work in many different fields, and the nice thing is that you don't have to decide right away.
I do not disagree. Game studios only want the best talent, and many of them also want it to work 60 hour weeks at a pay rate that's well below market value for simalarly skilled devs in other industries.
As I said in my original post, thats precisely the reason I have yet to work in the games industry, despite my Digipen Degree; too many hours for too little pay, plain and simple. But I have not, as you seem to insinuate, found the origin of my degree to be a hinderince to my employment outside of games. Having been through the program, I can assure you that the assumption that Digipen focusses solely on game development, while completely sacrificing basic theory is false.
Digipen is a great place for those that want to be in the game industry, and in my experience its been a great place to be for taking your career outside the industry -- though this is not everyone's experience. You must, however, consider the possibility that the game industry is *not* for you.
I do not believe that a University program will statistically open signifigantly more doors than a Digipen Degree will, however you may have to work harder to overcome the negative stereotype that some employers have of Digipen or of game developers in general. Of course, the answer is much more complex -- some places seek digipen grads only, some seek university grads only, some don't care... Its really a mixed bag.
The bottom line is that once you've got an interview you need to prove your knowlege and value. That's it.
We've gotten quite off-topic here to be honest, but I do feel the need to defend the program when it is attacked. This is not because I feel personally wronged but because, when left unchallenged, such things only serve to further the false stereotypes that do exist in some minds.
AT the end of the day, I'm satisfied that Digipen helped develop my personal skills and understanding to a level that not only prepared me for the current job market, but also provided me with the basis for continued growth and understanding through personal study as technology advances or I take on new roles. Others' miliage may vary.
