Quote:Original post by NanoH
Sure, I don't mind sharing some of my portfilio and resume. I didn't want it to seem like I am currently advertising our project, which I'm sure is a common thing on large forums.

I am, at the moment, the HR/RM for Utherverse Digital. We are an MMO/Constant Reality company that has currently over-taken SL and is expanding exponentially. You can e-mail me at nanoh@utherverse.com or ICQ me, 3635580 if you have specific questions that you don't want to post on a public board. I'm at this company to be ground floor in something huge and because of the company culture.

I have worked for several large companies, both Canadian and American, and if you would like to talk about my experience and how it can help you make better decisions, please feel free to contact me. I don't feel comfortable having my Resume or Portfolio public, but if you would like to view it, don't be afraid to send me a message! I am more than willing to share if it can help others attain their goals, which is why I love my position.

Here we go!

Sephyx:

Based on my experience only, I would say a portfolio is much more important than a degree. Many talented artists, programmers, and designers have not completed basic education such as high school (quick edit: but lots go on to secondary education in different or related fields!). But yet, they are in high demand in our industry.

When I receive a portfolio package, I look at the demo disc or enclosed art portfolio before I do the resume which includes their education.

I am pretty firm believer that art and design school, such as AI and others, can give you a step up in the networking department. It can also help with your skills. But if you are missing the critical elements that make a genius programmer or natural artist there is not much they can do help you in terms of getting a leg over the competition.

As for your specific designer question, that's a hard one. Only a few companies have the size and capacity to have a game balance designer. RTS developers are the first that come to mind. As an entry in the market, I'd recommend any design position that is available. From there, you can weasel your way into the position that influences balance and design choices. At most smaller companies or non-RTS specific companies that position is probably just a designer.

Some things that would be beneficial to you, as a balancer, would be a good knowledge of classical games and board games. Chess, checkers, risk, ect. I am sure you have heard it before. But in a critical balance position, this is important. You have to know what rules and checks affect games and why.

Hope this helps!


nsmadsen:

Please e-mail me if you are interested in qualifications. I feel uncomfortable having my address and phone number on the internet at the moment.

You are totally correct though; the portfolio matters much more than the school name attached to it. Whether the applicant can accomplish that portfolio without the school completely depends on who it is!

For some people art, design or programming school is a great choice. For others who are naturals at what they do school should be a thought if they can't find appropriate positions in the industry. I went to school, and it was a good choice for me, but maybe not for others.


Jarrod1937:

While I can't answer specific questions related to Photoshop, I do know what our art department is looking for currently. Attractive but low poly models are in demand. As our engine needs to render up to several hundred avatars at any given time that are ideally user customizable, the lower poly the better.

Since I'm not an art lead and can't give you specifics like they can, I will give you a story instead that really sticks in my memory.

The director and I went to a local portfolio showcase that had designers, artists and programmers portfolios and projects on display. Out of the several hundred there, only one modeler portfolio really stuck out. The young lady had taken a risk and gone where no one else had. She had modeled a Victoria Secret runway model while everyone else had done penguins and donkeys.

The director was immediately interested. She had gone out of bounds to create something edgy and creative. It was impressively done, low poly but still good looking, and very applicable to our current project.

We offered an interview on the spot.

As for specific qualifications regarding 3DMax, the title is not as important as what you can do with it. We will gladly overlook a certificate paper if you can produce the product we would look for in a timely matter. If you would like a better idea on what you should concentrate on specifically regarding modeling and art in general, please e-mail or PM me and I will put you in touch with our art lead.


GPxz:

As with the questions above, it depends on the portfolio! The quality of the portfolio, in my experience, has a much heavier weight than the paper attached to it. If you are self taught but can output a higher quality audio, art, designer or code product than someone who went to school, welcome aboard!

School, in my opinion, is great for networking and for developing skills you haven't worked on before. Naturals are naturals; if someone is a great artist or programmer there isn't going to be alot that a school will be able to teach you.

Your chances depend on the work you put into your portfolio and resume. School or no school, it depends on your skills and presentation.


JWalsh:

By the bike racks. 3PM. ;)


Giedrius:

Absolutely. The last two programmers we have hired have no formal education and have both dropped out of high school. They were immediately picked up by companies, but I do think that is pretty rare.

It's a case by case scenario. Are you a great programmer who can get a position you will be happy with in the industry without a secondary education? Then, obviously, you shouldn't need school. But as above, it's a great networking opportunity and a chance to learn things you wouldn't know otherwise.

If, without school, you can create a demo/portfolio/resume that shows your competence, skill and talent that deserves a place in our industry at a position you would be happy to be in then good for you! But if that was the case, you already know it and have an offer or two in your pocket. And we should be doing a meet-and-dinner soon. ;)


d000hg-

You're right, and it's pretty position irrelevant. If you have spelling mistakes, blatant errors or nothing interesting that stands out you can get thrown in the pile if the company you applying to receives alot of correspondence.

Alot of what I am looking for when I view resumes and portfolios depends on the project, the position and what I put in our recruitment advertisement. If I am trying to find a programmer with gobs of .net experience, I will be a quite a bit more lenient on personality and interest factors when considering a first quick view at their demo or resume.

If we are trying to find a level designer or modeler, the old adage is right. If you don't capture my attention in the first couple seconds you are going to hit the maybe pile.

Are you more than qualified for the position? Sure. Am I going to miss great hires at low rates by doing this? Absolutely. But when you are wading through 30 demos a day and have other responsibilities, it simply comes down to a time issue. You go to the interview or the no pile based on what's on your demo case or your resume based on first impressions.

At larger companies where there is a more diverse and appropriate HR and hiring team they may have time to spend a couple minutes investigating each entry. I don't however, and so as unfortunate as it is I can't spend the time I'd like to viewing all the applications that are sent our way.

[Edited by - NanoH on October 30, 2007 4:24:31 PM]

Ok here goe's how would I get into a existing company as a game designer.
I'm now working on Clan Arena and have some contacts in the game industry.

Ok, now it's my turn for a question :D

In your opinion do I have any chance of getting a non-entry level job without any commercial project experience ?
That is - you stress the importance of a quality demo in your application - but can it make up for the lack of the industry experience.
Theoretically, I wouldn't mind working as a entry level programmer, that is I wouldn't mind the lower paycheck, but I would hate to be the "new guy" that does all of the grunt work, writes some stupid utility stuff like math classes, memory managers and brings coffee to everyone in the office. I had enough of that sort of treatment trough high school. I would really like to work in the graphics field and be involved in the general design decisions and similar stuff that makes gamedev worth the time invested in learning. Now if i stated this during my interview or in my job application, I am afraid I might come off as too cocky/self-confident and that's something i think should be avoided (but I could be wrong). I know that I might not be able to contribute right away, but i will definitely dedicate my self to learn as fast as possible, and being in the loop with senior programmers would greatly speed up the process.

So any tips on how to avoid getting the "new guy" treatment at work ?

Quote:Original post by nsmadsen
GPxz (and others): I agree with NanoH about the portfolio, but I think some are reading too quickly or jumping to conclusions. Notice that I said you do have to be highly skilled to get a job- regardless of a formal or informal education. I think some are reading this and jumping to the conclusion, "no formal education is needed to get into the industry!" But there is so much more to it than this.

I think most people cannot get to the skill level needed on their own, that some kind of formal training is required. I also think that having some kind of degree (two year or four year) will help add credibility to your work, but it isn't everything.
Nathan

This is great advice. School and training really comes down to the individual. If you're talented enough to get into the industry without school, you can still benefit alot by going. Networking, side skills, other relevant material. It can all be picked up by going. Similarly, I'm sure there are people who should have gone to school but instead started applying for jobs and got one!

As I put in the long post, I tend to look more at the portfolio than the school name attached it.


Nokill:

A great portfolio and perseverance should get you in the door of an establish company. Follow their website and forum posts to see when they are ramping up for their next project and start firing off your resume for the designer positions. Focus on the work you have done to showcase your talents.

If you are applying for several positions, customize the cover letter a bit for each one. They are different positions, so they are entitled to a different letter. It's pretty transparent when I receive 4 or 5 e-mails in a row with the same cover letter and resume but for different positions. That candidate most likely isn't taking the time to read my postings and put the effort into even adding the company name into the letter.

You might also want to change your portfolio a bit depending on where you are applying. A portfolio you might send to Rock Star would be very different compared to one you want to send to a company that makes Chess sims.


RedDrake:

It really depends on the company if you will receive treatment like that. It's not a great feeling!

However, it may be necessary in some situations to start at the bottom and work your way up. I would be pretty hesitant to offer a non-entry position to someone without commercial experience. I have never been in the situation where someone had an amazing portfolio but had yet to be on a game team.

Thinking about it, the current company I work for would most likely still have them start in a junior position until they are comfortable with the work they will be doing and then have them move up.

There are lots of eligible SE1/SE2s with commercial experience and great code samples/portfolios that you would most likely be competing against for the position.

My advice would be to find a smaller company where you can take on several different kinds of responsibilities and put in your time there. They are usually more casual, open to ideas and flexible than larger companies. The most important part is to learn as much as you can from them.

Once you have enough experience and have a commercial product under your belt, it may be time to move on to other positions that don't involve bringing an AP coffee.

I do know one gentleman who came from cable internet sales and went straight to being a development director. So hey, it happens!

Quote:Original post by Promit

Quote:Original post by RedDrake
writes some stupid utility stuff like math classes, memory managers

Stupid utility stuff? Those things are at the very core of the game, and extremely important to get both correct and brutally efficient. Those aren't jobs for a newbie; newbies aren't good enough to write that code.

Very true. Tools and app programmers usually aren't junior members of the code team. They need to be quick, efficient and good at what they do.

It's an important position!

Quote:Original post by RedDrake
Theoretically, I wouldn't mind working as a entry level programmer, that is I wouldn't mind the lower paycheck, but I would hate to be the "new guy" that does all of the grunt work, writes some stupid utility stuff like math classes, memory managers and brings coffee to everyone in the office. I had enough of that sort of treatment trough high school. I would really like to work in the graphics field and be involved in the general design decisions and similar stuff that makes gamedev worth the time invested in learning. Now if i stated this during my interview or in my job application, I am afraid I might come off as too cocky/self-confident and that's something i think should be avoided (but I could be wrong). I know that I might not be able to contribute right away, but i will definitely dedicate my self to learn as fast as possible, and being in the loop with senior programmers would greatly speed up the process.

act professionally at work and you will probably be treated professionally.....it's not a fraternity.

if someone offers you an entry level programmer job, i would say take it.....actually i take that back, it would be hilarious if they offered you the job and you replied "no thanks, i think i'll hold out for that senior game designer position....."

Hey I'm actually thinking of moving to Vancouver (in a few years). I don't know if that's where you are now, but it says you're from there.

My question is, how would you compare the experience working in Canada versus in America? And specifically, how do you rate the game industry presence in Vancouver? And any other insight for someone thinking of moving north? Thanks!

Quote:
In your opinion do I have any chance of getting a non-entry level job without any commercial project experience ? That is - you stress the importance of a quality demo in your application - but can it make up for the lack of the industry experience.

Short answer: no.
Longer answer: Unlikely. Experience is a very powerful asset; upper-level positions require understanding of more than just "how to program," they require you to have an understanding of the process of developing commericial games. If your experience consists solely of your own demos and hobby projects, that's great -- it's still useful and beneficial experience. But it doesn't impart upon you the experience of actual, large commericial project development.

If you want a non-entry-level position, you need non-entry-level experience. You have to get that experience by working at entry-level positions and moving up.

Quote:
Theoretically, I wouldn't mind working as a entry level programmer, that is I wouldn't mind the lower paycheck, but I would hate to be the "new guy" that does all of the grunt work, writes some stupid utility stuff like math classes, memory managers and brings coffee to everyone in the office.

You will be the "new guy," period. Regardless of the job title. As Promit noted, those subsystems you mentioned are rarely actually delegated to juniors. They are, when they exist (and they almost always do in most commericial games in one form or another), generally handled by experienced and accomplished developers who are familiar with the studios technology.

Nobody will make you get them coffee. Frankly, I've never seen any studio or company that actually employs people to get coffee. Facilities people to stock the kitchen every week or so, sure, but that's it. Nobody is stupid enough to pay an engineer's salary (even an entry-level engineers salary) to have you fetch them coffee. If you ever find yourself in that position, quit immediately, because that studio will shortly be going down in a ball of fire more spectacular than anything Romero could mastermind.

Quote:
I would really like to work in the graphics field and be involved in the general design decisions and similar stuff that makes gamedev worth the time invested in learning.

Graphics isn't neccessarily something you get into as an entry level position either, but it depends what exactly you mean. If you work at a decent studio, it will always be possible for you to provide input, either via team meetings or via your direct superior or whatever. You will not be afforded the power of decision making, except hopefully within the local scope of whatever task you've been assigned (within the requirements), but to expect otherwise as a junior is folly.

[qoute]
Now if i stated this during my interview or in my job application, I am afraid I might come off as too cocky/self-confident and that's something i think should be avoided (but I could be wrong).

Primarily depends on how you state it. You can easily come off as arrogant, in which case you will likely be passed over if there are people available with better apparant personalities, sure. But expressing your desires and goals is generally considered a good thing, because it shows you have ambition and drive. Never lie during an interview about anything. Obviously, you don't want to lie about your technical qualifications -- that's easy to discover. But in my experience, lying about your goals or your desires or your ambitions -- either to interviewers or yourself works out to be... unpleasant. Put everything on the table. If they ask you where you see yourself in five years, and you see yourself running your own studio, tell them that. It may matter to them -- they may want somebody who wants to be a lifer, or whatever. In which case, you may not get the job. But you didn't want that job anyway, because they job and its expectations they would have offered you are not the job and expecations you are comfortable with.

Besides, there are plenty of opportunities for qualified people; don't be overly concerned (in general) about getting offers for every interview. In the end, you can only accept one, and you want that one to be a good fit. Trust me.

Quote:
being in the loop with senior programmers would greatly speed up the process.

You should be in the loop regardless, in some form or another. Communication is critical in the software development industy; nobody is going to shove you into a closet and never talk to you.