1. Is game development a viable career? >> others have made viable careers out of it. No reason you can't. All depends on your expectations.
2. Is it a longterm career? >> programming in general isn't a long-term career.
3. [is] starting salary below average for a [game] programming job[?] >> frobulous
4. Would you recommend I get a masters...? >> I would have recommended you not bother with the Bachelor's, but since that is out of the window, you might as well go for broke and go for the Master's. Bachelor degrees are this (I mean, your) generation's high-school diplomas.
game programming as a viable career?
I am only going to touch on #1 and #4 because the rest have been…touched…enough.
#1: People say it is common to work long hours but until now I never have had to do so. I worked 16 hours one day years ago but it was actually fun.
Other than that I have worked longer than 8 hours per day on only 2 occasions (here, “occasions” equates to a single day). If I ever had to work more than that I would just quit and find a new company. Even if you are new to the industry, getting hired as a programmer is fairly easy due to the vast amount of game companies out there.
If you find yourself working in conflicting atmospheres then just leave and find another job. Don’t worry about it.
Mind you I have no one else in my life (intentionally). If you have to feed a family, you may consider otherwise. If not, then consider not dating until you have found the perfect job so that you can then have both the perfect job and the perfect lover.
#4: I recommend against it. Getting actual work experience and getting a Master’s/Bachelors’ Degree are almost the same value on the market (in fact, work experience is worth more), but one costs you a huge amount of salary.
Let’s say you are 25 and starting your first job. You either have 4 years of work experience and you start at a standard salary for your age, or you have nothing but school and you start at an entry-level salary. At 25.
Those are your options.
When you get your first job you will have an entry-level salary.
Entry-level salaries are for young people, so you might as well be young when you have such a low salary.
I wasn’t aware that anyone outside of America cared about specific American universities.
The reason this post was voted down is obvious, but I thought I would take this chance to mention the non-obvious.
No one asked what you think about LSU, so 2 of your sentences were a total waste in the first place.
1 sentence related to the topic, but had no meaning. That is generic advice fathers pass down to their sons.
But probably the biggest reason that every post of yours gets voted down is the last sentence. “Good luck.”
Since English is not your first language, I will explain that this comes off mostly as just being cocky. Arrogant. I would bet that if you left this out of your past posts, only half as many would be voted down.
There are certainly places and times to use it, but this is one example of when it is not acceptable. “I hate your school, and did I mention that I hate your school until I die? Oh, and you probably won’t make it without talent and hard work. Good luck.”
This is not the time and place to say, “Good luck,” and I strongly recommend that you just do the same thing everyone else is doing: Not saying, “Good luck,” at the end of every post.
Also, don’t post personal opinions unless they help the topic poster. That could help too.
L. Spiro
#1: People say it is common to work long hours but until now I never have had to do so. I worked 16 hours one day years ago but it was actually fun.
Other than that I have worked longer than 8 hours per day on only 2 occasions (here, “occasions” equates to a single day). If I ever had to work more than that I would just quit and find a new company. Even if you are new to the industry, getting hired as a programmer is fairly easy due to the vast amount of game companies out there.
If you find yourself working in conflicting atmospheres then just leave and find another job. Don’t worry about it.
Mind you I have no one else in my life (intentionally). If you have to feed a family, you may consider otherwise. If not, then consider not dating until you have found the perfect job so that you can then have both the perfect job and the perfect lover.
#4: I recommend against it. Getting actual work experience and getting a Master’s/Bachelors’ Degree are almost the same value on the market (in fact, work experience is worth more), but one costs you a huge amount of salary.
Let’s say you are 25 and starting your first job. You either have 4 years of work experience and you start at a standard salary for your age, or you have nothing but school and you start at an entry-level salary. At 25.
Those are your options.
When you get your first job you will have an entry-level salary.
Entry-level salaries are for young people, so you might as well be young when you have such a low salary.
On a personal note, i must share you this: I hate, despise and loathe LSU.
About the career, if you are persistent and work hard and have talent you might make it.
Again, I detest and intensely dislike LSU and I will till I die.
Good luck
I wasn’t aware that anyone outside of America cared about specific American universities.
The reason this post was voted down is obvious, but I thought I would take this chance to mention the non-obvious.
No one asked what you think about LSU, so 2 of your sentences were a total waste in the first place.
1 sentence related to the topic, but had no meaning. That is generic advice fathers pass down to their sons.
But probably the biggest reason that every post of yours gets voted down is the last sentence. “Good luck.”
Since English is not your first language, I will explain that this comes off mostly as just being cocky. Arrogant. I would bet that if you left this out of your past posts, only half as many would be voted down.
There are certainly places and times to use it, but this is one example of when it is not acceptable. “I hate your school, and did I mention that I hate your school until I die? Oh, and you probably won’t make it without talent and hard work. Good luck.”
This is not the time and place to say, “Good luck,” and I strongly recommend that you just do the same thing everyone else is doing: Not saying, “Good luck,” at the end of every post.
Also, don’t post personal opinions unless they help the topic poster. That could help too.
L. Spiro
There are certainly places and times to use it, but this is one example of when it is not acceptable. “I hate your school, and did I mention that I hate your school until I die? Oh, and you probably won’t make it without talent and hard work. Good luck.”
This is not the time and place to say, “Good luck,” and I strongly recommend that you just do the same thing everyone else is doing: Not saying, “Good luck,” at the end of every post.
Ok, I'm sorry if I offended any LA native in the post. How is saying "work hard and never give up" bad advice? Is saying "forget it, stop trying" better advice?
If you read blogs and articles about people who are in the industry, the #1 advice they give is Never give up.
And finally, why do you get offended by "Good luck", do you want me to say "Sweet Dreams" or "Enjoy your meal"?
If anybody has the right to get offended by my advice is lilMike not you Mr L. Spiro.
Have a nice day.
Author
Hi all,
Thanks for all the advice -- it's definitely brought this topic into new light and given me some good reading to go on.
-Michael.
Thanks for all the advice -- it's definitely brought this topic into new light and given me some good reading to go on.
-Michael.
I'm sorry for derailing a little bit here, but...
LSU isn't in LA... Anyway, even if people don't get offended, it comes across as trolling ("In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts [...] off-topic messages in an online community [...] disrupting normal on-topic discussion"), which is one big reason to avoid it. For the record, I'm not here calling you a troll. I'm just explaining this.
It's not "bad advice." It's just... obvious. Everybody has heard that phrase a thousand times. It's ok to say that in addition to good, proper advice. But if that's the only thing you say, it's like telling someone to make cookies without giving them a recipe to cookies.
No, L. Spiro is suggesting you drop it all together (and don't replace it with something). Like L. Spiro said, there are times you can use it, and there are times it's better not to. If you look at most of the posts here on GameDev.net (and across the Internet), you'll notice that most people don't say anything at the end of their post. You might have good intentions, and I thank you for your good intentions, but 1) saying it all the time makes it sound insincere and 2) there are some situations when it can come across as arrogant.
Don't be offended by this. These are just explanations, not attacks.
@L. Spiro: Are you male or female? Sorry, the reason I ask is because I was going to refer to you as "he" but realized I may be incorrect (hence I referred to you as L. Spiro).
@lilmike: I'd reply to your questions, but I'd just be repeating the good advice everyone else has posted. Sorry I'm not really contributing.
Ok, I'm sorry if I offended any LA native in the post.
LSU isn't in LA... Anyway, even if people don't get offended, it comes across as trolling ("In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts [...] off-topic messages in an online community [...] disrupting normal on-topic discussion"), which is one big reason to avoid it. For the record, I'm not here calling you a troll. I'm just explaining this.
How is saying "work hard and never give up" bad advice?
It's not "bad advice." It's just... obvious. Everybody has heard that phrase a thousand times. It's ok to say that in addition to good, proper advice. But if that's the only thing you say, it's like telling someone to make cookies without giving them a recipe to cookies.
And finally, why do you get offended by "Good luck", do you want me to say "Sweet Dreams" or "Enjoy your meal"?
No, L. Spiro is suggesting you drop it all together (and don't replace it with something). Like L. Spiro said, there are times you can use it, and there are times it's better not to. If you look at most of the posts here on GameDev.net (and across the Internet), you'll notice that most people don't say anything at the end of their post. You might have good intentions, and I thank you for your good intentions, but 1) saying it all the time makes it sound insincere and 2) there are some situations when it can come across as arrogant.
Don't be offended by this. These are just explanations, not attacks.
@L. Spiro: Are you male or female? Sorry, the reason I ask is because I was going to refer to you as "he" but realized I may be incorrect (hence I referred to you as L. Spiro).
@lilmike: I'd reply to your questions, but I'd just be repeating the good advice everyone else has posted. Sorry I'm not really contributing.
I'm sorry for derailing a little bit here, but...
Acotoz, on 16 July 2012 - 10:17 AM, said:
Ok, I'm sorry if I offended any LA native in the post.
LSU isn't in LA... Anyway, even if people don't get offended, it comes across as trolling ("In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts [...] off-topic messages in an online community [...] disrupting normal on-topic discussion"), which is one big reason to avoid it. For the record, I'm not here calling you a troll. I'm just explaining this.
Are you serious? where are you from? LA is the two letter abbreviation for the state of Louisiana. You probably thought I meant Los Angeles.
Again, If anybody has the right to be offended here it has to be the author of the topic.
Hi all,
Thanks for all the advice -- it's definitely brought this topic into new light and given me some good reading to go on.
-Michael.
The OP has gotten his answer, and the discussion is veering off, so I'll close this here.
This topic is closed to new replies.
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