You want advice? Well, if after all that you've decided to get on with life and are going to U of U, it looks to me like you're already rebuilding things positively.

Just get on with things as you are. You will never shake this off (you already know this) but don't fear it too much because the impact it has will lessen over time. In deciding what you want to do and just getting on with it you're accepting the thorn in your side that it is. It's better you try this, than write yourself off as a career criminal and don't try...or worse. It will become a much smaller thorn quite quickly if you stay on the straight and narrow, perhaps even set an example for others.

Doing well at school, will put it one step behind you and potential employers will have something both more recent and positive to focus on in hiring you. Do well at your first employment and I think other potential employers will trust that you're not the kid who made a mistake, but a potential employee.

Although you might find some places that won't employ you, I'm sure you will find many who will overlook it especially for something done as a minor. When it comes to applying for jobs, be up front about it but personally I would say 'not so up front'. Putting this in your initial application is probably not a good idea, but I would say that if you're invited for interviews you need to start thinking about talking at that point to their HR. In this industry, usually there are phone interviews and I would consider speaking about it at that point and possibly follow up with an email to the hiring manager or HR. In both cases, explain that you have a history, aren't hiding it but wanted to get chance to speak first and you were always going to be 'up front'. If you are following up with something in writing after a call, then point out you were up front in the call, backing up the idea you were up front at the most appropriate point.

Get references, including those of the character kind along the way. College professors will be quite ideal for this because what they think will be respected. Get a job while you are at college too, for the same reasons - effectively showing that you are a reliable employee.

Be careful what you get up to for the next few years and if you're ever in a place where you could be in trouble with the police even just by association, think about not staying there. Party with weed about...consider going home. At a bar...don't get too drunk, avoid getting into fights, etc. You don't have to be an angel by any means, just don't take risks.

Do remember that we all have skeletons in the closet one way or the other.

Incidentally, do bear in mind the above 'do computer science over game design' is common advice around here and with very good reason. If you are intent on programming and can change that over, I would.

I think no one would care about a simple non-violent crime, especially since you have committed it while young. Just make sure you stay squeeky clean.

Also, you should keep quiet about the conviction, especially online. It may be public knowledge, but there's a difference between "public knowledge" someone can find out by going to the archives of a specific courthouse, and stuff that comes up in the first five pages when they google your name. If you have a @fuckdapolice Twitter account, get rid of it.

Find out what your local law says about employers and your legal history. Many times it would be illegal for an employer to even ask about it. It is also possible that you are allowed to lie in answer to such a question and that doesn't give the employer the right to kick you out later. And finally, even if you are "supposed to" tell them, you might still not want to. Get informed, be ready to make an informed decision.

Thank you everyone for their support and advice. I will take the computer science degree. I will work hard. I will succeed.

Just wanted to say, as a fellow convicted felon, that if you are good (as in you excel in some area in software development) and the manager wants you, you will likely get the job. The only thing that can stop that is if there is some company policy they absolutely can not exercise any power over, for instance. Or if their manager hates you - even then the manager that likes you may very well convince them to "give you a chance".

Just because you did some stuff does not mean your life is over. Not at all. Just stay out of trouble now! And if something doesn't work out because of your past, then be glad because it will still guide you to something else that will.

It is nice to see your determination. I am proof you will be okay

As a side note, after a while you can ask to have it expunged.

Assuming you can convince the courts they will reduce the record to a misdemeanor, getting the mark off your record.

My 2 cents: I have no foreknowledge of US laws, but as a potential recruiter, I would probably ask you a lot of questions in an interview, and I would need to be reassured that your ability to transgress social laws has been corrected. It would "scream" to me that you could potentially cut corners, cheat on your hours at work, etc.
You may be fighting an uphill battle and it will take more than words to convince anyone, but its not impossible.
Certain companies may willingly ignore your application for company image reasons: if they specialize in kid's games, they want to avoid any scandal. Your crime has nothing to do with that, but they may not want to risk it.
I would also advise to discuss it openly, as early as possible, without actually over-emphasizing it: it probably wrecked your life, but don't miss on the chance that it may not matter that much to your potential employer. A lot of people over-dramatise things from their own perspective and that may make you sounds like a whiner. I liked how you opened your post: "did the crime, did my time" may be all that you need to say about this.

Otherwise, you pretty much have the same chances are everyone else I would assume. It isn't very different from someone who is handing over a resume that goes something like:
1999-2002 JOB "A"
2002-2009 JOB "B"
2012-2012 JOB "C"
Now, that guy IS hiding something (2009-2012?!)

No clue how it is in the US, but we don't require the criminal records to be revealed to us.
Gaps in the CV are often something I ask about, but more out of curiosity. It is sometimes quite interesting to talk about what happened during that time, and would be so in your case, I suspect! ;)

Since I haven't (to my knowledge) had a case like this, it's hard to say how I'd react. But in general I try to keep my judgment confined to abilities, potential and social compatibility. So being friendly, interested, competent and not insane usually outweighs curiosities in the CV, and vice versa...

I have known a great many ex-cons. I have even hired ex-cons, albeit, not in the game industry and my experiences have been positive.

However, I will say this. You were convicted for burglary (theft). With such convictions come inevitable questions, like "Will he steal our intellectual property and sell it to a competitor?" I am not saying it is impossible to get a job in the industry; to be quite honest, I don't know as I don't work in the industry. Just expect recruiters to be rather cautious.

Whatever you do, STAY OUT OF TROUBLE! If there is anything in your life that you have 100% control over, it is the ability to NOT commit a crime. ;) Don't know the circumstances, don't care. Just don't do it again.

No clue how it is in the US, but we don't require the criminal records to be revealed to us.

In the United States, an employer may ask if an individual was convicted of a crime which has not been sealed or expunged (it includes both felonies and misdemeanors). They can ask the date and nature of any convictions. They can ask if you are currently out on bail, the subject of a warrant for arrest, or otherwise released pending trial.

Employers cannot ask about non-criminal suits, arrests, settlements, or lawsuits that didn't result in a conviction.

Automatic disqualification based on that information is illegal. Employers can use it to establish a business-related reason if it is considered, as was discussed in the earlier posts above.




If you have only a single conviction on your record, many different felony offenses can be sealed or expunged. Generally it is one or three years after reparations (incarceration or probation) are completed. If that is the OP's only crime of record I strongly recommend doing that when the time is up. Since he is only 18, that time should be up long before earning their bachelor's degree.