So i want to design games and i dont mean i want to design its art but it doesnt mean i want to chew on a code all day for some silly flash game either what it means is that i want to create the idea its concept,rules mechanics and balance the title for this job i think is lead game designer however most companies already have the idea to begin with as it is the base of the industry the ones that are actually hiring require previous experience and i have not seen any apprentice offerings what so ever but i would be willing to study for as much as 6 years for masters degree if i have to however i dont know what should i study exactly i live in Lithuania the quality of education (and mostly everything else) is poor so i will have to study abroad and they should give student loans because im broke.... i heard UK is such place.... another option i thought of is to get into QA as a game tester but i feel that very likely it would give no fruit to my ultimate goal

To summarize the big line of text above :

My ultimate goal: Lead game designer for major titles (hopefully not crippled by deadlines budget or profit driven capitalists... that still doesnt mean i want to create Indie games in the dungeon though)

What i want from you:Tips on helping to clear the path to my goal for example help deciding where and what exactly should i study keeping in mind that im broke and living in Lithuania and more interested in actually designing the game not programing but if thats the only way ill ever do it - so be it

- MeCho

Everyone wants to be lead designer of their own IP. The good news is everyone can. Using Unity3d, GameMaker, Cocos2dx, UDK, etc. you can easily make your own games and be your own lead designer. As far as becoming lead designer at a well known company, it's a long and boring road. I honestly don't think you want to be a lead designer at a big company, it's more about marketing, sales forecast and push IAP's than creating a great game. Make your own games and then recruit some people to join you!

If you're not interested in doing the hard grind, and just want to sit around dictating ideas all day, you're looking at the wrong industry. 'Lead Designer's a career end-point, and it takes years of work 'in the trenches' to get there, often working through testing, content creation or programming, and being promoted diagonally into a design role, later into a senior design role, and finally into a lead position.

Lead design is more of a management position. The person who dictates the overall vision is the Creative Director who is in an even-more senior role, and yes they spend a lot of time handling business aspects such as marketing, as well as management of subordinates.

Gotta love these guys!