So I've been working on this original soundtrack lately:
http://jonahsmusic.leadhoster.com/index.php?sel=01Game%20Soundtracks/Specter#content
This is my first full game soundtrack. Up until this point I've had some success licensing some commercial stock music, but this game is by far my biggest project yet. The game is still pretty far from completion, but my side of work is fairly caught up and track requests are coming at a slow pace. This down time has got me thinking about what to do after the project's release. This is a pretty solid project and I'm happy to be on board, but right now it's a spare time kinda thing because the project is currently unpaid. They are working on no budget but hoping to see an eventual commercial release via steam, but until (and if) that happens I'm receiving no compensation. That's fine with me as I understand that I have to start somewhere, but this stuff is very time consuming for being something that's tantamount to being a mere hobby.
I'm hoping that adding this project to my portfolio will finally open the ears of some more established game developers that can actually afford audio resources. Is this a realistic expectation? I know the soundtrack isn't perfect and I still have some learning to do. I also feel that it kind of hurts my chances not having any fancy arts degrees to tout. Regardless, I would like to start making more of a presence in the game developer community in the hopes of getting some paid jobs. What should I be focusing on to advance my career in the right direction? I understand that I'm not likely to be leaving my crappy nine to five anytime soon (if ever), but I would like to at least continue heading up the ladder after this.