Ok guys I need some advice based on their personal experiences within the industry.
I'll try to keep it short!
I'm in a position right now where I don't know what to do, I don't want to fuck up my life any more than it already is
Say you have no qualification/degree on the paper but a strong! passion for game development.
Would there be a difference if you actually had a degree, one that has nothing to do with game design at all ?
At most it is a degree about electronics (resistors, capacitors, pcb design,...)
Well, can you still get a job without any degree but a strong portfolio?
I for one used to map(hl1 ), due to my school I had to keep it short to the point where I completely stopped.
At that point I started to learn C at said school and now I have a fairly deep knowledge of C(but no actual degree, since there's other stuff I'm not interested in).
It was also the only thing I was ever interested in at my school, since I knew how important it is for game design.
Unfortunately I was always ahead of time and had to learn everything on my own(OpenGL, SDL, network, GUI), so when I look back, yeah the school basically was kinda pointless.
As of now I have some code snippets for my portfolio(Huffman compression implementation, some GUI stuff(wxwidgets,Qt), OpenGL Demo with own pcx/obj loader)
What are my chances of getting employed?
I guess its hard since all the programming related jobs require some sort of degree :/
But yeah I don't really want to code 24/7, that's just something I realized I'm good at.
As said I used to map, before I entered this school and learned C I was sure as hell that my favourite position would be level designer.
I just love computer art, that is also why I'm kinda shocked that I like programming that much.
So my favourite position is Technical Artist, I think that fills both, my artistic and technical needs
But my most recent map dates back to HL1, have something for Hl2 but I wouldn't put this in my portfolio, so I seriously lack
on the art side.
Question is, what should I do?
Should I drop out and try my luck, or still try get my degree even though it has nothing to do with game design and I hate it with a passion ?
I wanted to work in the industry anyway, after my graduation, there was never any doubt.
When you can still remember the day you played your first computer game and the special feeling you had at that moment and never had that feeling again then you know this is it
Say I do drop out and get a job, is my lacking degree preventing me from moving up?
I don't want to be in a junior position till I retire
I think that's solely based on work experience?
Salary.
I don't get more money due to that degree that is actually pointless?
Another important thing, I want to work abroad.
Ever since I showed interest in the games industry it became clear to me that I don't want to work in my country, well except England (EU citizen btw)
It was always clear to me that once I graduate I want to move to North America.
I just love the country, the people, just about everything. Nothing is more exciting for me than doing game design abroad.
Besides there's not much game design going on in my country anyway since they shut down Rockstar Vienna
What are my chances of getting employed in North America as a EU citizen nowadays?
I think it used to be a common thing? That is also why I like the industry
I've seen some nice job offers, say I apply for them(based in CA/US) and they want me for an interview do I get a refund for my flight/trip?
I think so but I'm not sure?!
Then again how likely is it to pick people from the EU?
Or how should I start? Is it "cocky" to apply for jobs overseas when you have no work experience at all?
Also how much money do you need for such a relocation? I don't want/need anything fancy. All my things can be packed into one suitcase.
Your experiences ?
Ok that's it for now, thanks for your time guys!
Really appreciate it
