Advice for a friend trying to get into the industry

[Vilham]

So ive got a mate that is applying to several design courses in the UK, what I want to know is it better for him to go to do a 4 year course at Abertay University or a 3 year course at some other uni (I think it was Middlesbrough or something) with 1 year internship in the industry.

Which looks better on your CV at the end and which is more likely to help fill out your portfolio? My understanding of internships in our industry is that they are shit, and the fact that Abertay is pretty much the only UK university with a decent rep it seems like that would be the better option. But I didn't get into the industry with a design degree so I don't have the best insight.

Thx in advance.

[sarge mat]

Just make sure your friends goes to look at Middlesbrough (which is Teeside uni I think) if he is thinking about it. The course is quite good from the look of it but the area is not somewhere you want to spend much time at all.

[Nysuatro]

I would say, go to Digital Arts and Entertainment in Belgium

2.5 years + 4 months internship and I am quite sure it is cheaper then schools in UK.

The school is quite good. Almost all my work of my portfolio (expect one) is school work.

And it got me a good job. I don't really wanna say that the school makes you a awesome artist.

it depends how motivated you are.

www.digitalartsandentertainment.be

If you have any questions, you can always pm me.

[Ginger Lord]

If you're good enough, you can go anywhere. Going on a games design degree course isn't a golden ticket. Theres people here at Crytek UK that never went to college, others that did non game development degree's, people like me who did vaguely related ones, others that did Games Design Masters at Abertay, its your skill that counts not your CV.

[seir]

My advice: DON'T.

I wish to be a dentist or an architect. Ehhh...

[2d-chris]

I worked a 4 day week job to keep some money coming in, in my spare time I modded my ass off until I landed first job ... As for an internship, they can be great if you get one at a really good developer but the chances of that happening are very slim, that and the 2,000,000 other people in the same position applying for it.

IF your friend has already made up their mind about spending 4 years to learn the basics - go for the course that allows the most free time, so you can work on personal stuff and really make your portfolio stand out. Working insanely hard gets you a job, not a degree. Showing you can do good work outside of the school will actually count for allot, perhaps even more.

A golden route into game design is via level design and we have enough threads about that already

[Skjalg]

What exactly does he want to do? Be a game designer or a level designer or a 3d artist or what?

All of those things you can become without school, and most likely you'll be better at it if you keep doing that for three years instead of going to school for three years, because the internet is filled with great teachers and tutorials

Except if he wants to be a programmer, then he should go to school.

Now that I think about it, taking courses in games design is often cited (in norway) as getting an education in unemployment, because most studios wont hire people to dream up their games for them, they usually have an abundance of people already working there that would gladly take that job.