CrosswalkNorway

3 questions for those of you who work in the Industry

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Hey there, I'm a freshman in college, currently majoring in Mechanical Engineering.  The problem is I'm not sure if I want to be a Mechanical Engineer.  

I'm considered three career options at the moment:  

  1. Staying in engineering.
  2. Following in my father's footsteps and going into medicine, a career I think I could enjoy.
  3. Studying computer science and then getting into the video game industry. 

I could maybe see myself in the first 2 careers, but they don't really excite me.  For the past few years I've spent a lot of time listening to people talk about games, thinking about them, and talking about them myself.  In a way I think I enjoy talking and thinking about them more than actually playing them.  I'm taking a programming class at the moment, and I really enjoy it, writing a program feels a bit like solving a puzzle, and I find it quite satisfying.  On top of that, listening to podcasts like Idle Thumbs, and getting to see some of what Double Fine is like through documentaries and AF etc. is really, really exciting to me.  And that's the thing, game development excites me like nothing else does!  

In any case, I need some advice!  Registration for the next quarter's classes is coming up this weekend, and times like this really scare me.  I'm being asked to make decisions that will shape the rest of my life with extremely little knowledge of what any of the careers I'm considering actually are like!  

 

So that's why I'm writing this, I need some advice, If anyone has any general thoughts or experience pertaining to a career in game development (or in engineering or medicine for that matter) to share with me I'd be incredibly grateful.  But here are 3 questions that I hope can help give me a bit of clarity.

 

  1. What do you like most about your job? Why?
  2. What do you like least about your job? Why?
  3. What advice would you give your 19 year old self?

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this!  I really appreciate it!

 

-Paul


 

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Hey Paul, it sure sounds like a tough decision for you to face, and I can't speak to the merits of the other two careers you mentioned (all I know medicine takes a long-ass time to learn!) but I've always been of the mind that the thing that excites you the most and the thing that you see yourself doing for years to come is the thing to go after.

 

I've never really doubted whether I should go into arts/game design after highschool because I just didn't see myself doing anything else. Like, at all. So I went for it and it's been going well for the past few years now, I feel like I made the right choice. I recognize a lot of what you say; I think about games a ton, talk about them, all my friends work in them pretty much, making an animation or writing code energizes my brain, so it sounds like deep down you already maybe have a preference?

 

Have you ever made any games, or tried to? Going through the process of at least starting a project can tell you pretty quickly whether you like doing it. Not so quick that you can find out by this weekend ha, but I would say computer science is a nice broad field that can lead to lots of things, so you can't go too wrong choosing that.

 

To answer your questions:

 

Q - What do you like most about your job?

A - I like being in a room with other people who are creative and discussing the best way to make something that we thought up out of thin air. I like it best during the prototyping phase, when there's lots of back and forth between the team members and the different disciplines to figure out the best way to build a level editor or which control scheme to use etc. When you finaly get to walk around in a world that you envisioned, that's pretty rad.

 

The bit in the middle is a little stressful, then seeing the audience respond positively to what you've made in the end is just great.

 

Q - What do you like least about your job?

A - I think the hours. When deadlines loom, teams often go into crunch mode, which can be brutal if it lasts too long. I can't really complain, hearing stories out of Camouflaj for instance where they crunch for months, leaving the office at 11 and coming back in at 8. In the companies I worked at it wasn't NEARLY as bad as that, but spending a few evenings in the office doing grunt work can wear you down sometimes. If the project really excites you you may not even notice and want to keep going, but bar being in an AAA studio you'll probably have to deal with a client project you're not 100% excited about, so there's that. Most small companies have flexible hours though, so at least you can come in when you feel the most productive. And now that I'm working freelance I get to set my own hours and that's perfect.

 

Another thing I guess is feedback. Worrying about what other people think about your personal work in progress can be tough. Though it depends on the person really, and with Early Access and such consumers are understanding better and better what it takes to make a game and that it's pretty much shit for a few months between designing it and going into beta ha.

 

Q - What would you advise your 19yo self?

A - Get contact lenses, they rule. Girls will adore you, don't worry. And above all keep doing what you're doing and make some dang games. Make games.

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As an engineer who considered making games in college, I can relate to your position.  I would have to say the best thing about my job is job security, which these days is worth a lot (see Irrational Games).  It may not be very exciting (in fact it's not) but it is a comfort to know I have a long term job.  I think the best advice I can give is to figure out what matters to you.  If making games is the only thing that will make you happy, then try it.  Even if you can't get a job making games right out of college, a lot of those skills will be usable in other places.  I would also suggest looking for clubs or groups at school.  One thing I regret was not getting more involved with the game making club when I was in college.  If you can't find one, consider starting one yourself.

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I'm not in games, so I'm sorry that this is not exactly the perspective you are looking for.

 

I just turned 24. I am finishing a Master's in Computer Science (I also have a Bachelor's in it). I chose CS because it has a unique intersection of job security and the possibility of games work (also I passionately love theoretical and practical CS). When I finish this April, I fully intend to get a job in the mainstream games industry. I love games and have always wanted to work on them, and have enjoyed game jams and short-term projects I've worked on. I would rather do indie development, but having some financial independence is more important to me than immediately following a dream.

 

So what I'm saying is, CS is a great place to be if you're someone who is both passionate about games and values security. You strike me as someone who is similarly pragmatic.

 

Also, the advice I would give my 19yo self: Realize that you are a talented, intelligent being and that it is impossible to completely optimize your path through life. Pick a thing you will enjoy; don't worry about it being the thing. There are many paths that will make you happy - it's not settling to keep walking on one once you find it.

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If you never had to pay for anything, what would you do with your time? 

 

Lie in bed mastr I'd relax.

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I worked in the games industry for a while, and I can't really recommend it, for the obvious reasons (low pay, long hours, lack of job security).

 

The best advice I've heard was regarding pursuing (fiction) writing as a career, but in my opinion applies to games as well: "Don't try to be a writer unless you can't imagine not being a writer."

 

That being said, there are lots of things you can do with computer science that aren't the games industry, and, if you enjoy programming, I'd definitely recommend pursuing it.

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Speaking as someone who pursued a CS degree and ended up working on business applications rather than games, I can at least tell you that there's satisfying work to be done out there that doesn't necessarily involve games.  CS jobs in any subject matter typically deal extensively with lots of problem solving (and specifically using programming to solve problems).  If you enjoy programming, a CS degree is both a practical selection (as an earlier poster mentioned, there's still lots of jobs that pay well available in this field) as well as a good first step into making games.

 

Another nice thing about computer science is that it can relate to so many other fields.  Maybe working traditionally in medicine doesn't excite you, but how about developing software that runs MRI machines?  Or creating and maintaining systems that enable research labs to function more efficiently?  Computer science has applicability through the environment, medicine, the auto industry, government work, the military, like everything.

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My answers to the questions are pretty much the same as hedgefield's (except the part about the girls and contact lenses). I wouldn't advise anyone to go into the games industry unless they're really, really passionate about making games. Even if the idea of game development excites you in the abstract, make sure you enjoy the actual process. And you either need to be super good at it or be willing to be exploited (or both), because people who want to get into it are a dime a dozen.

 

That said, it can be great if you manage to end up working at the right place, but that's a big if. If you're at all uncertain about it, and those other fields hold any degree of appeal to you, you'd probably be better off in any of them. I'd say that if you're on the fence, studying computer science is probably a pretty safe bet so you could take a stab at game development but still be able to get a real job if it doesn't work out and/or you hate it.

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I've only been in the industry as contract work a couple of times. So can't comment much on why I love or hate about it.
I am a software developer by trade, and I can tell you that it's a very ungrateful profession. You are most respected in the video game industry.

 

What advice would you give your 19 year old self?

Grow a pair. (And win the lottery.)

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Wow, that's a lot of replies!  Thank you so much everyone!  I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed and clueless so it's really great to hear from all of your perspectives!

Wow Hedgefield!  Thank you for that really in depth answer!

 

I've never really doubted whether I should go into arts/game design after highschool because I just didn't see myself doing anything else. Like, at all. So I went for it and it's been going well for the past few years now, I feel like I made the right choice. I recognize a lot of what you say; I think about games a ton, talk about them, all my friends work in them pretty much, making an animation or writing code energizes my brain, so it sounds like deep down you already maybe have a preference?

 

I think you're right, I guess in a way I already know that I want to make games.  I'm just a bit afraid that I'm wrong to want to make them.  Also I think maybe the thought of telling my parents that scares me a bit, as they don't really look at games as anything more than a waste of time.  I am lucky though to have incredibly supportive parents, so I'm sure they will be all for it if I can convince them that it's what i want to do and that it will make me happy.

 

Have you ever made any games, or tried to? Going through the process of at least starting a project can tell you pretty quickly whether you like doing it. Not so quick that you can find out by this weekend ha, but I would say computer science is a nice broad field that can lead to lots of things, so you can't go too wrong choosing that.

 

I have occasionally messed with Gamemaker, in fact I've been messing with it again these past few weeks, but I haven't put in enough time to really get anywhere.  I do enjoy messing around with it though, and I'm planning to try to make a really small game and then polish it nicely.

 

I like being in a room with other people who are creative and discussing the best way to make something that we thought up out of thin air. I like it best during the prototyping phase, when there's lots of back and forth between the team members and the different disciplines to figure out the best way to build a level editor or which control scheme to use etc.

 

This sounds incredibly awesome!

 

Q - What would you advise your 19yo self?

A - Get contact lenses, they rule. Girls will adore you, don't worry. And above all keep doing what you're doing and make some dang games. Make games.

 

Ha ha!  Also, I've seen a lot of this (Make some dang games!) advice lately, it seems like a good idea.  It would probably help me see if I do enjoy making games.   

 

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Hey SecretAsianMan!  Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it!

 

As an engineer who considered making games in college, I can relate to your position.  I would have to say the best thing about my job is job security, which these days is worth a lot (see Irrational Games).  It may not be very exciting (in fact it's not) but it is a comfort to know I have a long term job.  I think the best advice I can give is to figure out what matters to you.  If making games is the only thing that will make you happy, then try it.  Even if you can't get a job making games right out of college, a lot of those skills will be usable in other places.  I would also suggest looking for clubs or groups at school.  One thing I regret was not getting more involved with the game making club when I was in college.  If you can't find one, consider starting one yourself.

 

Job security isn't really something I've considered.  It just hasn't felt important to me, I guess since I don't really pay my own bills yet (So even if I don't have money I have a place to stay and 3 meals a day).  I can see it being really scary knowing your income stream can just disappear one day, leaving you unable to pay rent or support your family etc.  I know that if I do continue with engineering I'll have a lot of good opportunities, I'm a dual citizen of Norway and the U.S. and Norway has a thriving Oil industry employing lots of engineers.  I'm a bit scared that if I continue with engineering and I don't find it interesting enough I won't really care about it, I'm afraid that could mean I'll just be a mediocre engineer and not very happy in the job.  

So I'm curious, what kind of things do you do on a daily basis?  Could you maybe describe an average day?  I'm also curious about what your answers to the 3 questions would be.  In any case, thanks for your response!

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Hey Filk!

 

No need to apologize!  You've got a really helpful perspective.

 

So what I'm saying is, CS is a great place to be if you're someone who is both passionate about games and values security.

 

That sounds promising!  I'm really starting to think CS might be the right choice for me.  It has many of the qualities of engineering I enjoy, and also is applicable to my interests.

 

Also, the advice I would give my 19yo self: Realize that you are a talented, intelligent being and that it is impossible to completely optimize your path through life. Pick a thing you will enjoy; don't worry about it being the thing. There are many paths that will make you happy - it's not settling to keep walking on one once you find it.

 

That's really amazing!  I'm going to put it up on my wall i think, hopefully it can calm me down when I freak out too much about having to choose. 
 

Thanks for your advice!

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If you never had to pay for anything, what would you do with your time? 

 

Probably travel and go hiking a lot, make art and games, and spend way too much time on Netflix. :D

It's a simple question, but it does illustrate well the kind of things that I enjoy doing.

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You've given me a lot to think about. I was going to try to respond to each of these posts individually, but I should be studying and I'm not great at writing, so let me just acknowledge and thank all of you here: Thank You! I really appreciate it!

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I was working on a Biology degree but as soon as homework and studying was done I was at my computer writing code and working on projects, that's how I knew I was on the wrong path. I've only ever worked on independent projects but as far as worrying about your study track, I think it comes down to what's more important to you?

 

I could really care less about having material goods and it's far more important to me to be happy as a human but that has a lot to do with my views on certain beliefs and philosophies. What I ultimately based my decision on was the fact that I wasn't really interested in that actual application of medicine, only the end result of making people feel better while ludology is something that I can have a conversation with anyone about.

 

Also, I found that I enjoyed video games at a deeper level than anyone I had met at that point (I didn't know video games existed and didn't understand what was actually enthralling me). I was doing really well in  biology also, straight A's in the several early semesters. The Computer Science advisors couldn't understand why I wanted to switch but I just felt like I was wasting my time and I felt like if I didn't switch I'd end up quitting because my heart wasn't in it.

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Hey SecretAsianMan!  Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it!

 

 

Job security isn't really something I've considered.  It just hasn't felt important to me, I guess since I don't really pay my own bills yet (So even if I don't have money I have a place to stay and 3 meals a day).  I can see it being really scary knowing your income stream can just disappear one day, leaving you unable to pay rent or support your family etc.  I know that if I do continue with engineering I'll have a lot of good opportunities, I'm a dual citizen of Norway and the U.S. and Norway has a thriving Oil industry employing lots of engineers.  I'm a bit scared that if I continue with engineering and I don't find it interesting enough I won't really care about it, I'm afraid that could mean I'll just be a mediocre engineer and not very happy in the job.  

So I'm curious, what kind of things do you do on a daily basis?  Could you maybe describe an average day?  I'm also curious about what your answers to the 3 questions would be.  In any case, thanks for your response!

 

My answers to your questions are in my previous response, but I didn't number them.  Basically

 

1. Job security

2. Not interesting (to me)

3. Join clubs and do stuff related to what you think you want to do

 

As for my job, I'm an electrical engineer at a nuclear power plant.  My job is about 20% engineering and 90% paperwork (yes, those numbers are correct).  Academically it's interesting and I do like walking around the plant and just generally marveling at the crazy amount of engineering all round me, but really it's a desk job and I don't find it particularly fulfilling.  For personal reasons I'm not going to get into, I can't leave the job so I'm kind of stuck there for the time being.

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Chiming in a little late here, but Hedgefield pretty much nailed the entire thing. I don't work at a game dev anymore (still in the industry though), but from my time in the biz...

 

  1. What do you like most about your job? Why? --- Making games is just fun. Having an idea and turning it into something that other people enjoy is amazing. Being in a group of creative people, either artists or game designers or engineers figuring out a problem is one of the best things you can do to make yourself WANT to be better at whatever it is you're doing.
  2. What do you like least about your job? Why? -- The hours, dear god the hours. I've heard mythical stories of places where the hours are good, but there was a time right before final submission on one project that we were working, no shit, 18 hour days. Not sure what your relationship situation is now (or will be), but hours like that absolutely put a strain on my marriage. It was physically and mentally exhausting to me, and basically being an absentee husband wasn't winning any favors with my wife. The pay also isn't terrific (but this isn't a gigantic deal).
  3. What advice would you give your 19 year old self? -- Whatever decision you make right now, don't worry, because it doesn't seal your future to one path. As long as you're learning from it, no amount of time pursuing something is "wasted" time. If you decide that you want to be a game dev, then go for it, but don't feel that the decision means you always have to be a game dev. 

Final dumb note: It seems like you're stressed about this decision. Don't stress! This is your future, it should be exciting to you! 

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I was working on a Biology degree but as soon as homework and studying was done I was at my computer writing code and working on projects, that's how I knew I was on the wrong path. I've only ever worked on independent projects but as far as worrying about your study track, I think it comes down to what's more important to you?

 

I could really care less about having material goods and it's far more important to me to be happy as a human but that has a lot to do with my views on certain beliefs and philosophies. What I ultimately based my decision on was the fact that I wasn't really interested in that actual application of medicine, only the end result of making people feel better while ludology is something that I can have a conversation with anyone about.

 

Also, I found that I enjoyed video games at a deeper level than anyone I had met at that point (I didn't know video games existed and didn't understand what was actually enthralling me). I was doing really well in  biology also, straight A's in the several early semesters. The Computer Science advisors couldn't understand why I wanted to switch but I just felt like I was wasting my time and I felt like if I didn't switch I'd end up quitting because my heart wasn't in it.

 

Hey benArcen!  

I can definitely recognize myself in a lot of what you said here!  Thanks!  Also - ludology - I'm learning words!

 

My answers to your questions are in my previous response, but I didn't number them.

 

Oops, I didn't notice that.

 

 

My job is about 20% engineering and 90% paperwork (yes, those numbers are correct). 

Ha!  Thanks for telling me about it.

 

  1. What do you like least about your job? Why? -- The hours, dear god the hours. I've heard mythical stories of places where the hours are good, but there was a time right before final submission on one project that we were working, no shit, 18 hour days. 

 

Oh god!  18 hours days?!  That is ridiculous! 

 

Whatever decision you make right now, don't worry, because it doesn't seal your future to one path. As long as you're learning from it, no amount of time pursuing something is "wasted" time. 

 

Someone else told me this very same thing today!

 

Final dumb note: It seems like you're stressed about this decision. Don't stress! This is your future, it should be exciting to you! 

 

I am a bit stressed. I'm excited too, but I really don't want to "Mess up".  I'm starting to realize that i shouldn't worry so much, I'll keep in mind what you said about "As long as you're learning from it, no amount of time pursuing something is "wasted" time."

Thanks again everyone!  Reading what you all have written is really helping me think about things!

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I like to imagine that Crosswalk Norway is simultaneously polling a mechanical engineering forum and a medical profession forum. I wonder how the answers vary.

I want to answer the 19 year-old question for fun. The thing I would try to explain to my 19 year-old self is that people aren't doctors or mechanical engineers or game-developers. It's more like Natasha is a momma's girl who grew up on a southern Georgian commune that no one has ever heard of and has a free-spirit sister who lives in Hawaii and a baby-sister that follows her around. Childhood violin-lessons have given her a deep understanding of music, the capacity for discipline, and a skeptical view of everyone learning the same way. Deciding to study social-work in school bolsters her love of people and the ability to examine and treat behaviors. But after school, she realizes that the the south-east of the United-States will always be slower to move away from its racist, protestant beginnings and so she decides to move to the West Coast because the people she felt kinship with in school had come from that area. After getting a job as a nanny, she meets a lot of interesting people. One of them has a fetish for amateur-radio and house-bands just like her. After thrift-shopping for fun every Saturday for months, the two of them realize that they have enough radio equipment to actually do something with it (they don't know what). They end up starting a community run radio-station with their friends that eventually requires some licensing in order to be legal. Natasha is comfortable enough with bureacracy, so she goes ahead and jumps through the hoops. She finds herself running a radio-station out of her house and living with her thrift-store friend who she discovers, she has fallen in love with.

What job is that?

I'm not claiming that CrosswalkNorway's perspective is naively narrow, but when I was 19, mine was. I thought jobs were how lives were determined. They can certainly have a massive influence, but lives remain infinitely permutable regardless of profession.

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I'm not claiming that CrosswalkNorway's perspective is naively narrow, but when I was 19, mine was. I thought jobs were how lives were determined. They can certainly have a massive influence, but lives remain infinitely permutable regardless of profession.

That's a really good point. It's a perspective you don't get in high school or early college. Everyone is so concerned for your ability to sustain yourself that your prospective career becomes your identity.

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I'm not claiming that CrosswalkNorway's perspective is naively narrow, but when I was 19, mine was. I thought jobs were how lives were determined. They can certainly have a massive influence, but lives remain infinitely permutable regardless of profession.

 

That's great.  I had tried to think of something similar to say, but couldn't word it in a way I was happy with.

 

Basically I'm no where near where my 19-year-old self would have expected me to be.  But I doubt I would give him any advice if I had the chance to talk with him.  The good, the bad, the ugly, the glorious all helped get me to a point that I'm really happy with. 

 

My general advice to people that age is to go to school and give it their best shot, but don't be ashamed if you leave or change your mind.  And if you don't have a lot of international travel experience (the OP might with dual citizenship), do a semester of study abroad.  That semester might end up being more important than all the rest combined.

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