My main concerns about going to work in programming are: 1)I''d be out of a job by the time I''m 30. 2)So many people do it, would just be a code monkey 3)Not great salary compared to other work I could do (physics) What about in game programming? I mean how many people typically work on coding a game - if it''s loads then how would you stand out? And what are wages for a basic programmer and the lead programmer likely to be? John 3:16

Eh?

1) So...as soon as you go to work, you stop learning? Since when?

2) Definitely a bit of fallout from the dot-com era. There are a lot of IT professionals floating around. All those telecom and tech layoffs.

3) Uh huh. And you think, with a BS in *Physics* you''ll land a well-paying job? As Dr. Evil would say, "Riiiiight." With a BS in Computer Science, you can go to work immediately. With a BS in Physics...you can go on to get your MS, then your PhD, and then get a job. Or you can go from college to the call center and take tech support calls.

I graduated college in 1991. Which is a date you might recognize if you watch the news...as that''s the year of the recession they keep comparing the current one to. People graduating now are seeing the same kind of "employment draught" as we were then. We survived. You will too.

Maybe this kind of angst is an adolescent thing...every change is the End of the World (tm)...everything is Life or Death (tm)...

For what it''s worth, the economic boom that just (predictably) ended was *begun* when the all the professionals laid off at the beginning of the 90''s formed their own businesses and started innovating in order to stave off starvation.

So...brace yourself. By 2010, it''ll be a Whole New World (tm).


DavidRM
Samu Games

I have to admit, when I was going through school (graduated in 1995), I had the same worries - that I''d end up as programmer #2365872-3 for BigHugeSoft, or something like that.

Well, the industry can probably be that way, if you let it. I have chosen, however, to follow the smaller company route (do NOT mistake this for a dot.com startup). When I joined a small company, I asked to see their financials, to make sure they were solvent. If they were working entirely on borrowed money, I stayed away.

The pay has been excellent, the work has been challenging, and most companies are committed to keeping staff trained. And I guarantee you this: in your first 5 years working, you''ll learn about 10 times what you did in college/university.

Having said all that, the two companies I''ve worked for in that time have been IT, not games.

Games is what I want to do, eventually, and I''m in the process of establishing a small company (once the legalities are out of the way, I''ll post it in the announcements forum).

There are more options out there than the Global Crossings, Nortel, Lucent, and Worldcom MCI that you keep hearing about in the news - look around on Monster.com - you''ll be pleasantly surprised at what''s out there.

Good luck, and don''t be discouraged!

Cheers,
Russ

If you are worried about the money before you start then it might pay to stay away. I just jacked in a job in the games industry partly over pay, despite the fact that it was a great team and a fantastic fun working environmnet.
Game development can be hard work, and poor money, whereas IT is the exact opposite. When I quit my job in IT to go to games, my salary halved overnight. (Having said that I was contracting as an MCSE).
If you dont already have experience of coding games as a hobby, doing shareware stuff, then thats probbaly the best place to start. You might find games isn''t for you, and if you find it is, you will have put a decent demo together.

http://www.positech.co.uk

I view coding as a creative thing and feel there''s a lot more scope for it in games than IT. I know I like programming but by the time I leave uni will be married and that means more responsibility.

Can anyone give details of their current post, how long it took to get there, salary and starting salaty?
Post anonymously if you don''t want to give out your details.


John 3:16

I totally completly agree with doohg concerns on this one. I''m in the position of making a "career switch" right now. I got my first degree in 1996 but like someone mentioned above, in some fields you just can''t get a job with a b.s. So now I''m going back to school for a bs in comp sci(which I should''ve gotten the first time... Hindsights 20/20...). I''m wondering where the job market will be in a couple of years when I graduate (again). I''m in a bit of a unique position though because being a veteran, federal and state jobs are a bit more accessible considering veterans preference.

Just because the average incomes are lower in the gaming industry than in other IT fields doesn't mean you have to be average. Wages are arguably the worst form of income, since the taxes are so high. If you have a bit of entrepreneurial spirit, you can have the best of both worlds -- working in the gaming industry and enjoying a high income.


Steve Pavlina
Dexterity Software
www.dexterity.com

[edited by - Dexterity on July 10, 2002 11:12:21 AM]

quote:
With a BS in Computer Science, you can go to work immediately.

I recently graduated with a BS in computer science. I''ve had an internship for the past year in the field and I''ve been looking for a job for over 7 months without even getting a face to face interview.

Having said that, I''m also not some jackass who barely got through. I made an A in every CS class I took and still have the CS professors at my school asking me to help them with their dissertation, etc.

Maybe it''s bad timing right now but finding a job with a CS degree isn''t as easy as everyone makes it out to be.

quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster
I recently graduated with a BS in computer science. I''ve had an internship for the past year in the field and I''ve been looking for a job for over 7 months without even getting a face to face interview.

Having said that, I''m also not some jackass who barely got through. I made an A in every CS class I took and still have the CS professors at my school asking me to help them with their dissertation, etc.

Maybe it''s bad timing right now but finding a job with a CS degree isn''t as easy as everyone makes it out to be.

There might not be as many around as a year or two ago, but there''s still a lot of unfilled computer positions.

What area are you in? Are you willing to relocate? There are a lot of jobs around, but you might not be looking in the right area.

I just typed ''programmer'' into the boston globe job search and got back 386 ads. In contrast, the NY times only lists 105.

Austin, TX

Most companies are looking for people with more experience than I have.