Heya: A couple of nights ago, I was doing some thinking about my career path. For the longest time, I wanted to be a programmer/or maybe designer....probably programmer because I am so great at math(big ego). I have a complete understanding of how to use/implement c++, visual basic, and just starting on Java. I know a fair amount of OpenGl and DirectX, tho I prefer OpenGl. I take two programming classes at my high-school. I am 17 and am have one more year of school. I was on my way to taking that giant risk and majoring in computer science and spending countless days without a job in hopes of entering the Game Industry; it sounded like fun except for the fact that I cannot stand being in the same room with my classmates in those classes for more than 5 minutes. The way they act, and talk, and think...it just is so completely different than how I do things. Their entire lives are so different than mine(just so all u people this apply to know, not that I think it is a bad way to live). While I am all fine and dandy with having two classes a day with these kind of people, I have to make the assumption that these people would also be my co-workers and my bosses. I would interact with these people the rest of my life! I am sure that I would do just as good a job as the rest of ''em, but what if there is like a sub-conscious prejudice against me? That would not be cool, either. The only thing I can hope is that I am wrong in my thought of the game-industry being full of nerds but there were no guys like me.---A side note: there are also no girls in my classes, I find that odd because it is obvious there are more and more girls working in the industry--- I am absolutely devoted to programming, but it just seems like I might end up hating my job like everyone else; what should I do? Thanks to all who reply.

I had a similar problem. I really enjoy the programming, but I can''t stand my classmates/coworkers. I had a job as tech support for a while during college and I hated it. But I discovered later that I didn''t hate the tech support, I hated the idiots I had to deal with (college is filled with lazy idiots who are forced to be there and thus have a bad attitude about it). I found that I can communicate with "normal" people better than the average technical person and that helping people who are highly motivated and very intelligent (but not very computer smart) is fun.

Now, I only program as a hobby. But when the right opportunity comes along, I''ll consider doing it as a job. Just remember, if you love your hobby (in this case, programming) so much that you make it a job, and then you hate your job, you''ll end up hating your hobby, too.

Work from home and send the work in. (Can you do that, i heard you could).

-J

Stop being so judgemental??

Well, when you get into game development, not everyone is a programmer. There will be a plethora of artists, musicians, designers, and producers. Also, I''m not sure how well your classes represent the personalities of people in the industry. Just because you may think that these people are the kind of people who work in game development, you may be surprised.

Ask yourself this before you worry about it. How many of those classmates are actually interested in programming as a career? And how many of those want to program games? I have a feeling most of them aren''t taking the course as a career thing, moreso as a lesser of a number of evils thing, or as an excuse to be on computers during the day. Even then, a lot of the people will most likely realize they don''t like programming when they get a taste of it.

Basically put- how many of those classmates do you consider will actually get in the same career field? Probably very few. Your classmates aren''t really a good example of the real industry, so I don''t think its fair to judge off of that.

Please note! I''m not professional, so I DON''T know as a fact what the people who are actually professional programmers are like. This is just how I figure things will work out.

-Arek the Absolute

quote: Original post by atcdevil
Stop being so judgemental??

Lol, I am not being judemental...just from experience, I dislike and have trouble having conversations with those kind of people...same thing with those god-awful air-head girls...Grr I hate them.

Everyone else: Good points. Most of them probably aren''t gonna be in the industry...but, like I said, that''s all I have to base it on...anyone one know from first-hand experience how the real programmer is?

Thanks

This is really rather goofy. Just as in any proffesion there are all different sorts of people. I am a senior in a CS program, and no two people are alike, as with anywhere. Most of them aren''t technically "geeks", and are rather more or less there because tv told them computers make lots of money. I am a 250 pound tatooed guy, and consider myself fairly adept at CS, and I am the farthest thing from a nerd. THere are a couple in my program anyways, but you''re just being idiotic about it.

quote: Original post by xg0blin
This is really rather goofy. Just as in any proffesion there are all different sorts of people. I am a senior in a CS program, and no two people are alike, as with anywhere. Most of them aren''t technically "geeks", and are rather more or less there because tv told them computers make lots of money. I am a 250 pound tatooed guy, and consider myself fairly adept at CS, and I am the farthest thing from a nerd. There are a couple in my program anyways, but you''re just being idiotic about it.

Why, that is exactly what I wanted to hear...well, except the part about u being 250 and tattooed... a little too personal, but other than that, thank you.

i''d say you have to learn to "deal with idiots" and "geeks" if you want a job doing any kind of programming, or really if you want a job doing anything. the real world is full of both and if you can''t work with them you''ll find yourself fired fast.

one thing about the gaming industry is that it''s very small and gossipy. you piss some people off in one company b/c "you can''t stand them" you''ll find very quickly that you''ve been blackballed from all the good game shops. everyone i know that is in a hiring position calls the last 2-3 companies you worked at to find out how you are to work with. 9 times out of 10 your ability to work with other people is of greater or equal importance to your technical ability to write code.

my current roomate is a lot like you. he can''t stand certain kinds of people and is unable to work with them. his first job lasted 2 months, his second lasted 3. he''s on month 6 of his third job b/c he''s finally figured out how to look past his issues with other people.

bottom line: it''s all well and good to not stand people but if you let that effect your ability to work with them you''re screwed until you change.

sorry to be harsh but as far as my experiences are concerned, it''s the truth. being able to work with people of all types is one of the single most powerful indicators of sucess in the job world.

-me