Going to read that article now, and rob what college are you at right now and well are you happy with the way things are going, can you advertise your choice?

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Well I have just finished the article and I have to say it's intresting. I have a question is Full Sail looked down upon in comparison to Digipen? And if so why? Also I'm not in the same position as the person who wrote that article, I have a solid GPA, I do extracurical activities. I'm in all honors and taking some AP coarses and still only a sophmore in high school. I'm willing to go into dept with hope of employment after graduation. My family in general isn't very stable so if I don't succeed I don't know if I ever will. Besides all that I do excel above everyone in our school when it comes to programming, graphics, and the general computer know how. Next year we're taking on C++ in our school and the year after that Java. (BTW is java the next C++). This year I've mastared QB, I made my own font, my own maze game, my own organizer which includes a fully functional calander, and contact sheet which saves information, and my final project will be a fighting game which should resmble Street Fighter if it can.

My question is, if not full sail or other trade school than what college or institution?

[edited by - kofman2155 on April 17, 2003 4:04:44 PM]

I''d recommend a full 4-year college education rather than a very narrow focused school like Full Sail. I''m actually 31, and I have a degree in psychology, but I''ve always been fascinated with computers, so I decided to go back to school to get a degree in Computer Science. I decided about a year and a half ago that I''d like to learn more programming, so I''ve been teaching myself at a VERY slow pace for about a year now (after a year of self-study, I''m just now at the point where I can start to figure out how to code certain windows programming API''s like wxWindows, Qt, or GTK, and even then, only with a lot of sweat trying to figure out why something isn''t working).

I think Full Sail is probably good for very technical positions, but I think that game companies probably would desire employees who have a more broad background...but still know their specialized fields as well. This is where a 4yr program comes in more handy. It gives you a broader education, and it also gives you a more solid engineering background on software design. While it may not focus particularly on game type programming, you can always do that in your spare time. And for positions like Game Designers, I think a broad education is even more desirable to have. Also, if you go to a school like Full Sail, you''ve marketed yourself for the game industry only, whereas if you have a 4yr degree, you''ll have a much wider selection available to you in case you can''t find a job in the game industry. Something to think about.

So start on C++ now if you can. It''s quite a bit different from Basic, although you might feel more at home with C#. The more of a headstart you have, the better off you will be. Also remember that there are many areas to specialize in, and it may take awhile to figure out what your interests and capabilities are in.

I apprecite your feedback guys,it seems everyone is discuraging trade schools. I did forget one slight thing that I was extremly intrested in. I want to learn maya like my life depands on it. I know all the basics now and can pretty much model anything now but I can''t seem to get past those basics, not one book that I found really helps. Maya has been a very powerful influence for me even though I might not be a graphics guy. What can you recomand on that subject?

I have another question too. Do you think making your own small game and trying to publish it with in a year seem like a good idea? Will it help in the long run? Or will it be a waste of effort? I might have not been clear yet. Next year I''m taking C++ in school, and this summer I will dedicate it to programming. My resolution before 2004 is to have fluency in C++. I don''t consider it unrealistic but just a slight stretch that I can force myself too. So I figured after Junior year when things should start calming down before the strom again. I might be able to build some sort of game. Nothing too fancy but just right for publishing. Any feedback on that?