I've been working in the business programming arena for the same company for 5 years now and have decided to go into game programming. I'm enrolling in a program to learn software game development since the type of programming I do here is boring and numbing my creative mind. I would much rather make a little less and be happier with my accomplishments of creating a game instead of being a back end VB and J2EE developer sending strings of customer and product information around (boring).

Many people have stated that you take a pay cut, but it doesn't sound like that much of a paycut. $5k to $10k is not a big deal to me if I was happier with my job and found it more interesting. I would be much more motivated to put all of my effort into my job if I enjoyed it more. I think this is just a personal preference to the person, do you want to enjoy what you're doing or just a be a cog in a huge corporation (at least my company is huge) and get paid a little more. The cost of living where I work is much lower so my salary isn't as high as some of these figures ($70k for entry-level??), but it comes out to about the same since the above average home around here is between 150 - 200k.

After being unhappy with my job for the last few years, I made the decision to embark on a journey out of here and hopefully it will get me out of the Midwest also. This was what I decided is the right move for me. As others have said, if you're just interested in how much money you make, then you may have a different decision. With age I have found that happiness is much more important than the value of your checking account, the car you drive, and how big your house is because if you didn't enjoy life, what was the point of living. Hopefully some of you will choose money so there will be more jobs for the rest of us! :)

Dewski

I feel like I am in a similar situation as the one you have described. I am seriously considering moving toward the gaming industry and away from gov't aerospace.


I used to have a subscription to GD mag, and I am familiar with its salary polls. Interestingly, its salary ranges are similar to those at my company. However, it seems like most new programmers in my lab are all being paid at the low end of the scale. On the other hand, we do have one helluva benefit package.


pTymN does ask a good question about the possibility of working on games part-time. Maybe I should just join a mod team and keep my crappy day job...

In game dev I got about 1/4th of what I get now. But it was due to my lack of negotiating skills. If I had put my foot down and not accepted it I would have got a lot more.

Quote: Original post by david_dfx
Maybe I should just join a mod team and keep my crappy day job...

Ultimately, this is why I became a game developer full time. I was tired of dealing with a crappy day job.

For what it's worth
I have worked for corporate America for the past 6 years as a consultant for fortune 500 companies and 10yrs prior as private developer.

Salary is all about your negotiation skills blended with experience and talent.
I am still a consultant today due to I am my own boss no matter the situation.

Here is the deal. Decide what you are worth in the market and demand it.
That’s how it works. You must be able to show why you are worth it but that is the deal.

I have watched way to many good developers under sale themselves do to lack of confidence. Since 911 to many companies have taken advantage of the market and paid less for a premium job. This is all coming around again and Good developers are in need once again.

The key is "Good developers" and "What you are worth". You are only worth what you are willing to work for.

I will never promise a company something I can’t deliver.
Currently I am over $100,000 a yr and my clients are always happy to pay it. I solve problems the big boy's would charge millions for.

No matter what course you take Gamming or Big Corp. You can make money at it.
Treat your resume as proof of your pay and build it up. If you need experience just do it in your spare time. I spend 5-8 hours a day in the office for Big Corp and I spend 4-6 hrs a night working on Game stuff.

It’s always better to love what you do. Getting paid for it is even better.

I am currently lookinf for a new mid level developer for around $60,000 a year for big buisness. And I am building a new buisness plan for a new Game start up that the mid level pay for a game Developer is $55,000. Whats $5,000 a year to anyone if it's what they have always wanted.

By the way for a lead Game developer I am looking around the $85,000 mark. But they better be packing one sweet resume.

tfrancis@REMOVEcsdginc.com