Hey everyone. I have a question directed towards anyone working in the entertainment technology field. I'm a recent graduate with a BS in computer engineering and I want to pursue a career in entertainment tech. Though I can code, I'd rather work more on the art side of things. For the next step I figured I would go get my masters, but I'm realizing there aren't many schools that offer a masters in entertainment technology. I've really been draw to Full Sail and hope to go there next year but the main problem is that they only offer a bachelors. To me it really doesn't matter since I feel the material I will learn will only help to supplement what I learned from my previous major. My parents are telling me that getting another bachelors is just going backwards and is gonna be a waste of my time. So to all the pros out there, will it really be a detriment to me if I were to have a bachelors in computer engineering and a bachelors in 3D design and animation? Will I be looked at weird with two BS degrees? Does a masters really matter or will it depend more on me having a strong demo and portfolio after I finish my schooling? (also, if you guys know of any quality schools besides CMU and Full Sail please lemme know) PS - I also thought of the master's program at CMU but when I applied I didn't get in so I don't think thats an option.

Pus wrote:

>I'm a recent graduate with a BS in computer engineering and ... I'd rather work more on the art side of things.

When did this epiphany hit you, that you'd been studying the wrong thing? That's good that you got a degree, but why did you study something you didn't want to study? Or what happened here, did you change your mind after having gone too far to turn back?

>there aren't many schools that offer a masters in entertainment technology.
>Full Sail ... only offer a bachelors. To me it really doesn't matter since I feel the material I will learn will only help to supplement what I learned from my previous major. My parents are telling me that getting another bachelors is just going backwards and is gonna be a waste of my time.

Are your parents paying for it? If so, you don't have control over it, so why ask us our opinions?

> will it really be a detriment to me if I were to have a bachelors in computer engineering and a bachelors in 3D design and animation?

How could that be a detriment? You're gonna have to tell us what this detriment might be.

>Will I be looked at weird with two BS degrees?

Who cares? Appearances don't matter. This is about your life, not about appearances.

>Does a masters really matter or will it depend more on me having a strong demo and portfolio after I finish my schooling?

Nobody cares what degrees you get after this juncture. Spectacular portfolio. You've already got a degree, we already know you have stick-to-itiveness.

>(also, if you guys know of any quality schools besides CMU and Full Sail please lemme know)

Nobody cares what school you go to. Read these:
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson25.htm (How to choose a school)
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson34.htm (About choosing a degree)
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson44.htm (Game school vs. regular school)

[When did this epiphany hit you, that you'd been studying the wrong thing? That's good that you got a degree, but why did you study something you didn't want to study? Or what happened here, did you change your mind after having gone too far to turn back?]

obviously he changed his mind and what's done is done.

[Are your parents paying for it? If so, you don't have control over it, so why ask us our opinions]

what do his parents matter? he asks us for our opinions and you find possible realities where our opinion is irelevent?

[Who cares? Appearances don't matter. This is about your life, not about appearances]

i dont think that is what he was getting at but a good answer would have been no.

[Nobody cares what degrees you get after this juncture. Spectacular portfolio. You've already got a degree, we already know you have stick-to-itiveness]

[Nobody cares what school you go to]

nobody? absolutely nobody? can you back that up?

A professional question deserves a professional answer.

From what I understand, artists depend a lot on their portfolio to get them jobs and such. So rather than think about what a MS or BS in entertainment technology will look like to an employer, you may want to think about what skills you will learn from pursuing either one.

If you are experienced in creating art, you might want to pursue a MS to refine your skills. Otherwise, a BS would probably give you a better foundation to build upon.

thanks so far everyone for the feedback.

When studying law it can make a difference to your employment prospects where you study and where you place in your class.

That isn't the case in the creative industries because it is your creativity that is the most important thing. Having a degree is important because it shows you can get through a job that is long and at time boring. In essence it "ticks a box" for an employer. It doesn't actually matter what the degree is because your creativity will actually be demonstrated by your portfolio. This is just as important, if not more so, than the degree.

Mr. Marchant, Thanks for your insight on the industry. I've been doing some research on the school I was hoping to attend (Full Sail) and as I'm sure many of you know there are a lot of mixed reviews(and I highly doubt the internet needs another 'full sail sucks vs. full sail's awesome' thread so lets just avoid that). Since it's so mixed I think I'd rather go with a school thats a bit more of a safer bet. Any quick suggestions on some quality schools? Just to let you all know optimally I'd like a school thats around 2 years in duration. Since I've already gone through undergrad education and I'm 22, I'm pretty much looking to avoid sitting in classes that don't relate to my creative interests. By this point I'd kinda like a direct path to my goals. Thanks again for everyone's feedback.

pus wrote:
>Any quick suggestions on some quality schools? ... Since I've already gone through undergrad education and I'm 22 ... I'd kinda like a direct path to my goals.

We've been trying to tell you to pick any school that interests you. Dan put it very clearly, in my opinion, and you went on as though what he said was insightful but perhaps off point. It wasn't off point. The point is that the school isn't what matters. Now that you have your "this guy can stick it out through a whole college education" box ticked, the important thing is how spectacular a portfolio you can make. The best way to get from here to there is to get some art education, but as has been said before to you, it doesn't matter where.

Again, how to choose a school: http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson25.htm. YOU choose the school that YOU think will best help YOU build YOUR spectacular portfolio.

Good luck.

For a fully accredited Master's in Interactive Entertainment check out the Florida Institue for Interactive Entertainment in Orlando. It's a new school (noone has even graduated yet), but I've been there and know people there and it is a pretty good school. It is actually a part of the (edit) Film and Digital Media program at the University of Central Florida, so it is REALLY accredited, not just pretend accredited like a lot of other schools. It was also cofounded with EA (EA-Tiberon is up the road, and professors there are all from industry) so you will almost certainly get a job afterwards due to its ties to the industry. The curriculum focuses on 5 specialties: 3D Modeling, Animation and Motion, Technical Artistry, Software Development, and Production Management. Most people can fit into one of those, I imagine.

Carnegie-Melon offers a similar program. Some of the people who started FIEA came from Carnegie-Melon, so some of the curriculum will be similar. I don't know as much about that one (because its in Pittsburgh, and I'm in Orlando).

Both programs require a bachelor's degree.

Quote: Original post by tsloper
pus wrote:
>Any quick suggestions on some quality schools? ... Since I've already gone through undergrad education and I'm 22 ... I'd kinda like a direct path to my goals.

We've been trying to tell you to pick any school that interests you. Dan put it very clearly, in my opinion, and you went on as though what he said was insightful but perhaps off point. It wasn't off point. The point is that the school isn't what matters. Now that you have your "this guy can stick it out through a whole college education" box ticked, the important thing is how spectacular a portfolio you can make. The best way to get from here to there is to get some art education, but as has been said before to you, it doesn't matter where.

Again, how to choose a school: http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson25.htm. YOU choose the school that YOU think will best help YOU build YOUR spectacular portfolio.

Good luck.

Sorry for going a bit off topic here, but I have read many articles on your website, and just have a couple of resume-related questions. Your site says that a good designer should have a broad college education, with subjects in a variety of subjects such as mythology, screenwriting, etc. Many posts on gamedev seem to advocate removing 'irrelevant' information from resumes, whilst your site suggests that almost everything is relevant to a designer.

Should I be listing my university subjects on my resume - even when there is a large diversity of topics, all of which could be relevant in some way to a games company? For my employment history, should I only list game-related jobs, or will other jobs and skills add depth to my resume? How long should my resume be? As someone with very little commercial experience so far, I feel that I need to give employers as much insight as possible into what I HAVE done, which is mainly education so far.

Thanks.