I'm currently in a four-year bachelor's program for Computer Science. I plan to go into game development at an established company for a bit, and hopefully start my own operation later. I'm currently considering going for a master's degree after my bachelor's, but have been warned that some places don't like over-qualification because they have to pay more. Is it going to hurt my chances in the game development industry to get a master's of computer science? I don't want more money, just to be smarter. Thanks for any responses.

Not at all!!! More education is gooder. :)

Seriously a lot of places, even in the game dev world, are looking for people out of grad school. I know Silicon Knights is one company that would love to only hire people out of grad school if they could find enough. Any company that is interested only in salary cost when hiring people is a company you don't want to be working for anyways because they're probably going to go out of business.

Nick wrote:

>I plan to go into game development at an established company for a bit, and hopefully start my own operation later.

Then the Master's you should get is an MBA.

>I'm currently considering going for a master's degree after my bachelor's, but have been warned that some places don't like over-qualification because they have to pay more.

Everybody knows the value of someone who is more educated, more qualified. Are there places who only want cheap people? Yes. Do you think all companies are like that?

>Is it going to hurt my chances in the game development industry to get a master's of computer science?

Do you really think everybody wants only cheaper people?

>I don't want more money, just to be smarter.

Go for what you want, dude! Stop worrying about what other people want.

If you're going to start your own company some day, you need to take business classes now. If you don't want to get an MBA, at least take some classes in business and management.

> I'm currently considering going for a master's
> degree after my bachelor's

There are two reasons for doing a master's. One is that it is a required step for a PhD, and/or are looking more for an academic career. Two is that you love the field and really want to push the envelope; it might be an area of future growth and you want to get a head start. That's fine. Doing a master's solely for one's resume is not worth the time nor effort.

> start my own operation later.

You can think of an MBA, as Tom suggested, to complement your business knowledge. Many entrepreneurs can do without, though. I suggest you review that option after you have two to three years of industry experience; maturity counts for tackling an MBA.

> have been warned that some places don't like
> over-qualification because they have to pay more

Can you justify your worth? That's probably the better issue. The over-qualification argument comes from people who don't see the added value you bring to them; just take your business somewhere else.

What you really want to avoid is the "Prima Donna SyndromeTM". A master's is proof that you can tackle a project with many unknowns and have the resolve to finish it; it's not a paper that says you are a god.


-cb

Just to add to what has been said above, in some parts of the world, a master's is pretty much the "default" choice.

Here, you can stop after the bachelor's, but I'd estimate at most 10% do that. You're pretty much expected to get the master's too, while you're at it. In such a situation, it's *not* getting a master's that'll hurt your career opportunities. And so you might say doing a master's "solely for the resume" is worth the effort.

In my experience, doing a Master's in a field you love is well worth it. It doesn't hurt your employments prospects at all (it often helps; even an unrelated Master's can be a step up - mine is in Defense Studies!), but more importantly it really helps round out your knowledge of a field - which in turn helps with the ever-present task of learning about new things as you work.

An MSCS is definitely a plus (as long as the price is right). Anything you do to make up for your lack of experience will help.

If you're in a position where you can comfortably continue your education (meaning you have enough money and/or desire), then you should. Once you stop going to school, it's unlikely that you'll go back again; that part of your life will be over. So enjoy it for as long as it lasts, and don't be quick to end that phase.

Getting a masters is significantly mroe difficult than a bachelors and definatley worth the effort. You typically well ahve to complete a well reasearched thesis that slices out an area of knowledge for you to own. This shows to a potential employer that you can take a project seriously, from idean development to completion.

MBA's are very good if you are interested in how the business side of things work, but you have to ask yourself what it is you want to do. If you get an MBA you will more than likely end up running a business instead of other things people dream about. (though running a business rocks for some individuals).

To Nick,

Take time to get your Master's. Go for the goal. If I had a game company I would certainly check your profile on all the talent you have experienced in your life. I am smart but there is smarter people out in the world that would go the extra mile to see their own style and talent come forth from what they have accomplished.

I would see in you that you want to see something from yourself a much finer point in life and in a business working for yourself or for someone else. Forget what the compnaies your putting applications in. Do whats most important to you and your career. Good Luck. Faith to go the Distance.

See you in the near future of gaming.