Hi, I am just curious, but would I be better off getting a degree from Full Sail for game programming, or going to a real college. I already have 5 years experience, and I intend on going into the game industry either way, but a degree always makes for a better application, as I am sure you all know. ;) Really my question is, is Full Sail good enough? I visited the campus with my brother when he applied for it. He said it is a pretty crazy schedule, and intensive. He went for his degree in sound engineering, and he said Full Sail was great for his career.

The general consensus (with which I agree, FWIW) is that a traditional 4 year college is a better choice than a trade school like Full Sail (especially one granting a 2-year degree).

That said, I work with a Full Sail grad who is very good at what he does, so there are certainly competent people coming out of the school and getting jobs in the industry (I just can't speak for what percentage of FS grads fall into this category).

Well after checking into it, they do have some pretty competent graduates, including ones who have worked on Madden, The Godfather, Ratchet and Clank, and other titles.

I took a look at the courses, and they seem pretty good, although some of the stuff I already know, I like how it is setup. Overall, Full Sail seems pretty amazing. Plus I liked the tour of the campus I had some years back.

FWIW, here (scroll down to JWalsh's post) is a good comparison of Full Sail to a traditional college (and a few posts later is a comparison to another game school, Digipen). There are some good insights there, so take a look.

Quote: Original post by Halifax2
Hi, I am just curious, but would I be better off getting a degree from Full Sail for game programming, or going to a real college.

FAQ 44 - http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson44.htm

Quote: I already have 5 years experience, and I intend on going into the game industry either way, but a degree always makes for a better application

FAQ 41 - http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson41.htm

Quote: Really my question is, is Full Sail good enough?

FAQ 49 - http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson49.htm

[Edit] But since you have work experience already, and you're specifically targeting a game job, perhaps the game school is the right way to go, for you. You should make a decision grid. See FAQ 25 - http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson25.htm

[Edited by - tsloper on January 29, 2008 12:14:05 PM]