Six months ago I got fed up with my soul-crushing job, and decided that I really wanted to make games professionally. I think the trigger was seeing Ted Price give a "hype building" talk for Resistance 2, which really reminded me about how passionate work can be. When I went back to my job where everyone was apathetic and passionless, I couldn't get the idea of resigning out of my head. It only took two weeks of this line of thought for me to put in my months notice of resignation. So anyway, 6 months and tens of thousands of dollars of savings later, I'm finally a game programmer! Albeit a junior one due to the past 3 years in a different industry. If anyone else wants to quit their cushy office job for a shot at games, here's my lessons learned: * Get a decent phone line. My cheapo VOIP phone cut out 3 times in one interview! * Do your homework on where the jobs are. At the time the grapevine said that Brisbane had plenty of jobs going, but the "global economic crisis" (or "Timmy" as I like to call it) saw them all dry up with Pandemic studios closing, THQ enacting global cut-backs, etc... Chasing those jobs wasted precious time that I should have spent attacking Melbourne with resumes. * Have a shiny portfolio / demo. Most companies require a demo, but at the same time many IT policies restrict running downloaded executables or visits to YouTube, so record videos in a common codec too. Also, pay for web-hosting instead of using free upload sites - those things just shit people off! * Know your stuff! Download any tests/exams you can find and sites like BrainBench to benchmark yourself. I was extremely confident in my skills, but still got very mixed appraisals from potential employers, from guru/senior to beginner/junior. * Be humble, but be sure to sell yourself. No-one likes arrogance, but you do need to show off your skills. I'm still not quite sure how to do this... (the showing off, not the humility). * Make sure you've got a lot of money in the bank. We all know the rule of doubling your estimates, so if you think you might be out of work for 3 months, make sure you've got 6 months of expenses covered. Also, stop wasting money on booze and video games in the meantime! If you're looking for jobs in another city, make sure you've got extra money for lots of flights, removalists, pet-transport, rental bonds - this stuff ain't cheap. * Don't trust recruiters. A purely observational description of what they do would be that they tell you how great you are, and then stop calling. * Don't trust employers, until you've got the offer in your hand (or inbox). I got told twice by two different companies that they were impressed and just had to "write up the offer", but due to economic circumstances (etc) they later had to retract the advertised job. (No hard feelings if you're reading this, ******* and *******, I still do trust and respect you - it's just the way the industry goes sometimes) * Be prepared to drop a few rungs in the "corporate ladder". I've gone from being responsible for major API design decisions, to being a junior again. If you're attached to "the ladder" then stay where you are. * Be prepared for (and enthusiastic enough not to care about) a big pay cut. Dropping rungs means dropping pay, and switching from an opulent industry to a stereotypically tight-arse industry also means cutting a chunk out of that salary.

congrats! glad to hear you are chasing the dream. i've been thinking about doign something similar...

Interesting set of lessons, and congratulations on the job.


I never would have thought to place "decent phone line" on a list to prepare for a job. It does seem rather obvious to not hang up on a phone interview, akin to "Wear some clothes when going to in-office interview". It's one of those basic things that is normally not addressed, but still quite important.




I think some of those lessons were due more to timing and the existance of Timmy (or what most people call the "global ecoomic crisis") than anything.

Specifically, I think the dropping on the corporate ladder was more of an opportunity issue than a requirement. Lots of layoffs means flooded market which means the better positions get filled in quickly. The same with the lower pay: when the market is flooded you can hire skilled talent at reduced rates, although you should be open to renegotiate pay when the market picks up again.

Thanks guys ;)

I remembered a few more:

* Have a thick enough skin not to get upset when people ignore you. Some companies say "only successful applicants will be contacted", but even ones that say "you will be contacted" might be too busy to let you know that the position has been filled.

* If a company says not to email or call regarding your application then just be prepared to follow the previous dot-point, because they probably get a lot of applications and are too busy to look at them all.

* If you get an unexpected question in an interview that seems like an attack on your work or credentials, do not get defensive (a sign of an ego coder!), just take it as an opportunity to talk some more with pride about your work.

Hi Hodgman,

Thanks for sharing your advice about getting employed. These are all good points to make and they are the truth. You really gotta have time on your side when it comes for applying for jobs and letting the bureaucratic nature of hiring take it's course, I remember my first position in the industry took 3 months of interviews and tests before I actually started working.

Being a Melbournite myself I'm curious as to where you're working in Melbourne? Could ya give us a hint? =D

Also, It might be an idea to post your collected advice on a forum or journal post at TSumea. As a lot of Australian hopefuls do visit the site.

Cheers,
Chris Watts

Quote: Could ya give us a hint? =D

It rhymes with "Rome" ;)

Ah. So your part of the ultra Krome empire now?

A great place to start dude. :D Hope you enjoy working there!

Congratulations from the other side of the blue planet!

Hearing these success stories always warms my heart [grin]

Congrats on a new start.

Was the pay cut severe percentage wise?

For the game industry, is there a typical salary cap for the lead programmer guy with many years of experience? Versus the cap for the original IT segment yo were in?