I have a Computer Science degree and I only learned programming after going to college. However, like most people, almost everything I know about game programming in specific was self-taught.

I've had a handful of programming jobs without a college degree. A few were actually quite good and paid very well. I would have finished my degree already, but my summertime employers make me good enough offers that I've never managed to take more than one year of university at a time.

However, I'm now back at BYU (again) pursuing my Computer Science degree, hopefully for real this time [smile] I recommend it to everyone.

I cut my teeth with Commodore 64 Basic and later on QBasic on the PC at 10, went on to get a college degree, got my first programming job while cursing my last year of college, and I've been doing it since then.

Self taught Python, Basic, HTML, &#106avascript and currently learning C++ and Pascal. I haven't had any jobs, and lately I have been trying to get my foot in the door so to speak. Hopefully by August of this I plan to be in colledge working towards a degree.

I went to school for a Computer Science - Info Systems degree. I was always interested in making games so I started playing with OpenGL my junior year, and made a small RTS for my senior 'project'.
After college I got a job as a .Net desktop/web/sql programmer and have been doing that for almost 2 years. I still do some game programming at home, and am slowly working on re-writing the above RTS in C#/XNA, making it isometric and a little more visually appealing. I find it hard though to program all day then go home and do it more...

Initially self taught. Graduated from high school with rather shitty grades. Spent most of my school time home coding/modding games/playing with various 3D authoring tools. Never went to college or university, due to my shitty grades. Went for a 1-year game development course, which was more a playground where a bunch of rookie coders, artists, gamedesigner-wannabes was locked in a room for one year asked to do something cool. Towards the end of that year a guy from a game studio came to see what this "school" was up to. Apparently he was impressed by a few of the projects we done (or more likely desperate for people). And a few of us got hired at that company after that year.

Now, 8 years later, I'm still in the business with 2, soon 3 AAA titles on the shelves and a ton of experience.

Quote: Original post by jpetrie
First programming language I learned was Hypertalk, around when Hypercard was released (early 80s). I taught myself other languages and software development techniques until I went to college, where I studied computer science, and learned that much of what I thought I knew was wrong. I studied computer science and game development formally in college for four years, then I got a real job, where I learned that much of what I thought I knew was wrong.

Et cetera.

I actually have almost literally the same experience as jpetrie, right down to Hypertalk/HyperCard. I did computer science formally in university for 4-5 (depends who you ask) years and am in a proper job writing vaguely-related-to-graphics software now.

I think we've had debates here about "self taught" vs. fully trained programmers; not to stir up the pot again but it's my opinion that a formal education will absolutely point out holes in your knowledge by forcing you to admit them.

Self-taught here. Been working as a computer programmer since 1999 aprx.
I went to university for a year but I didn't like it.

Self taught from the age of 13.
Graduated with a comp sci degree.
Worked for a company that made cell phone video games. Went bust.
Helped with a startup, also making video games. Went bust.
Now making gambling games for a las vegas company while working on my own indie like game on my own time. =)

Started teaching myself C++ when I was 13, got older, graduated from high school, got an internship as a programmer at a game company, went to college. I'm still in college, majoring in computer science and taking a bunch of math classes (I'll be two classes short of a math double major when I'm done). I'm graduating this spring, and I plan on working in games somewhere. If no one hires me, then I'll go back to the game company I've been working at during the summers for the past 4 years.

Promit's post referenced above is pretty good advice. I may not think the act of attending college is alone enough to guarantee you'll come out with any sort of useful skills, but college will offer you a lot of exposure to things you might not otherwise have learned on your own. Your motivation and your willingness to make the most of college is still by far the most important factor of any college education, but that doesn't mean college is completely pointless. College will help you make the most of your motivation and it can greatly expedite your own personal learning process. And, as Promit mentions at the bottom of his article, maturity is a big thing. I'm 22 now, and I'm a vastly different person now than I was when I was 18. More life experience, more technical experience, etc.