OK, i''m attending indiana university this year, cs major. (woohoo) anyway, i wanted to know what the pros thot about these 15 month game programming schools, where you get an assoc. degree. Do you find these necessary, or helpful for finding jobs? or is game programming better learned along side with a bachelor degree in cs? ^_^DATO

I''m not sure about these game programming schools, but demos are definitely one of the best ways to attract job offers, cause they can actually see what you are capable of.

Check out http://www.gameinstitute.com/ for some really cool courses you can take on game programming. Though I''m not sure you end up with solid qualifications though ...

FatalXC

While I am not a professional game programmer (I work for the DoD programming simulation stuff in Java (not as exciting as it sounds)), I do have some experience in the general tech/programming/analyst fields. Definately get a degree, an associates in Game Programming, or whatever it is, is a risky proposition. I have a feeling that it is not held in great respect (whether it should or not is not my place to say). Therefore, I see anyone relying on a Game Programming school finding it hard to get a job. Getting the BS in Computer Science opens MANY MANY more doors for you later in life. I would recommend just taking these game programming courses on the side for your own interests sake. Hope that helps.

As with anything in life it''s all about what you do, not what you have. Millions apon millions of people graduate college with a B.S. degree in something or another each year. There are plenty of them with B.S. in C.S. degrees also. So when you send out your resume, and list little to no experiance (Just like the rest of the college cs grads) what sets you apart?

I''ve attended both regular colleges, and game programming schools now, and feel as though they both have something to offer.

As for getting a job, well that depends on many factors.

#1. Are you at the right company?
#2. Do they have any open jobs?
#3. How well do you interview?
#4. Can you live with the job offer?
#5. Can the buisness live with your "needs"?
#6. Are you willing to move?

There are plenty more where that came from, and they have completely nothing to do with your education/background yet can cost you the job. So no matter what degree you have it doesn''t make it any easier to get a job. I consider degrees "Door Openers". Just because there are 1000 doors open doesn''t mean you can''t open more. And just because there are 1000 doors open doesn''t mean that you might not have to walk through 500 of them before getting a job.

Q: Do you think college is important?
A: Yes of course it is. But I honestly don''t think it prepaires you for the industry.

Q: Do you think A game programming school is good?
A: Obviously this question''s been answered plenty of times already. Look at how many graduates from Digipen have made it into the industry and look at where they work. Or goto full sail''s website. There are students working at Divisions of Electronic Arts, Midway, and Ubi-soft. How many graduates from your current college can claim the same? If there wasn''t a market for people with the knowledge and enough experiance then these schools wouldn''t exist.

So that about somes it up. On a side note, I''d like to see one regular college student who logs 440 hours of coding time in class/labs alone like the students who graduated Full Sail do.