Hello everyone,

I am a student from India currently in my 3rd year of college and studying Information and Technology. I have a keen interest in game programming and so study stuff like 3D Graphics Rendering, AI, Physics in Games etc. on my own.

My aim is to get into one of the AAA Game companies as a Game Programmer Intern next year. (EA Games in particular)

My question is do these companies actually higher international students and also get them visas and all ? and if they do what should I do or how can I prove them my worth that they should hire me ?

The placement cell and the internship cell in my college is pathetic. So I have to do this myself my college can't help me in anyway possible. So please give my your advice on how can I achieve my aim.


Thank you.

Unfortunately, you're in a tough spot here. There are far more people trying to get into the industry than the industry can actually support right now, so employers generally don't go out of their way to make it easy to do things like internships. It's a "buyer's market" if you will - the employers have the upper hand, and can afford to be lazy about finding people for internships and entry level positions. So I doubt you'll find many programs that will stretch to help you with visa issues and so on. In fact, from my recent experience, even senior-level positions tend to require that you've sorted out all the legalities of working abroad prior to even applying. So, unfortunately, you'll have to do some serious legwork to make this happen.

That's not to say it's impossible, and I may be wrong - there may indeed be some companies who will do the legal paperwork for you, I just don't know of them offhand. Better safe than sorry, though; focus on getting your skills sharp and your portfolio polished, and you should be OK.

Unfortunately, you're in a tough spot here. There are far more people trying to get into the industry than the industry can actually support right now, so employers generally don't go out of their way to make it easy to do things like internships. It's a "buyer's market" if you will - the employers have the upper hand, and can afford to be lazy about finding people for internships and entry level positions. So I doubt you'll find many programs that will stretch to help you with visa issues and so on. In fact, from my recent experience, even senior-level positions tend to require that you've sorted out all the legalities of working abroad prior to even applying. So, unfortunately, you'll have to do some serious legwork to make this happen.

That's not to say it's impossible, and I may be wrong - there may indeed be some companies who will do the legal paperwork for you, I just don't know of them offhand. Better safe than sorry, though; focus on getting your skills sharp and your portfolio polished, and you should be OK.

Ok .. thanx for that information ..
What if I have the legal work figured out .. Do these companies actually higher international students as interns ? or better still .. How often do these companies higher international students as interns ?

Hap,
Nobody can tell you "oh yes, all companies welcome interns from overseas" or "oh no, no companies welcome interns from overseas." You think the world is binary, that everything is either black or white. It's not.

Each company, each manager, is different. Each one has its own ideas and policies.

But in general, overseas candidates are extremely problematic because of not only the paperwork but also for many other reasons: language, timing among them.

It's too late to apply for summer internships for this year.
If someone looked at your résumé and said, "let's interview him," they would want you to come to their office within 2 or 3 days. Since you live on the other side of the planet, you can't do that. If they then said, "let's hire him," they would want you to start the following Monday. Since you live on the other side of the planet, you can't do that.

Read FAQ 24. The "stupid tricks" that apply to job applicants are exactly the same for interns.