Hello all!

I have been reading in these forums a little and thought I'd ask a few questions.

I've just started in the beginner's forums and have a long way away before applying to a company. However what should I be doing now to start compiling my progress to be a marketable candidate eventually.

I have a year and a half left to complete my computer science degree, I have made pong in xna, and am starting a hack and slash.

Should I make a website of my namesake and list projects and a resume? Should I make separate resumes for corporate programming and game development? Should I start a blog? Should I list games I've made with screenshots, source code, installers, and video?

Any help would be appreciative!

1. Should I make a website of my namesake and list projects and a resume?
2. Should I make separate resumes for corporate programming and game development?
3. Should I start a blog?
4. Should I list games I've made with screenshots, source code, installers, and video?

1. YES.
2. If you really want to, I suppose. (Two websites.)
3. No.
4. This is part of #1.

Tom,

So included with projects that are games I should include source code, screenshots, video, and compressed installation files?

Should I make a website of my namesake and list projects and a resume?

Definitely.
I've seen at least one person that was solely hired based on their website. (Although unfortunately, it turned out he was a fraud).
Basically think of it this way:
You're an HR or anyone in charge of recruitment.
You receive 1000 applications for a said position.
You have 8 hours to figure out which you're going to pick.

Now obviously, you'll want to do the best job you can and hire the best person there is, but you'll also want to avoid taking chances, and to minimize risks, you will set yourself some goals. For example, you will want to know a minimum of things about each candidate before moving on.
You'll make a first pass, sorting out the best candidates in a list up for second pass.
During that first pass, you'll rule out all of those that did not have readily available information: you COULD dig deeper, and they MAY turn out to be great applicants, but the truth is that this alone will cut on your time to find THAT candidate, and so, its a minor risk than to discard these applications.

In other words, your website not only needs to exist, but it also needs to be straight to the point, and the more readily accessible is all of that critical information, the better.
Cut away on crap about how your mommy raised you to be a good kid and how you got into doing what you do, just SHOW them.

4. Should I list games I've made with screenshots, source code, installers, and video?

That's probably the only things your website should have aside from decent design and efficient UI.

3. Should I start a blog?

You don't really need to be opiniated to be good. I don't think you'd need a blog.

2. Should I make separate resumes for corporate programming and game development?

It depends. What would you list differently on there. Personally, I make a new resume for every application that I make, only to change the order of a few things just to make sure that I hit the things that are important for them and downlist everything else that may or may not come in handy.

Tom,

So included with projects that are games I should include source code, screenshots, video, and compressed installation files?

Yes.

I totally agree with Orymus3.

We had a conference here in Belgium about Game Development. ( Programmers & Artists who came from Asia, America, France, England, etc ) just to talk about how hard the business is and how to break through.

The best company here in Belgium is Larian studios. He receives hundreds of mails everyday ( sort of ) of people who think they are good enough.
You can't expect him to have a look at your website for like 15 minutes. It all needs to go very fast!

Here is an example of a concept artist: http://rcdraws.carbonmade.com/
What is he doing to make his website cool? Well the first thing he posts is about a contest. You just really want to click on that one and see what it shows.

Here is an example of another artist: http://www.jochemvanwetten.nl/
The problem here is, you only see 1 picture. Not that interesting for the home page of a website. So kinda boring. Which means you loses chances to get accepted.

I know these are only website of artists.. But even as a programmer you need to be able to get a cool home page. You need to give people the feeling that they want more of your work! Also the website name is very very important. If you send a mail to a company with your website named "Coding4Ever" "LoVeCod3S", forget it.

You can't expect him to have a look at your website for like 15 minutes. It all needs to go very fast!

Well you need to give them a reason to stay VERY FAST, but you don't need to make them leave very fast, so there should be a hook and lasting appeal, just like a good story ;)