Greetings, I am new to the community and hope to become a part of it soon! <3

My name is Logan but a lot of people call me Foofy so I have adopted that name. I am 17, 18 in November and am Interested in starting my life in creating games for people to play!

Introductions aside, I have come across a problem that I am sure some of you fellow developers and people in the game industry may have experienced yourself and would really appreciate any help you can give me.

I wanted to go to college to get a degree for Game Programming, The first college I came across was UAT (University of Advancing Technology) and upon looking into it, seemed perfect. It was online, and seemingly very friendly. However my Family notified me about their suspicious requirment for my Social security number, which is required for creating the online profile. Plus it's really expensive (60k, roughly what my mothers house costs). Out of pure curiosity I googled student reviews and was not happy with all of the 1 star reviews and comments noting it's a waste of money and effort. I have applied for this college and all they require is my ssn and some paperwork and Im pretty much set.

Curious if there was a better, more appraised option I then came acoss digipen. Another college, Although it seemed to have better reviews, it feels like it is not offering all I want, such as online (Really the only thing i care about, as well as accredidation).

So I am here to ask you guys. Should I even do this? Is college even necissary for this field? Or can I teach myself code and make a living off of Indie projects and the communities Involved. This is a serious reach out, And I'm sorry it's so sudden and especially from someone so new to the community. But I would appreciate any help you can give me. <3

If you don't allready know how to program i would highly recommend going to school, a CS education at a community college can be reasonably cheap (and you probably have a decent one close to where you live). If you insist on going to a game school you should pick one that offers a proper CS program (Digipen does that, the scam schools normally does not)

Learning by yourself is definitely possible but it requires more effort and will make landing your first job a bit harder, going indie and making a living is extremely difficult and definitely not recommended unless you have a solid backup plan and money to burn.

If you don't allready know how to program i would highly recommend going to school, a CS education at a community college can be reasonably cheap (and you probably have a decent one close to where you live). If you insist on going to a game school you should pick one that offers a proper CS program (Digipen does that, the scam schools normally does not)

Learning by yourself is definitely possible but it requires more effort and will make landing your first job a bit harder, going indie and making a living is extremely difficult and definitely not recommended unless you have a solid backup plan and money to burn.

Awesome, any Idea if UAT is one of those scam schools or should I just go to community college to save money and time?

For profit schools are generally a sham. You should be looking at and applying to an accredited university for a CS program. You should be programming by yourself already and when you're getting your degree be programming on the side to build experience. The idea is a well rounded education. Try to get scholarships also if you haven't already.

If you don't allready know how to program i would highly recommend going to school, a CS education at a community college can be reasonably cheap (and you probably have a decent one close to where you live). If you insist on going to a game school you should pick one that offers a proper CS program (Digipen does that, the scam schools normally does not)

Learning by yourself is definitely possible but it requires more effort and will make landing your first job a bit harder, going indie and making a living is extremely difficult and definitely not recommended unless you have a solid backup plan and money to burn.

Awesome, any Idea if UAT is one of those scam schools or should I just go to community college to save money and time?

UAT IS A COMPLETE SCAM SCHOOL, AVOID IT. Seriously though, these schools make my blood boil, especially UAT. Seriously, don't go. It's a complete, complete waste of money. Go to a traditional brick-and-mortar school, it will be way cheaper and you'll learn way more.

If you don't allready know how to program i would highly recommend going to school, a CS education at a community college can be reasonably cheap (and you probably have a decent one close to where you live). If you insist on going to a game school you should pick one that offers a proper CS program (Digipen does that, the scam schools normally does not)

Learning by yourself is definitely possible but it requires more effort and will make landing your first job a bit harder, going indie and making a living is extremely difficult and definitely not recommended unless you have a solid backup plan and money to burn.

Awesome, any Idea if UAT is one of those scam schools or should I just go to community college to save money and time? -Edit Forgot to add this- Thank you for Saving me 60k my friend <3

UAT IS A COMPLETE SCAM SCHOOL, AVOID IT. Seriously though, these schools make my blood boil, especially UAT. Seriously, don't go. It's a complete, complete waste of money. Go to a traditional brick-and-mortar school, it will be way cheaper and you'll learn way more.

Is there another online school you recomend that will help me accomplish the same goal?

If you don't allready know how to program i would highly recommend going to school, a CS education at a community college can be reasonably cheap (and you probably have a decent one close to where you live). If you insist on going to a game school you should pick one that offers a proper CS program (Digipen does that, the scam schools normally does not)

Learning by yourself is definitely possible but it requires more effort and will make landing your first job a bit harder, going indie and making a living is extremely difficult and definitely not recommended unless you have a solid backup plan and money to burn.

Awesome, any Idea if UAT is one of those scam schools or should I just go to community college to save money and time?

I don't know about UAT specifically, they seem awfully expensive and bad reviews are never a good sign, any reasonably priced school that is accredited and offers a 4 year CS program or a decent community college that enables you to transfer to a university after 2 years to complete a BS or Masters degree should be a good choice.

I wanted to go to college to get a degree for Game Programming,

You didn't need to do that. Any college with a good Computer Science program can give you an excellent start. You should read this forum's FAQs. http://www.gamedev.net/page/reference/faq.php/_/breaking-into-the-industry-r16

Out of pure curiosity I googled student reviews and was not happy with all of the 1 star reviews and comments noting it's a waste of money and effort.

This should have told you everything you needed to know.

Is there another online school you recomend that will help me accomplish the same goal?

Why are you so focused on an "online school?" Unless you're working two jobs and raising kids, and therefore have no other option, you should be looking at something physical. A community college will teach you a lot more than an "online school."

Barring an actual university or college, you're better off just getting a non-gaming job and using your free time to teach yourself programming and start your own project. If game programming is what you really want to do, then you'll be motivated enough to finish - and in 2 years, you'll have learned far more than an "online school" will teach you, and will also have a completed project with a LOT more credibility for employers to see.

I wanted to go to college to get a degree for Game Programming,

You didn't need to do that. Any college with a good Computer Science program can give you an excellent start. You should read this forum's FAQs. http://www.gamedev.net/page/reference/faq.php/_/breaking-into-the-industry-r16

Didnt even know this existed Thank you!