Hi everyone, I wasn''t sure which board to post this in, so bear with me. I''m currently in college and deciding whether to major in Computer Science or another field. Anyway, for working in the game industry is a CS Degree an absolute requirement? I''ve been programming since I was about 14, and know C/C++ well and know DirectX (well, still learning.) I''ve heard that many companies (not necessarily in the gaming industry) aren''t extremely happy with CS majors as of late, and look for employees who have a wider knowledge base. Thanks for any info or insight.

Well I guess if you have the skills you got the deals.....

CS is not required to get in. Most companies look at what experience you have and not what education you have.

I''m currently taking my master degree in CS, and I must say that large parts of my education would not be applied in game development.

The most important part to know, in my opinion, is the math, which you''ll have to learn whichever field you choose.

I''m going to move this to the lounge.

I''m also going to disagree with the previous two people. Most companies I have talked to consider a CS degree a plus, and a few require it. At the very least, they are usually looking for a CS degree OR EQUIVALENT EXPERIENCE. Generally, experience means working professionally as a programmer, not just doing it as a hobby, so that means getting a more conventional programming job. And to get a conventional programming job, you are probably going to have to have a degree, or at least be in the pursuit of one.

Also, it may depend on the school you go to, but both from my personal experience and from people in the industry that I''ve talked to, almost everything you learn can be applied to game development.

Looking at your post again, I want to add that yes, companies DO want a wider knowledge base, and the problem with most CS majors is that they let their professors spoonfeed them, and don''t spend much time learning outside of their course work. IMO, the best approach is to get your degree, and spend as much time as you can learning things they don''t cover in school on your own.

- Dave

I''d have to add that going for the CS major is really worth it in and of itself. I thought I was really the man when it came to C and C++ before hitting college. I''d been programming C since I was 10, Basic and Pascal even before that, etc. etc. Then I hit college and started actually learning new things. Even classes I didn''t think would ever really apply helped. Numerical Analysis, Computer Architecture, Compiler Implementation and Design all go a long way towards making a *fast* game. Of course the pre-reqs were boring, but it''s the advanced coursework that really help.

If you don''t go for the major, courses that will help:
Calc 3, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra.
Physics (Mechanics, Applied Mechanics)
Art Composition

More towards the original point, when we last hired, the only majors other than CS we looked at were: Software Engineering, Computer Engineering and Art.

It''s good to know that there are people actually taking CS and not this info sys crap. People see this info sys degree and say "hey, the economy is great for this type of worker, I''ll get this easy degree and screw this CS crap" Listen, dont be a slack-azz, yes the degree is tough and there is a lot of math and oh no...some physics too. But it''s much better, and you will understand much more in the long run. Listen, the market is booming right now, and one day it wont be. It will make it much easier to find employment in your field if you have the official piece of paper that says you are qualified or the piece of paper otherwise known as the "degree". Employers tend to get more picky in who they choose when there isn''t a huge employee shortage in the economy. You will look much better credential wise if you do have a degree in those times compared to the guy who is a hobby taught programmer. There is one excepton, and that is if you are an actual published superstar, which most people aren''t. If you are already a superstar, then who the hell needs credentials, right?

Now I can''t speak for the rest of the world, but I took my 3 ear CS Degree in the UK (graduated a year and a half or so ago) and in the final year we had to do a project of our own devising. It could be pretty much anything we wanted, I wrote a simple 3d editor using MFC and GDI (found it again today and had a good laugh). Anyhow my point is that a degree like this will allow you to specialise in a field towards the end, if you want to get into the games industry, do something gamey and you''ll be in a damn fine position to get the job of your dreams.

Mind you in the UK there''s a uni in Scotland that allows you to specialise in Game Development in your final year, which can''t be bad.