I am still young, and am just completeting high school, and havent chosen a career path yet, other than working for my father and making maybe 70k a year, but i decided maybe it would be a good career path to partake..im not sure how much one would make to work for a major game industry on a game project, but i was wondering, what would i have to major in?

What shcools offer these courses?

And is it a good career path?

I really do enjoy making games and think it would be a great career path, but if im only going to make say 50k a year working for industries i wouldnt think it would be worth going to an expensive school and working for a degree in whatever it is for so so years, while i could just fix motors and make almost twice than that.

There are many technical colleges (Collins College) that offer some type of design degree.

If I could work for my father at a guaranteed 70k a year I would take that job, save up, and use the money to start my own business.  Very few people will have a job like that lined up right out of college, unless they are getting a masters or if they are excelling in a highly competitive bachelors program.

but i really am considering other career paths

what is the major though? computer science?  software engineer?

jdock1:

well, not guarenteed 70 the first year, it depends on how good i do, how hard i work, i have to work my way at the top, but maybe 40-60 k my first year

 

 

but i really am considering other career paths

 

what is the major though? computer science?  software engineer?

 Depends on what *you* want to do.  If the only part of computing that interests you is making games - you're probably better served by a technical college (IMHO - please remember that's all most of us can offer - an opinion on this) - taking Computer Science and Software Engineering are great, but won't gaurentee that you will be working in the game industry. Also both *should* (please note I studied Maths because it was way cooler and the ladies love it, so I'm going off those Computer Science courses I did take and those Comp Sci/Software Engineers I associate with) cover a far broader segement of computing than you'll use in game design/programmer. If you're not actually interested in aspects other than those directly  related to making games, those programs will likely bore you.  Chances are you won't succeed as well in something that bores you most of the time.  On the other hand, a technical college with a game targetted program should take less time (most of the ones I've seen advertised aren't four year degree programs for example) and probably less money while focusing on those aspects you'd actually care about.  If in the end you find you hate it, you don't end up wasting as much time (although education is never really a waste) and you go back to building/fixing motors - which for 70K a year isn't something you could call a lose ;) also last I checked, with the way cars are changing - fixing motors as you put it, should still be a pretty cool job .

http://letskilldave.com/blog/some-thoughts-on-learning-xna-game-development/

I'm too still jung and I'm only 1 year away of finishing my current school, so those thougths corssed my minde a few times too, just that I found a solution for them long ago.

Fist of all: What is it that you want to do? If you realy want to work on games, you don't care about you many k's you get the first year, because you make that what you like to do. And as long they pay enouth to get a Big Mc (just for example, you also can get a Mc Chicken) once in a while I would be fine. And as they sayed before: If you're right in the education and suddenly found out that you don't like game development you still could stop and fix motor cycles again, the education woun't kill you. (I always would choose the workshop with the diplomated mechanic ^.^)

And about the question about which direction you should take: ANY! I may sound now: 'know-it-all', but I've read too many articles/interviews about the education stuff to say different. The people will look at you diplome, yes, but it woun't get you the job, its also about the stuff you do beside school. So getting yourself a 'I'm awsome in Game Development' diplome woun't do the thing. You'll also have to spend time after school working on your games makeing them the best they can be. The same counts if you "only" get a IT diplome, it actually could be even better depending on the studion you're applying. A great Indy game, a mod, or just a huge pile of code you've writen in your garage could be wothier as a diplome, as long as is good enouth.

Also you may should think about the thing you like the most of makeing game and go for a diplome in that direction. A game development diplome dosn't open you all doors. If you like the programming take a programming class, if you like to draw models take a art class, and if you like to write phyisic engines take a physics class, they always need engineers.

Just think about what you want to do in futur (and I don't mean 'In want to become ... er ... something in game development ... thing', I mean 'I want to become Level Designer/3D Model Artist/Tools programmer/etc), thing of a path on how to achive it, and got straight for it. You can change you mind later, there are people who change their career with 50, it should not be that problem.

Hope that could help :)

Just a few links that you don't think that is only my mind:

http://www.sloperama.com/advice/route66.htm

http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson34.htm

Greg the Mad

Some schools that offer game programming degrees:

Full Sail University

DeVry University

List of other schools that have game programming and related programs: http://www.gamedev.net/reference/list.asp?categoryid=77