What did you major in!?

[Cavalry]

So after this quarter I just have to take 2 more classes and I will have my AA transer degree. The frickin problem is that I cannot decide on what to major in. For a while I wanted to be a veterinarian but then I decided to throw that out the window.

I keep coming back to the idea of becoming a game designer. It sounds almost cliche, but I want to do something I auctually like and make a pretty hefty amount of money doing it.

Is becoming a game designer a bad choice, it sounds do able?

and I know alot of you have graduated from college and have a family and the whole thing....got any advice on what to major in?!

 

[Nesagwa]

So after this quarter I just have to take 2 more classes and I will have my AA transer degree. The frickin problem is that I cannot decide on what to major in. For a while I wanted to be a veterinarian but then I decided to throw that out the window.

I keep coming back to the idea of becoming a game designer. It sounds almost cliche, but I want to do something I auctually like and make a pretty hefty amount of money doing it.

Is becoming a game designer a bad choice, it sounds do able?

and I know alot of you have graduated from college and have a family and the whole thing....got any advice on what to major in?!

Do you either A) Already know how to program and program well, or B) Know 3DSMax inside and out, know how to rig, animate, etc.

Soul crushing work that Im not sure how anyone would enjoy honestly.

Dont let them lie to you, its tedious work that stretches on for days and days.

EDIT: Game Designer is like directing a movie in hollywood, its hard to get and there is very low demand for the job.

Just remember that games are like movies, there are many many many parts to it.

Game design majors dont teach you anything but 3D graphics and maybe a little programming.

If you want to get into the game industry, pick something related to games or movies (since they share alot of the same jobs) and go with it. That way you will have a much better degree and a more flexible job outlook.

 

[hermegildo]

Do you either A) Already know how to program and program well, or B) Know 3DSMax inside and out, know how to rig, animate, etc.

Soul crushing work that Im not sure how anyone would enjoy honestly.

Dont let them lie to you, its tedious work that stretches on for days and days.

Nesagwa doesn't kid.

I'm under the impression that a lot of people that want to be game designers don't really know what that entails.

I'm traditional animation.

 

[Nesagwa]

Nesagwa doesn't kid.

I'm under the impression that a lot of people that want to be game designers don't really know what that entails.

I'm traditional animation.

Its really such an ambiguous major.

Its like taking a major called "MOVIES!" You have no idea what youre getting into until you get halfway through your second year and into the core classes of the major and realize "WTF Am I doing here, I hate 3D Modeling."

 

[Cavalry]

ya I figured as much. From what i've read it sounds like a very stressful thing to be involved in.

Life sucks.....

anyways, what do some of you do..job wise!? The reason I ask is because alot of people here have the ginormous AES collections and that means you must have farily decent jobs or very generous parents.

 

[hermegildo]

Its really such an ambiguous major.

Its like taking a major called "MOVIES!" You have no idea what youre getting into until you get halfway through your second year and into the core classes of the major and realize "WTF Am I doing here, I hate 3D Modeling."

Hahahaha.

Have you seen that commercial where some dudes that have probably never touched a video game console are playing video games like retards and some ugly broad shows up and says "These kids are doing homework!"

Cracks me up everytime I see it.

EDIT: Directing a movie is just as complex from what I understand, it seems like an overwhelming process to me.

 

[Nesagwa]

ya I figured as much. From what i've read it sounds like a very stressful thing to be involved in.

Life sucks.....

anyways, what do some of you do..job wise!? The reason I ask is because alot of people here have the ginormous AES collections and that means you must have farily decent jobs or very generous parents.

I dropped out from the Art Institute in January and am transfering to The University of South Florida (just got accepted a few weeks ago) and have been living on student loans for the past two years.

Hahahaha.

Have you seen that commercial where some dudes that have probably never touched a video game console are playing video games like retards and some ugly broad shows up and says "These kids are doing homework!"

Cracks me up everytime I see it.

EDIT: Directing a movie is just as complex from what I understand, it seems like an overwhelming process to me.

Yeah it makes me sick to my stomach seeing those now.

I think film is a little easier to handle since you can grab a camera, a few lights, some mics, and a decent computer and just go make a movie without having TONS of prior knowledge.

At least for me anyway.

 

[Lagduf]

Nes knows whats up.

Graduating December 2006 with a BS in Secondary Education - Social Studies.
Certified to teach grades 9-12 in the State of Missouri.

 

[BeefJerky]

I majored in marijuana cultivation.

 

[Ruell]

Hope to grad from RLC with an AS degree. I don't have a major though since it's only the general courses to transfer

 

[The_Chosen_One]

I graduated May of 05 with a degree in Accounting.

 

[Lagduf]

I'm going to teach your kids.

Be afraid.

 

[ray_7]

BCom and soon MS Finance.

 

[ki_atsushi]

I got my AA in Liberal Arts (general Studies) at my local community college a few years back. I was going to transfer to the local state college, and continue with a different major but I never did. I've been planning to go to a technical school and get A+ & network certified and whatnot. The only thing is... I've become very unmotivated in the past year. I've just been content with working full time and I need to snap out of it and get back in school.

 

[Curt]

Bus. IS

 

[Zenimus]

I'm still in college and I major in Film. Though, most of the knowledge I have I gained from experimenting on my own. Nowadays I'm starting to get bored at being a film major. I'm becoming more interested in 3D modeling and animation, but it's a tough challenge to master.

I currently work at an advertising agency as a graphic designer. I also edit some TV commercials and create DVDs occasionally. It seems fun every now and then, but most of the time it's also very stressful. You have the task of coming up with something creative in a small timeframe, and then hope that it gets accepted by the clients.

It's good to have knowledge of many different programs, as it will enable you to be very versatile when you're looking for a job involving computers (games, filmmaking, etc.)

 

[Magnaflux]

Game design is a good profession if you like excruciating hours, dismally low pay and to not be able to afford the games you make.

My major is Mech. engineerning. I'll have an associates in engineering ( ) and a drafting certificate at the end of the year.

Then off to another year to finish up my bachelors.

The coursework is really a damned drag, but there is ample work at above average salaries available since people are tired of dealing with brown engineers.

 

[not sonic]

im attempting engineering. first years get to declare their major next month, im not really sure which i want. mechanical or electrical/computers are the ones im leaning toward.

if bio-mech meant building giant bio-mechs, id do that in a heartbeat.:chimp:


brown engineers

 

[Neco_Coneco]

In May I will have a BS is computer science.

 

[Nash]

I double majored in Psychology and Political Science. My second major was initially Molecular Biology, intending to go to med school in hopes of becoming a psychiatrist. However, a political science class I took for a Gen Ed got me into that sort of thing, and now I'm in law school. I don't know if I made the right decision.

 

[crujones4life]

I am in Pharmacy school.

 

[Lastblade]

Mathematics. Not apply math with numbers and crap, I am talking "pure" math, where you try to prove theroems all day long (not a number in sight). It is pretty hardcore when you deal with sentences like "Open sets in all but finite space".... WTF, that sentence took me 2 weeks to understand, but I still don't really get it.

And that was over 10 years ago, so I basically forgot all that useless crap.

 

[turbopants]

I have a bachelors degree in business administration. Looking to get a MBA in the next few years, it's well worth it.

 

[ki_atsushi]

In May I will have a BS is computer science.

Wow, good for you! Before I changed my major to Liberal Arts, I was a Comp. Sci. Major. I was actually almost done with all of the required courses too, but I changed my mind.

I was under the impression (like most people) that game programming would be an awesome job. In my second semester of C++, our final project was to make Asteroids. Just a simple game like that took 2 weeks for groups of 5 to figure out. It totally turned me off of programming, and most of my classmates as well. The class started off with over 40 students at the beginning of the semester, and by the end, there was only 15 of us.

 

[CrackerMessiah]

I got my BA in 2004 with a dual major in Political Science and Arabic. I'll be heading out this fall to start my MA in Middle Eastern Studies.

And with that said, I have also worked in the game industry. Here's a few remarks:

1) Programmers make the most. All along the paygrade, programmers will always make more than designers. Starting, we're talkin' 35K starting for a junior designer and 45K (and this is the minimum!) for starting programmers. Senior designers usually can move up to around 45-50K, and there's always royalties if the situation is right. I myself worked production, which is akin to design pay-wise.

2) Designers run the gamut of majors. A friend/co-worker of mine studied English and he's rockin' the job just fine. Another cat I know had an Art degree. My production job actually had design duties, and I did Poli Sci & Arabic. But programming knowledge will help you immensely if this is what you want to do. And this leads me to another point:

3) UNLESS YOU KNOW YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU WANT TO WORK IN GAME DEVELOPMENT, DON'T DO IT. As others have said earlier, it's excrutiating work. The hours can be long and unforgiving- especially come crunch time. The politics of the workplace can also be a factor, depending on the given arrangement at the time. My situation was unique, but it kept me out of academia longer than I would have liked (I want to help save the world). If you have any other passion in life, like saving the whales or building buildings or working towards universal healthcare, stay away. But if you love to program or market ideas & concepts like there's no tomorrow AND it's the last day of your life, then game development may be for you.

And another thing: if you're wondering about what to study, based on your interest of veterinarian stuffs, I'd suggest Anthropological Medicine. It's basically studying medicine, yet in a more historical and cultural perspective. Suppliment it with hard sciences, and you'll have the best of both worlds. I had an anthropology teacher that said she knew people that got into Med School with that degree. Words and weights, rock it well.

Keep the dual major in mind.