"Industry Experience"

[ibly31]

Hi guys! So I've had this question that has been bugging me for a while now, and I never really knew who I should ask. Basically every website that has job offerings for game development positions that I look at (just for fun, I'm 16) lists something like "4 years of industry experience" in their job requirements. My main question is - how do I get industry experience if every industry job for game development needs industry experience?

One of the most frustrating things is that although I feel as if I could do really well in a job like the ones listed, but I'm not old enough. I have to wait until I'm out of college and suffer for 4 years of crappy jobs until I get industry experience.

Is there some way around this if you learned to program earlier than most people? I don't want to sound narcissistic or anything, I'm just trying to figure out my future after college.

Thanks everyone!

[Falco Girgis]

Internships and "connections."

[ibly31]

Connections, you say? Damn, really gotta refine my people skills then. I guess, regardless of programming skill, everyone has to suffer with internships and bad jobs for a while

[k1net1k]

yeah work somewhere vaguely related to the field you are studying and go to uni for 3-4 years. then you nail any jobs for someone of that age. add to this some work on an open source or community projects. also has a chance that the company you work for part time might offer you something. best thing is to get a lower job and prove yourself by turning in better work than expected and before time, or fixing a long standing stuff up at a company and they will love your forever. otherwise go down the education path

edit: or just go indie now and be happy that for every one who buys your game on iStore, you get 66% of $1 and you can afford ramen again this week. live at home (free rent) and be thankful until you land a proper job. but your parents are gonna want to see you working or studying too.

[dandymcgee]

Connections, you say? Damn, really gotta refine my people skills then. I guess, regardless of programming skill, everyone has to suffer with internships and bad jobs for a while

FYI, not all internships require suffering. I've been interning at a local company doing software development for the last 6 months. I get paid well, the job is fun, my coworkers are great people, and it's legitimate industry experience. You just have to shop around for what's best for you, and don't get too frustrated if your very first interview doesn't work out.

[Falco Girgis]

Considering that I interned at a startup game development company, I'm inclined to agree.

The only internships that suck are internships at shitty companies. If that's the case, you shouldn't be at the company to begin with...

[xx6heartless6xx]

To get an entry level intership, how well of a programmer would you need to be? Would they want to see some of your work like your previous games?

[Aleios]

You would need to be a decent programmer, and most of all, you need to show how well you can communicate. A lot of people seem to think that they can just program away, but you need to be able to communicate with the Artists, Game Designer(s), Other programmers, etc; An entry level internship, i would doubt that they require you to be an absolute superstar, but the better skills you show, the more likely you are to get that position.

[qpHalcy0n]

You should be DAMN fucking good. Not "decent".

The industry these days is extremely competitive. Now what will set you apart is a wealth of work to show. You can talk all day long but until you put your money where your mouth is it won't account for much. I know 15 year olds who blow alot of independent work that I've seen completely out of the water. Speak through your body of work, not your words.

You have some fine competition, sir.

[k1net1k]

yeah a portfolio of stuff you have made yourself goes a long way. in a lot of cases it will get responses quicker than sending out 100 bland resumes. also experience and industry experience are 2 different things.

[Aleios]

You should be DAMN fucking good. Not "decent".

The industry these days is extremely competitive. Now what will set you apart is a wealth of work to show. You can talk all day long but until you put your money where your mouth is it won't account for much. I know 15 year olds who blow alot of independent work that I've seen completely out of the water. Speak through your body of work, not your words.

You have some fine competition, sir.

hmm, i guess i did go into the "before" part. And although its true that these 15 year olds may do a damn better job then someone already in the industry, companies look for not only just your work, but your qualifications, aka a degree. but seeing as we got into internships, its slightly different, so yes, i was wrong there, aswell as the "already in the industry part".