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That's not true, experience doesn't mean that you had a job before,
That's not true, experience doesn't mean that you had a job before, you can do open source projects anytime, or you can do your own projects. That's experience. I studied at university when i got my job, and you know what? No one cared about what i learnt at university, i got my job because my spare time project. And honestly, it wasn't a big deal, it was like a 1k row (but well designed) code base c++ (sfml) tower defense game project, what wasn't even finished. And it was enough for my current bosses to choose me instead of other guys, who had much better grades at my university, but nothing to show.
But that's because you compare yourself with guys who did nothing.
Obviously if you can show skills but no degree, it's better than showing a degree and "no" skills. At least that would be logical.
The problem is when you fall against people who have both the degree and the skills.
If you haven't finished your degree, as an engineering manager I probably wouldn't even consider hiring you.
i wouldn't blame you one bit.
that's why i'm self-employed, cause i don't have the paperwork for a CS job, regular or gamedev - not that i'd necessarily want either.
of course, you have to realize that back then, game software was still being sold in little mom and pop computer stores, zip locked floppies on pegboard pegs, with a one page printout of installation instructions.
and $5000 per month in registrations vs going to philosophy lecture... which would you choose?
since i never finished the electives, despite holding a 3.6 GPA in enough hours of engineering for FOUR engineering degrees (i was sort of a professional student), i never claim to be a degreed software engineer (or anything else). 99 and 44/100 % is as close as i get. <g>
i guess the closest thing i has to something like that was my title of "systems analyst" during my engineering co-op stint working for the information systems division of the reconnaissance and weapons special projects office, and the air force electronic combat office, of the aircraft systems division, of the US air force, at wright pat air force base in dayton, OH (in millspeak acronyms for those fluent: ASD/RWI-AFECO, USAF, WPAFB, Dayton, OH).
Oh, and i was offered a "graduate research assistant-ship" while still an undergrad by the Center for Interactive Management at Gorge Mason University, but i had already been accepted at OSU for Aerospace, so i declined the offer.
No, i was just an engineering student, not a graduate.
Like many entrepreneurs, i was lured away from finishing by the promise of immediate profits.
Honestly, most job don't even require degree, most company care about your knowledge and experience.
Wow. This eases my worry a bit. I figured I would have to go to school, because as was noted, a lot of the applications say C.S. degree. I always figured it should be about what you are able to do in such a field as that, but then again, I am struggling myself to follow some of the more detailed conversations here. It starts to turn all alien on me after a while, but I am learning more every day.
You might be an amazing programmer at age 23 with no degree and a limited portfolio, but when the interviews also include five other people each with a degree and a similar portfolio, I pick one of them. Nothing personal, but they proved they can finish a big project, you have not.
Yet this knocks me right back down. haha.
and $5000 per month in registrations vs going to philosophy lecture... which would you choose?
Honestly, most job don't even require degree, most company care about your knowledge and experience.
Wow. This eases my worry a bit.
Well, I would say if you have the money to go to school, and the desire to, go ahead. There are advantages to school, but the main advantage is not the way it looks on your resume, but the resources you can get from there. Also, you will be meeting people who will be in your field, and most of the time your professor is accomplished, so they could help you get a job or something.
I am trying to learn this stuff on my own, and I just don't have enough access to good information and resources. And I am not being challenged like I would be in school. No deadlines or anything, so I get lax on some days.
I have read on another post that it is best to get a C.S. degree rather than game programming degree though, because the options of fields you could go into are larger.
However, I do think Melkon has a valid point also. I myself am not a fan of the American education system. I think it is more about money than actual education. If it were more about education and the benefit of humanity, then college tuition wouldn't be going up so much. So it seems to be about prestige (good school or not, learn anything or not) so that people will assume that the tuition was an investment for the future, and so that that school will get more people to go there and spend even more money. And it seems that preferring someone with degrees is a way for this society to pay a person back for all the money they had to spend to finish school (if they can get a job, which some schools promise now).
I have read on another post that it is best to get a C.S. degree rather than game programming degree though
I'm self-taught with no formal qualifications and work as a software developer now (UK) but I have to say two things were on my side:
If either of those had not been the case, I doubt I would have made it to interview stage. If you have the opportunity to get a qualification and the debt incurred isn't too insane, always always go for it while you are young.
If you have the opportunity to get a qualification and the debt incurred isn't too insane, always always go for it while you are young.
