need a degree . help
polycounter lvl 3
hey polycounters 
i really do need help with something thats been on my mind lately .
and would love to hear your opinions on it so please bare with me if the topic is a bit long .
to the point :
i finally ( kinda ) saved enough money . and i want to get a degree to increase my chances in getting a job and refine my skills . we do not have any game related education where im from ( Egypt ) in fact barely digital related education at all . so where should i go ? what country . which UNI ?
as i know studying online ( digital tutors ... etc ) does not give me a degree .. therefore its harder for me to get a job . also its a hell alot slower than studying in a UNI with peers that share the same passion i think .
im a self tough person so far . samples of my work here so u can get a feel of my skills : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6vx1m71tcs2eqd2/su3VcozB5r
i still suck and have a long way to go but thats for another topic .
im sure most of u guys already know that middle east = no game industry
unfortunately we r only consumers in that regard . u can find only a few small companies here and there trying to survive in the industry ( failing IMO ) .
i started doing some small tiny freelance contracts lately . so far got cash to pay the bills get new software & hardware etc . im sure ill get better and find more better contracts if i stick with freelancing but thats not my goal .
so what i want is to get a job outside my country ( middle east in general ) .
the way i understand it : there is no chance a company is hiring me and providing me a VISA unless iam a kick ass artist or at least better than the locals there .
am i right ?
so thx to the help of some friends and my father ( i dont know where i would be without him ) i now have the chance to go outside and study in an affordable UNI or school or something . so what UNi should i consider ? in which country is it ?
there you go . story of my life
would really appreciate any input on that matter . as i said its being on my mind 24/7 lately . and im asking friends and family for help in getting the cash for the whole thing
i really do need help with something thats been on my mind lately .
and would love to hear your opinions on it so please bare with me if the topic is a bit long .
to the point :
i finally ( kinda ) saved enough money . and i want to get a degree to increase my chances in getting a job and refine my skills . we do not have any game related education where im from ( Egypt ) in fact barely digital related education at all . so where should i go ? what country . which UNI ?
as i know studying online ( digital tutors ... etc ) does not give me a degree .. therefore its harder for me to get a job . also its a hell alot slower than studying in a UNI with peers that share the same passion i think .
im a self tough person so far . samples of my work here so u can get a feel of my skills : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6vx1m71tcs2eqd2/su3VcozB5r
i still suck and have a long way to go but thats for another topic .
im sure most of u guys already know that middle east = no game industry
unfortunately we r only consumers in that regard . u can find only a few small companies here and there trying to survive in the industry ( failing IMO ) .
i started doing some small tiny freelance contracts lately . so far got cash to pay the bills get new software & hardware etc . im sure ill get better and find more better contracts if i stick with freelancing but thats not my goal .
so what i want is to get a job outside my country ( middle east in general ) .
the way i understand it : there is no chance a company is hiring me and providing me a VISA unless iam a kick ass artist or at least better than the locals there .
am i right ?
so thx to the help of some friends and my father ( i dont know where i would be without him ) i now have the chance to go outside and study in an affordable UNI or school or something . so what UNi should i consider ? in which country is it ?
there you go . story of my life
would really appreciate any input on that matter . as i said its being on my mind 24/7 lately . and im asking friends and family for help in getting the cash for the whole thing
Replies
Start here:
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108342
for some reason my eyes are programmed not to notice those stickies ..
thx for pointing it out buddy .. reading some of them now ..
would like any input on my specific condition .. reading now confirms i prolly have no chance without a degree .. maybe a chance in 5-7 years -.- ( BIG maybe ) thx for the quick reply
well .. yes im willing to go to a foreign country . but where ? what school that is good and affordable ?
I actually see gamedev job postings from the emirates like in Abu Dhabi. But I don't know if they'll pay you the same as somebody hired from the West.
College in the USA can be really expensive, even community colleges when you look at living expenses. Here's a breakdown from the community college I took a few classes at that also has a video game program.
$--2,040 tuition and fees
$--1,200 books and supplies
$--6,596 room and board
$--1,048 transportation costs
$--3,140 miscellaneous and personal expenses
$
40 loan fees
$14,064 = total cost of attendance per year.
You can see the biggest cost is room and board, almost accounting for half the cost. And that's in a state with lower cost of living. Also I'm not sure what's required to even get accepted for international students.
yeah iv seen jobs like these myself ( applied to some even
mostly looking for freelancers as far as i know they also pay well .
and yeah ..they kinda mostly aim to hire western employees . i personally visited a number of countries in the arabian gulf region including Abu Dhabi . the numbers of western workers there is really big in some places like Dubai for example u feel like walking in Europe with mostly westerns on the streets
Expect a year of college in places like the US or Australia to cost $35k a year on the low end.
Every country has different rules (some obscure) pertaining to visas, so your best bet is to research specific studios and figure out a gameplan for that specific country. New Zealand for example you can get a visa with 3 years work experience in related fields. You could also do something more freelance related or you could get a visa in other ways.
well that's reassuring
i was gonna faint from the 14k $ = about 100k my country's currency
i mean i could start a company with these numbers i guess ?
i did google a bit before i ask here .. got massive numbers . thought of asking the pros here . they could be of great help
from the looks of it .. i either stick with faith and keep pushing forward aiming for countries that i might have a chance in. or just give up and steer to another direction
thx for the help guys non the less
and $14k is extremely cheap here, Gnomon is $85,000 for 3 years, not counting any cost of living expenses.
well .. yeah others here tried .. failed .. its like starting a software company in a country with no laws protecting software thieft . or aim for global and compete with the big guys head on
appreciate all the time u guys put to reply in here
always good when some 1 smashes ur head with the reality pipe .
i bet that will force me to stop slacking and invest in other directions as well as a plan B
woaah u know i actually went there when i was kid ( my father is quit the travler ) . used to play in snow there .. we dont have snow in Egypt
not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing ... it gave trouble to my father having been to Pakistan for work ... since then trouble keeps poping out once in a while in airports
would be awesome if u could give me a link to the job post .
All of the engines and toolkits and amazing tools make it feasible for a small team of artists to make something decent. From there you can move on to bigger things and potentially have a business.
thank u for the motivation buddy .
im sure still not giving up
you can do anything u want once u set ur mind to it and keep working for it .. and as u said all the toolkits are easier to acquire now + crowdfunding and what not
I would suggest trying to sharpen your skills by working on a real project. Think about what kind of project you enjoy working on (type of game(or mod), artstyle, etc.) then from there, try to find a team that matches the criteria you chose. There are plenty of good places to try and get on a team, moddb.com comes to mind. If you can't find a team, then start your own and try recruiting people yourself.
Universities can teach you a lot, but the level of knowledge you'll gain from school is a fraction of what you'll learn from working on a real project. I'm currently attending a university for a degree in computer science from a high ranking school and it's basically been a complete waste of time. The truth is, in order to get anything out of university, you need to put effort in outside of class meaning you'll essentially be self-teaching yourself anyway.