How Important is Diploma in Gaming

ancapagan

i wonder how important is a Diploma to can find a job in this industry?
i'm having really hard time to keep up with school and work and i'm thinking to drop the school, i already work as freelancer and do a good living out of it but i want it the diploma as a backup plan for when my freelancer wont work anymore for me. But my question is, how important that diploma is?
The school is good but i already know to model/texture and rigg, they are very very beginners and i feel like i've made all this 5 years ago.
Anyhow, is that important a diploma in this industry? 

i was thinking on dropping school and just work my butt off for an amazing portfolio and all.

Brian "Panda" Choi

Directly for game art, doesn't mean much.

As the backup plan, a lot more.  Not that it has to be an expensive diploma.

ancapagan

i would like to know what a gaming studio ask for, do they ask if u have a diploma in this business when they hire?

Neox

you wanna work overseas? get a degree

a bachelor weighs as much as 12 years of professional experience to the authorities

PixelMasher

Yea it really depends on your location. I am self taught and have never needed one, but I also work in canada where Montreal is a huge game dev hub. Now that I have 12+ years of 3d artist experience, it wouldn't matter as much if I needed to get a visa to go work abroad, but I have never needed that situation.

if you are in a country that has lots of game studios, like the USA,Canada, or the UK, then it shouldnt matter. Game art jobs are based off what you can show you can do, diplomas just matter to old fashioned bureaucratic gatekeepers who havent caught up with the world we actually live in yet. Just wait till more and more companies are hiring remote workers, shits gonna get real interesting in the next 5 years or so.

JunkieKong

I'm in Aus, and my highest education was an adv. diploma, and now I'm having some regrets about not having a degree, because it makes it very hard to find work overseas without one!

Visa requirements, especially for the US are goddamn crazy. And I'm not even sure if freelance experience would hold up under visa approval scrutiny.
The really dumb thing about it though is afaik you can have a degree in literally anything and that counts, doesn't even have to be relevant to the job.

Anyway, if you've got plenty of studios locally maybe it is worth just focusing on your skills - I really can't imagine any diploma will fully prepare you for the industry. Good luck.

Neox

JunkieKong said:

I'm in Aus, and my highest education was an adv. diploma, and now I'm having some regrets about not having a degree, because it makes it very hard to find work overseas without one!

Visa requirements, especially for the US are goddamn crazy. And I'm not even sure if freelance experience would hold up under visa approval scrutiny.
The really dumb thing about it though is afaik you can have a degree in literally anything and that counts, doesn't even have to be relevant to the job.

Anyway, if you've got plenty of studios locally maybe it is worth just focusing on your skills - I really can't imagine any diploma will fully prepare you for the industry. Good luck.

if you have proof of your 12 years of work (released products, work contracts, payment proof etc) then it should be no problem as a freelancer.
And your post about the degree isnt true, you can't just have a degree in say agriculture and expect them to give you a work visa for a tech job. It at least has to be related to the field you studied in.
But yeah the diploma/bachelors/masters in in no way preparing you for the job, it is only your entry card to overseas visas in this industry.

thomasp

if it's a proper degree of the internationally recognized variety i'd stick with it. if it's easy to you, can't you do it on the side/minimize your time spent on it? i studied computer science and some of my peers with years of prior relevant job experience only showed up for exams - aced them regardless and passed through in no time.

would seem like a missed opportunity to just drop it. unless it's one of these game-design schools handing out some 'certificate'.

Biomag

I think thomasp is bringing up a important point - you don't need to be the perfect student, you just need to pass the exams and whatever. Even in industries with just CVs and recommendations to show for it is highly unusual for people to ask about grades, so why bother? A degree makes life easier when facing buerocracy. You never know what regulations or standards might come up later in your life.

JunkieKong

Neox said:

if you have proof of your 12 years of work (released products, work contracts, payment proof etc) then it should be no problem as a freelancer.
And your post about the degree isnt true, you can't just have a degree in say agriculture and expect them to give you a work visa for a tech job. It at least has to be related to the field you studied in.
But yeah the diploma/bachelors/masters in in no way preparing you for the job, it is only your entry card to overseas visas in this industry.

Aand that's why you don't trust facts from random dudes on a forum Yeah I read into H1 Visa a bit more, and it says you have to hold a degree in the specialty occupation - which still seems like a very broad range of degrees could be argued to have relevance to whatever it is we do.
I'm guessing you would actually have to submit proof of your qualification/immigration services would look into it somehow? All I know is I've never had an employer question the legitimacy of my qualification.

ancapagan

is just a Diploma in gaming is not a degree, and i live in Florida so a visa is not a problem for me

Brian "Panda" Choi

If it's not a degree, than you're probably paying for something that isn't as useful as a B.A. or a B.S.

garcellano

I don't think it's that important, but I can see it being helpful in some cases.

sacboi

...not much, besides it's just a stepping stone to a degree and as others noted, if for example a sponsered role OS then bare minimum either a B.A or equivalent is certainly a required visa criteria the candidate must submit in order too support their application.

EarthQuake

Yeah if it's not even a degree, and you have steady freelance work in the industry, I would drop it and focus on your work. A "game diploma" is essentially worthless unless you're getting a lot out of the course itself. It won't be recognized for visa purposes which as mentioned, is one of the main benefits of getting a degree, nor would it hold much weight in the hiring process.

When it comes to getting an onsite job (if that is your goal), your experience doing freelance work will count for a lot more than a diploma from a game course.

Things that matter when it comes to getting a game art job, in order of importance:

1. Your work/portfolio - is your work good, does it show you can hit the style of work the studio is known for?
2. Intangibles like personality/how well you interview/whether you know anyone at the studio
3. Paid work experience - the more well known the studio is the better
4. Hobby work experience - student projects, mods, indie games, etc
5. Software experience - can you hit the ground running or do you need to be trained up on X? This is more or less important depending on your folio, if very good, studios are more likely to train you up, if average, you better already know the software and workflow the studio uses
6. Relevant degree - like fine art or accredited game course
7. Workshops completed with respected industry veterans like Scott Eaton et al
8. Unrelated degree - getting a degree in something shows you follow through, which is good to a certain level)
9. Unaccredited game art course certificate or diploma - basically meaningless but it doesn't hurt to have, these are notoriously given to anyone who pays for them/sticks through the course, so they carry very little wieght

NikhilR

One thing I would add from my experience in Toronto is that joining one of the many game development programs was a way to get to know professionals local to the industry in Toronto.

The classes were also taught by professors who were currently working/have worked in game studios (Ubisoft.etc)

Also the program was run like a game studio with a class dedicated to working on actual projects for local studios so every student had an opportunity to gain work experience before they graduated.

Of course this didn't work for everyone depending on a number of factors, but considering how challenging the industry is in Toronto, not being a part of a game development program can work against you in some ways.

tonyblu331

I don't mean to sound harsh, but if you can't keep even keep it up with school how will you be able to keep it up inside a studio? I'll suggest you finish high school and then you can learn Game development by yourself or enroll at online courses like those offered by GAi, CGSpectrum, CG Academy, Pluralsight, 3D Motive, Gnomon Workshop, Lynda, even Udemy! They're plenty of options and for free stuff, they're always guides, polycount, and YouTube.

ancapagan

@tonyblu331 at the moment i work a LOT as freelancer and i also do school, if i would be working on a inside studio i would work there and then come home doing art as "fun" , but now i have to work a lot to can afford paying my school, i'm an adult i can't ask my parents to pay for it
p.s would be much easier doing only school but i have bills to pay too

ancapagan

@EarthQuake you are amazing! so detailed!  thank you very much! i will keep in mind all what you said  

Fo062

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beccatherose

Seconding all of what @EarthQuake said. Personality, professionalism, and quality of work are genuinely the top factors as long as you're not planning on going into teaching. Strong work and a good attitude can override basically all other factors at the end of the day as long as you can make yourself stand out. If you're pouring money into a degree that isn't benefiting you, then do what's necessary to prioritize skill development.

Amsterdam Hilton Hotel

ancapagan said:

i wonder how important is a Diploma to can find a job in this industry?

It doesnt fucking matter at all.

I have a Diploma and I dont even know where the Fuck that thing is. Im not going to Look for it either. Nobody wants it. 

Nobody cares.

You have to do Great Work.

If you do Great Work you will always have Work coming to you.

vikash18

Maybe this link will help you to find out:- https://goo.gl/MFoJ6v

BrianShray

ancapagan said:

is just a Diploma in gaming is not a degree, and i live in Florida so a visa is not a problem for me

Unless you plan to work overseas, this will not be an issue at all for you.
You'll need a Degree to make it easier to get past immigration.
For your case, if you really do seek education, just do some online courses like from CGMA or GAI
Just level up your Portfolio and all is good.