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N0pearce
Participant
November 4, 2014
Question

Some assistance in picking a college.

Hi, I'm new to the community and was hopping for some advice.

Like almost every one here the rift has left a large impression, however do to my current occupation I didn't feel as if I had the time to do anything more than wait for the consumer version of the Rift to come out. That however has changed. I am now in a position to tailor my future around what I want to do instead of what I need to do. However I'm having a hard time narrowing down the way in which to accomplish my goals.

First let me give you a very quick idea on the types of things i would like to do with VR. First, like quite a few people here, I would like to design a game from the ground up for the rift. The second thing I would like to do is work on inputs for VR, such as haptics and motion controls.

Now I have found that the road ahead of me is wide open, and has a huge about of signs all screaming " go this way!". So which on do I pick? I know that regional colleges are better than national, but besides that I'm not sure what colleges are better than other. So I'm outsourcing some of my research, please tell me what college you went to, if any, and what you thought of there program. Of course I'll be doing my own research but any help would be amazing.

I plan on going to a college in either Washington state or California. The degrees I'm looking at are either Software Design, Computer Engineering, or Electronic Engendering.

Again thank you for your assistance.

    18 replies

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    muglore
    Up and Coming
    November 13, 2014
    I graduated from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL. They have a computer animation department that has graduates in Pixar, Dreamworks, Digital Domain as well as countless game studios. Savannah College of Art and Design also has a very well known and respected program for computer graphics, and I've worked with many talented SCAD alumn as well.
    Golf Masters DK2 Alpha, GOLF MASTERS
    Baphomet
    Participant
    November 18, 2014
    I went to MDC the first two years. It's a very good school despite the badmouthing it receives, it's the largest educational institution in the country if memory serves, and it's really damn inexpensive too. Then you can transfer to a higher ed school and get your degree. I'm kinda wishing I picked game design as my undergrad degree, but I'm already one semester away from graduating as an Economist so whatever. I love gaming and everything VR (and Oculus), so I may pick that path if stars align themselves so to speak.
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    MidnightSun323
    Up and Coming
    November 18, 2014
    I'm still paying on a bachelor's degree I never use...

    I'm a locomotive engineer and make a crap load more than many people with a degree and a stressful job. I've noticed that skilled jobs seem to be making a resurgence in the US. You can get a degree and work in some low level management job for 35k a year, or you can be a pipeline welder and make 90k+, for example. Knowing what I know now, I would have skipped college and gone straight into the railroad.
    goo6
    Participant
    November 21, 2014
    "saviornt" wrote:
    Full Sail University in Florida

    Expensive, however, it is the MIT / Harvard / Yale of the "Media Arts" world (graphic arts, movie production, game design, etc..)


    Please, OP, don't go to a for-profit college. That can land you in a whole bunch more trouble than you want.
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    saviornt
    Up and Coming
    November 21, 2014
    A hard lesson in life:

    To work in this business, you need both talent and connections. One without the other, and you will fail, as I did. I have the talent, but without connections, I'm working in a dead-end job.

    The opposite goes as well. You can have all the connections in the world, but without talent, you will just be a second-rate nobody in the industry.

    That is what a school like that will help you with. Polish your talent and direct it, as well as offer you their connections in the industry. I've talked with some names in the industry that you would recognize, and they all state that that they look heavily into those that graduated from the program.

    Now, for a bit of advice, if one should choose a program like those offered at Full Sail; it is not for the faint of heart. You will be in classes or working on projects 6 - 7 days a week, 12+ hours a day. There will be no partying, no going out. You are there for one purpose and one purpose only. To get you ready for the workplace. If you decide to take the "spring break" off, you are wasting both your time and your money.

    But hey, in the end, it's your decision to make. I have seen people get lucky, but the odds are, in my opinion, the same as winning the lottery. Welcome to life.
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    Pokey
    Up and Coming
    November 23, 2014
    If you are interested in video game programming, DigiPen has an excellent course.

    https://www.digipen.edu/

    They have courses in art, game programming, computer hardware, design, and it looks like now they have a more general computer science degree.

    I am still paying off my loans, which is a bummer, but it set me up well for the industry.

    edit:
    Also,

    Now, for a bit of advice, if one should choose a program like those offered at Full Sail; it is not for the faint of heart. You will be in classes or working on projects 6 - 7 days a week, 12+ hours a day. There will be no partying, no going out. You are there for one purpose and one purpose only. To get you ready for the workplace. If you decide to take the "spring break" off, you are wasting both your time and your money.


    Is exactly true for this college as well, and to an extent is true of the industry.

    It's a hard place, only for the truly passionate
    N0pearceAuthor
    Participant
    November 26, 2014
    Sorry for the leave of absents but life got a little busy.

    First, thank you all for your advice. I'm grateful that you would go out of your way to look for information and/or share your life experiences with me a stranger.

    I've researched some on my own and found mixed reviews of Fullsail, tho they mostly lean to the positive. The biggest problems that I've seen is the cost and the potential lack of networking due to it being such a young school.
    @saviornt: If you could tell me some more about your references then that would help. Sens I only have two so far, the internet and an acquaintance of a friend, I would greatly appreciate more.

    @Pokey: Thank you for the recommendation, I will definitely look into it.

    @muglore: If I had any talent in the art field then I would definitely look into it. Sadly I can't draw a proper sick figure let-alone an avatar.
    saviornt
    Up and Coming
    November 27, 2014
    Originally heard about it from Andrew Kramer from VideoCoPilot.net, and saw some threads about it on creativecow. I couldn't attend the school, though I did attend the open house they had, and, well.. omfg. The campus is phenomenal.
    Current WIPs using Unreal Engine 4: Agrona - Tales of an Era : Medieval Fantasy MORPG
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