|
Mike is right. Employers don't even seem to notice that all the youngsters leave after six months or so. They think that they can't recover the "investment" of hiring an experienced person. They don't realize that there is actually less investment in an older person because they have already "been there, done that, bought the shirt". They can dive directly into a project with little or no hand holding. They also show up every day on time.
|
|
|
|
|
I know. It is unfortunate world we live in. I know first hand how easy it is for youngsters, where as it is very difficult for older job seekers. At the same time, I have seen older people being hired for what they can contribute.
|
|
|
|
|
I worked for myself for a few years - I locked myself in a room for a year and wrote some software which went on to win a couple of industry awards - I then marketed the software and did alright but I am no businessman, I have no interest in being a businessman so I eventually sold up.
|
|
|
|
|
And your butler wrote that post while you dictated from a warm, sunny beach. Yeah? 
|
|
|
|
|
Errr, yes 
|
|
|
|
|
My biggest dream is to be a game developer, whatever which company it is, to program games is my fervor.
Programming Management-Systems, partially in VB6 is one of the kinds of jobs i never wanted to do as programmer... i hope the dream becomes true someday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ah yeah okay... well...
the point is: I have all skills to create a complete game on my own, writing a story, programming, modelling, animating, making graphics and compose music. Yeah, the name for people like me is "Allrounder" and i enjoy doing these creative stuff.
I've decided to work on my experience in programming as specialization, every other creative stuff is more like a hobby, so i have one specialization with some other skills.
Its not only the programming, the complete subject awakes my ferventness. I remember to a school project 4 years ago, me and a classmate have developed a jump&run game. It was a great fun, developing the level editor in C#, creating graphics, compose the music, planning a story and programm the game in C++.
After 5 weeks, we had a nice small jump&run, everyone in our class have look up to us. This 5 weeks where the greatest time in my life. I'm really missing this time and this ferventness in my current job, and its my first job in my life (i'm 24 years old and working for 3 years and 2 months).
This recent discussion wont spoil my dream, i would have fun to do some more stuff than only programm. But i'm not sure if big companies would need people like me, can do everything, but more like a hobby... thats the reason, why i'm specialized to programm.
Hope you understand what i mean, sorry for my bad english.
|
|
|
|
|
Seconded, it is a hiding to nothing. The interesting parts (the physics and graphics) are taken from 3rd parties or specialised teams. Also there is a lot of competition from other devs who want to do "the cool stuff", net result: longer hours and lower pay, except for the highly specialised things that only a few developers get to do any way.
I was once asked why I didn't want to go into game development (as a new starter way back), I gave the answer I have posted here pretty much.
|
|
|
|
|
Same for me. I'm 25 and I decided to do programming to work in the game industry. When I ended my university, I found a job in a big company that pay me well for regular hours. Didn't turn back.
I still want to make games. Not as a job however. I love games too much and I fear mixing my hobbie with my work. It's all I have.
If I want to make a game, I'll make an indy game, alone or in a small team. It'll be exactly what I want..
|
|
|
|
|
I know exactly what you are talking about. I have mixed business and hobbies before and ended up liking the former hobby a lot less. By the way, that was music and I really hate the music business now. I still play music for fun though whenever I can.
Anyway, my hobby now is making "mods" for a racing game and I am part of a pretty good team and you wouldn't believe how many offers we have had to go pro with it. Most of our team actually did go pro for a while and made two fairly successful games but most of those guys ended up getting out of the gaming business and returned to our team as hobbiests. A few of them are still at it though and doing well.
Curiously enough, I joined this team after my previous mod team went pro and they became rather successful. You might have heard of their last game - Need For Speed:Shift.
|
|
|
|
|
If I'm not wrong, I think EA recruited some GTR2 people to make NFS shift. Am I wrong? The game was good and the review were too.
EA did choose another direction for the next NFS. They bought Criterion (maker of Burnout Paradise) and made them make a new NFS Hot Pursuit. It's released this month and they really seems to have nailed it once again.
GJ to you for being part (or being close, I don't know) to all that. You kind of confirm my idea that I could completely burn me out of my hobby. Who knows, maybe that someday, I'm make my own mods too and that'll be enough for me. Who knows, I may end up working for the game industry myself.
Only time will tell. I'm not closing doors either. For now, I think I'll let my hobby be my hobby and let my work be my work.
|
|
|
|
|
No, you're not wrong. Shift was made by Slighyly Mad Studios who was formerly Blimey and they are an offshoot of Simbin who made GTR, GTL, GTR2, Race, and GTR Evo. The old mod team was called the Simbin Development team or SBDT and we released the GTR02 mod for F1 2002 and a few earlier mods. That was a long time ago. 
|
|
|
|
|
i have the dream to work with Microsoft R & D in Life Sciences, Robotics domains. 
|
|
|
|
|
Need an assistant? 
I'd blame it on the Brain farts.. But let's be honest, it really is more like a Methane factory between my ears some days then it is anything else...
-----
"The conversations he was having with himself were becoming ominous."-.. On the radio...
|
|
|
|
|
your sig smells a copy of JSOP
|
|
|
|
|
|
The most important step I ever did in my professional life was becoming a freelancer.
Yes, it gives you less security, the risk is somewhat higher, there are (few) days where you're working for 10-12 hours, but there are also (many) days where you can decide not to work at all (or at least not for a contractor who pays you...).
But the most important thing for me is that you have substantially more autonomy and freedom - and this definitely counts much more in my book than having piles of money...
blog.thomas-weller.de
Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.
Programmer - an organism that turns coffee into software.
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas Weller wrote: But the most important thing for me is that you have substantially more autonomy and freedom - and this definitely counts much more in my book than having piles of money...
Well I respect your freedom thoughts and based on that once would dream to have work with company which delivers part freedom and part security as well, else money is the only last thing that one need to Roll on else the other two have their own Importance in once life. However that vary person to person.
Have my 5 for your freedom.
Believe Yourself™
|
|
|
|
|
This is not fair 
Best regards,
Paul.
Jesus Christ is LOVE! Please tell somebody.
|
|
|
|
|
I see someone mentioned RIM in the text answers. Would that be a RIM job then? *ducks*
|
|
|
|
|
Looking at the text answers, it seems there should have been another option called: Adult entertainment industry.
|
|
|
|
|
Whenever I see doofuses playing with their Crackberries, I think to myself that all they're doing is RIMing.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction.
My work here is done.
or "Drink. Get drunk. Fall over." - P O'H
|
|
|
|
|
If I were in the UK I'd apply at The Guardian. They are doing some interesting work with journalism and news data. Semantic web (both big and small s) and also user interaction for, amongst other things, defeating DOFOI (Denial Of Freedom Of Information) attacks (where you request something via FOI and the government tries to bury you in a mountain of documentation.) And Simon Willison works there, interesting guy.
Not sure I'd like to work for Apple even though I like their hardware and, some, of their software (can't stand iLife.) Seems a bit too paranoid in there and it's Steve's way or the highway.
Google could be interesting but I'd be worried I'd be just one more worker ant pecking away at their tagline ("to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful") with little to show for it. Plus I'm rather crap at algorithmic approaches to problems. Go figure.
Microsoft has an awesome R&D section but I think they've had their time. No more interesting times at Microsoft.
IBM, Oracle, SalesForce etc. are too enterprise focused. I like consumer systems, *less* horse-trading.
I voted Myself mainly because I'd like to give it a try someday, see if I have the balls to go it alone.
|
|
|
|
|
luisnike19
|
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
