What the fuck do I major in, and what good schools are there?
66 replies, posted
So I am good with InDesign and Illustrator and Photoshop, and I paint, and draw, and I also compose and produce music and stuff. I am also a level designer and a texture artist for Source and UDK. Basically I do a shitload of stuff and love all of it but I need a career in one of them. I was thinking marketing or something, but a composer/producer for a video game or something sounds nice. But I also like level design so I'm kind of at a crossroads.
So does anyone know what a good major would be and what schools are good for that. I'm kind of lost as where to look and I should do that p. quickly. Help.
No matter what you're good at, go and study something that you love, look at the things you are good at and pick what you could see yourself doing for the rest of your life.
Unless it's liberal arts
Frayyyy studies liberal arts
So does Kommodore, and McSkinny
Gender studies.
seriously though, just go after what you like, as long as its actually useful.
Theoretical physics
If your so good at all this stuff why do you actually need to go get a degree?
Can your portfolio not carry you into the profession?
Looks like your dick waving from here.
do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life
if work is a chore, 50% of your life will suck
think about that before you think about money
Also remember that work is work, you can't always make it fun, even if you do what you love.
It really doesn't matter what you're good at right now, unless you're extremely good at it.
At your age, you can easily pick up another skill (or more).
In university (usually not technical colleges), it doesn't really matter too much what you study (unless it's a professional degree, eg, medicine, engineering, computer science), as you're only there for a line on your resume. Depending on your grades and finances, go to the best university you can find, and figure out where you want to go from there.
If you're looking into a technical college (eg, art school, video game design school, etc), you already seem to know what you want to do.
Like I said in the first big paragraph, a lot depends on your marks currently (and what state you're in if you're American); it might be good to post those to get reasonable suggestions.
[QUOTE=Boss;41232715]If your so good at all this stuff why do you actually need to go get a degree?
Can your portfolio not carry you into the profession?
Looks like your dick waving from here.[/QUOTE]
if you don't hold degrees you are not going to go far in the professional workplace and that's the truth about most professions today.
[QUOTE=Aspen;41232230]So I am good with InDesign and Illustrator and Photoshop, and I paint, and draw, and I also compose and produce music and stuff. I am also a level designer and a texture artist for Source and UDK. Basically I do a shitload of stuff and love all of it but I need a career in one of them. I was thinking marketing or something, but a composer/producer for a video game or something sounds nice. But I also like level design so I'm kind of at a crossroads.
So does anyone know what a good major would be and what schools are good for that. I'm kind of lost as where to look and I should do that p. quickly. Help.[/QUOTE]
I was discussing before in another thread that school is not always mandatory. Don't feel obliged to go to uni just because everyone else is. If a self taught level designer for example, is putting out better work then a person that spent 4 years at uni, the self taught person will win out every time. Unfortunately, college is now a huge expense that will leave you in debt for quite some time. If you have the motivation, always consider self teaching. That being said, if you want to go to university, go for it. I'm not trying to talk you out of it. I can't tell you what to do, neither can anyone else here. With level design, i do have some tips for you. [url=http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/on-game-schools]Extra credits has a fantastic video on choosing game schools[/url] which would obviously apply to your aspirations in Level design & texture art, but not much else. Sorry i can't help you more, but best of luck.
[editline]29th June 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Antdawg;41233549]if you don't hold degrees you are not going to go far in the professional workplace and that's the truth about most professions today.[/QUOTE]
I'd disagree, at least in the programming, and game industries. If someone was putting out art or code that was better then another applicant that spent years in Uni, i'd fucking take the self taught guy any day.
I see reddit has overflowed onto facepunch
without those art degrees you all hate so much your precious vidya would never get made
[QUOTE=The Aussie;41233847]
I'd disagree, at least in the programming, and game industries. If someone was putting out art or code that was better then another applicant that spent years in Uni, i'd fucking take the self taught guy any day.[/QUOTE]
But the self taught guy might not have a great way of going about things, considering he is self taught. Being self taught is amazing, but it does lead to having some intricacies and habits that can be bad in the professional workplace.
[editline]29th June 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Boss;41232715]If your so good at all this stuff why do you actually need to go get a degree?
Can your portfolio not carry you into the profession?
Looks like your dick waving from here.[/QUOTE]
In the US, your portfolio generally carries you into college, and then your college portfolio + degree helps in getting a job,
[editline]29th June 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=Aspen;41232230]So I am good with InDesign and Illustrator and Photoshop, and I paint, and draw, and I also compose and produce music and stuff. I am also a level designer and a texture artist for Source and UDK. Basically I do a shitload of stuff and love all of it but I need a career in one of them. I was thinking marketing or something, but a composer/producer for a video game or something sounds nice. But I also like level design so I'm kind of at a crossroads.
So does anyone know what a good major would be and what schools are good for that. I'm kind of lost as where to look and I should do that p. quickly. Help.[/QUOTE]
The thing about marketing, is that it is decently profitable, and still allows you to do some creative work. And, if you have time on the side, you can still do the things you like doing now, and contribute to games too.
liberal arts bro trust me
300k starting
why are you asking for a major when you didn't specify your degree? Or are you asking for a degree?
You should pick a degree first and you will go through core subjects which gives you a taste in all of the possible majors and then pick the on you like the most.
Don't go to art school
[url]https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/138c5efd45e9[/url]
Study Old English.
Its not like you just dont go to university because you have a portfolio. Not going to university means you have to have a good plan for the future. It means youre completely sure that your skills will take you further in the future. Dont just go "oh steve jobs and mark zuckerberg are dropouts and theyre fine!" and think youll be fine too because for every billionaire dropout there would be a thousand or a million dropouts that never made it. And Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates only quit college because they had a plan, they had Apple, Microsoft and Facebook to work on. So if you consider not going to school, you better have a plan for your life.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;41233967]I see reddit has overflowed onto facepunch
without those art degrees you all hate so much your precious vidya would never get made[/QUOTE]
Art degrees don't mean a damn thing in video game art as long as your work is satisfactory
[QUOTE=Hyzo;41232360]Theoretical physics[/QUOTE]
I don't see why he shouldn't.
[QUOTE=Aspen;41232230]So I am good with InDesign and Illustrator and Photoshop, and I paint, and draw, and I also compose and produce music and stuff. I am also a level designer and a texture artist for Source and UDK. Basically I do a shitload of stuff and love all of it but I need a career in one of them. I was thinking marketing or something, but a composer/producer for a video game or something sounds nice. But I also like level design so I'm kind of at a crossroads.
So does anyone know what a good major would be and what schools are good for that. I'm kind of lost as where to look and I should do that p. quickly. Help.[/QUOTE]
I'm not as familiar with painting and drawing, but most artists I see working for game companies have degrees from art schools, whether they're specialized or just general art universities.
As for music, it really depends on what you want to do. I don't know of a single classical musician (composer or performer) who has not gotten their doctorate. It is essentially a requirement, whether you want to work at a university or (if you are incredibly well known) as a concert pianist or professional composer. It's a good 10+ years of schooling with mostly 12+ hour work days.
Film and game composers, by contrast, usually come from different degree backgrounds with varying levels of musical knowledge. Basically, the only reason to go to school (if you want to compose for film and games) is for connections, not knowledge. In fact, it might be better for you to go to a well known game school to study art if you want to compose for games, as you'll be able to make connections with lots of designers.
If you're going to be composing for games, though, then you should start offering your services right now. There are so many projects out there (just search around on tigsource.com) that need a composer. Message the creators and offer to do it for free. Make sure you follow up promptly and are courteous and respectful in all conversations. You'll also want to experiment all the time as a composer, as you won't stand out from the crowd if you're writing exactly like everyone else.
As long as you have a decent enough port folio you won't need any fancy pants degree, university is a waste of time in the creative industry, obviously if you are doing some sort of job that requires a degree (since there isn't a way to portfolio) such as if you wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer etc. But if the job is in the creative field and the employer likes your portfolio that is all that matters really.
Perhaps for the bigger companies degrees will come in handy (employers don't have 30 minutes for each of their 500 applicants to go through their individual portfolios) but tbh, I wouldn't want to work at one of those massive companies, takes the fun out of creativity :)
Peace and love
I wouldn't say an art degree is useless for the gaming industry. Being taught the essentials of colour, perspective (characters, environments) and such are essential, traditional values that lend to pretty much all aspects of the creative industry. University is a positive experience as well, you will meet your peers who are interested in the same area, attending classes and getting work in on deadlines is vital in relation to the gaming industry, so having the experience of that through teaching will build you up for it and is an area you can talk about in an interview. Important to note as well as it will build your character, allow you to mature and gain vital independence that you'll need in later life.
Having a degree is NOT essential unless its for very specific, professional roles as discussed above. My degree will have more value to me in terms of the connections and opportunities that my current peers, those who graduate before and after me all linked through my academic staff. The amount of work experience opportunities that are available to me now, more than half I wouldn't really have a chance with as a non student.
I would contact course leaders and professionals (get on LinkedIn!) and see what advice they can give. The best university related advice I received is from students who had recently graduated, that's incredibly vital insight and I recommend you do just that.
[QUOTE=Insane516;41232772]do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life
if work is a chore, 50% of your life will suck
think about that before you think about money[/QUOTE]
sorry to say it but this is fairy tale thinking. at the end of the day, it's still a job, not a paid vacation.
[QUOTE=Two-Bit;41240804]As long as you have a decent enough port folio you won't need any fancy pants degree, university is a waste of time in the creative industry, obviously if you are doing some sort of job that requires a degree (since there isn't a way to portfolio) such as if you wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer etc. But if the job is in the creative field and the employer likes your portfolio that is all that matters really.
Perhaps for the bigger companies degrees will come in handy (employers don't have 30 minutes for each of their 500 applicants to go through their individual portfolios) but tbh, I wouldn't want to work at one of those massive companies, takes the fun out of creativity :)
Peace and love[/QUOTE]
A degree shows dedication, perseverance and also a person who can work under pressure of time constraints. University is more than just learning it's exploration and there are a lot of things you can't self teach. Gaining a university degree will catch employers eyes as much as a good portfolio, as people search for a hard, dedicated worker who understands a constraints of a business rather than a free do what you will worker. Human Resources looks for employees who are willing to learn rather than a person who does things by themselves. University also is a great networking tools where there is so many opportunities to gain entry into jobs if you try which wouldn't really be possible if you were by yourself. Remember half the people who are reviewing your CV and resume are HR and they look for a good worker.
What is with people asking FP for college advice? It took me months of heavy research to figure out where I want to apply and what I want to do, not to mention writing for scholarships and shit.
don't go to school unless you want to do something like science or engineering. you are going to put yourself in financial bondage by going to school so it should only be done if necessary. if you wanna make a living writing music, go write music and try to find a way to sell it. if you wanna make a living designing games, start designing games and find people who will eventually pay you to do it.
human services or political science.
I'm in for an associates for Human Services/Political Science. Mixture degree so I get the social working skills/education but also political background buildup
Dude, I'm 24 and I still don't have any more of a clue what major to pick than when I was 18. When I graduated high school, I said "Durr, I like cars a lot. I know, I'll go to auto tech school!" One AAS and $12,000 later, it remains the worst fucking decision I ever made in my life. I wasted five years on that "career" and put myself so far behind everyone else that went for a 4 year degree at 18 that I'll never really recover. I would cut my own nuts off for a chance to undo that decision.
Now I'm starting my freshman year at IU to study political science. It may or may not work out, but I don't feel like I really have anything to lose by trying. I deeply regret my first choice, but I don't regret taking action and pursuing higher education. In the new economy, any degree beats being another unskilled loser with no degree. If you want anything more than subsistence-level employment, it's a requirement.
It depends on what kind of person you are. With those skills you could either:
If you're a person that enjoys the pure act of creation and experimentation and don't need set goals or objectives, an art degree might suit you.
However if you're more like me who likes to put his abilities to a specific purpose or product, graphic design may be more suitable. Graphic Design is basically the place where art meets application (no, it's not deviantART). So if you think you're good at drawing and painting or have taste for art and aesthetics but feel an art degree could be too broad for you then go for DG, that's what I might just do (except that I'm still pondering whether the cost of going to college would really be worth it, since I've mostly learned by myself and I've been working as a graphic designer for a long time now, having managed to land a couple good jobs)
[QUOTE=Ast_risk;41245614]What is with people asking FP for college advice? It took me months of heavy research to figure out where I want to apply and what I want to do, not to mention writing for scholarships and shit.[/QUOTE]
you just kinda answered your own question
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