Help...

[thatguy1944]

Not sure where this belongs but yeah.... anyway...

My senior year of high school is coming to a close (two weeks left) and I don't know what to do. Not sure what I want to do. I didn't apply to any colleges or apply for FAFSA or anything... I think I am headed for limbo. I plan to go to a local community college, to get gen eds out of the way. But beyond that I don't know where to go or what to study. For the most part I have always been quick and confident in major decsions in my life, but with this I feel like I am at a loss, and I hate it. In the beginning of my college search I have always been gearing towards technology, computers and 3d modeling and animation. My father (who has background in technology) has continually warned me about focusing on such a specialized field as 3d modeling and animation. It has always been hard for me to accept that because I have recently taken two semester long classes (at said community college) involving 3d animation and modeling. I found both classes very fun and challenging since then i have been trying to find some way to make a career out of it. But recently the job market has become flooded with 3d people, making it hard to find any worthwhile programs in any colleges I find. Most colleges are pushing "Video Game" classes, (Your homework is to play video games!! YAY!) seriously I don't need to pay a college to take a class to give me video game homework. I can do that on my own time. I would like to go into the video game indutry, but I do not limit myself to just that field. I guess my point is that I really don't know what to do with myself. Sometimes I wish my interests were simple and boring so that I could be a lawyer or a doctor (no offense), so that it would be easier to find and walk the path I need. Yesterday I was looking at a few videos about robots and engineers and such, since then I have been thinking about engineering... Truth be told I haven't had the best math grades (which usually just stems from laziness) but for the most part I understand everything that I am taught... I just don't do the homework. I have always been able to understand what is going on in my physics class, and for the most part I really enjoy it. I guess I am looking here as another source of direction... The counselors at my school don't really do a good job with me (I think one of them hates me even) which is why I avoid them.

I am trying to find my path... I know that not everyone finds theirs the first few times, but the fact that I can't find mine aggrevates me nonetheless. If you guys don't mind I would like to hear if anyone else has/had as much trouble as I do. Also any advice would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks

Thatguy1944

[Wil]

Well, first: DO NOT GET A VIDEO GAME DEGREE. If you are serious about getting into 3d modeling and animation then get an ART degree. With an art degree you can work in any field anywhere, even if you have to start out on commercials or anything else. Those video game degrees are next to useless for anything but video games, a lot of big developers laugh at them, and it makes it impossible to get any other good jobs.

Second, have you thought about maybe minoring or even double majoring in something more general? It would tack on more time in college, but it would give you more options in the long run. For example, a lot of video game companies like it when their guys know at least some of another part of the team. Programmers knowing a little about art, or music, or something. Makes communication easier. So, that's an option.

Third, don't stress out about it. Classes at a community college are probably okay for now because they can be transferred later.

[thatguy1944]

I think I am afraid of taking classes (without knowing what college I am going to transfer to) and then finding that I can't transfer them.

As for as video games, I have never taken any "degree" or program seriously for the same resons you mentioned. I am currently taking a Visual Basic course in high school and for the most part I understand what I am doing, I find this kind of programming very fun and easy...

[Wil]

Many times when signing up for classes it will say in the class book within a class listing if a class is transferable. You can also ask at registration or in the counseling area if a class is transferable to a University.

Visual Basic is easy. So easy. I miss Visual Basic. I think the only reason people use Visual Basic is if they don't want to handle the windows API. You could get into programming, but be aware that Visual Basic is pretty damn simply when compared to other languages. You might not like the.. hair-pulling power of other languages.

[Jayelle]

Despite what people (most often, parents) tell you, education for it's own sake is okay. If you enjoy a class, take it! You never know what you'll end up enjoying that leads you to a career or just a job. You really don't have to have it all figured out when you leave High School. The majority of people don't end up in the career they thought they would when they graduated from High School.
I know I certainly didn't.
My story? I went on a traveling program the year after High School (which was cut short by a debilitating car accident, but that's a different story), then I went to University with the idea of going into counseling. It turned out I enjoyed my English class more then my Psych class (translation: they were both at 8:30am and I skipped Psych more often), so I got an English Degree. Just after graduating with that degree I came up with the thought that I'd like to work at the library. So, I got a job there, but I had to start at the bottom. After 5 years of working there, I am finally in a job I can see as my career, one that requires my degree. It's been almost 10 years since High School. It really doesn't happen all at once.

[Janus%TheDoorman]

I'm finishing up my second year of college now, and I've learned quite a bit in the last few, well, months, really. Most of it is just personal rationalization, so I don't know how much will be of use to you, but my new outlook on life has become that one must live as they believe they should in pursuit of a righteous purpose. Anything short of that is cowardice. It's lifted almost directly from the opening pages of Hagakure. If you're unsure of what you're doing, or why you're doing it, examining your philosophy, and reconciling truths is the place I normally start.

I'm not saying charge headlong into what your gut tells you is right, but don't shy away from pursuing goals for any reason other than they're not in line with what you want for yourself and your life.

Another driving bit of philosophy was lifted from another book of the Samurai, The Book of Five Rings, and that is that pursuing those goals is not about going out and seeking them "blindly". Never believe in the certainty of the consequences of your pursuit. Parts of your path will reveal themselves to you only as a result of the effort you put into directly seeking them out.

If you believe your path is in modeling, the world of computers, then the best advice I can give is to pour as much of yourself as you can into that. Anything short of that is, as I said, cowardice. Believe me when I say that I don't mean this as an insult by any means, but as you said, you're afraid of taking classes without being sure they'll transfer. That's certainly something to consider when choosing how to move forward, but if that truly seems the best path to take, the best use of your time, then letting that fear stop you is the definition of cowardice.

Like I said at the beginning, this is only my own personal truth. You're the only one that will know if it works for you.

[powerfulcheese04]

Your interests, as you state them, aren't actually any more varied or interesting or difficult to achieve than the people who are interested in medicine and law.

My brother has similar aspirations, actually. What we recommended to him was to take the classes that seem interesting. Try computer science. Try art. Try classes that meld the two. Try other, completely random, things that catch your interest because you can change your mind.

Most people don't know what they want to do right out of high school. People like me (who have known since they were 5 or 6) are the super rare exception.

[Olhado_]

You asked for stories, so here is mine.

I had no idea what I wanted to do, when I went to college, so I just started looking at schools. I knew what state I wanted to go to because of funds; but other then that I did not know what I wanted to do.

I looked at my strengths. I looked at the different programs during the open houses and learning about different programs. I decided I wanted to go into Computer Engineering; but then I took a few classes and realized early on that I really liked the Electrical Engineering better. Now it is all I think about, I love my job I love learning the new technologies that I have to know to succeed.

Just as was mentioned before and I am sure else where, if you find that one thing you love it will never seem like work to you.

I would really suggest go to a general school take some classes that just sound interesting the first year and then pick your favorite class to get your degree in.

[Syphon the Sun]

My suggestion would to be to mix a science major/minor with a humanities or fine arts major/minor.

It'd be a good idea to major or minor in physics, computer science, or some other science that you like (and understand) that would help in what you're looking at as a possible career. And, if you decided later that, hey, the video game industry isn't for you, you've got a fine background in one or more sciences to back you up. They really will help you think analytically.

I suggest an English major/minor to just about anybody that will listen. Often labeled a "useless major," it has so much application in the real world that it really will be worth it. For you, in particular, game designers are in great need of writers. But any humanities would be helpful, I'm sure. And, as was suggested earlier, Art would be a great major/minor, just because it's so directly related to your career field.

[zeroguy]

I am trying to find my path... I know that not everyone finds theirs the first few times, but the fact that I can't find mine aggrevates me nonetheless.

It sounds like you already know your "path", but someone advised you away from it and now you're unsure of yourself. Be an animator/modeler! Don't give me crap about a saturated market and whatnot; if you are good enough at what you do and you search adequately and/or present/market yourself right, there will be jobs. And if you're just worried about the college program, just take stuff that's related, and you should be fine. People don't always have careers in what their degree is in. :)

People are posting stories, so I have mine. I've known what I've wanted to do (in general) for a long time. I am lucky, I realize. I have been told may times by others how software development/systems administration is not a good market these days, and have been told before that that jobs in that field were being outsourced, so there'd be fewer opportunities, blah blah blah. I have never listened to them, because I chose the field because it's something I like to do; not after careful analysis of the career opportunities it may bring. And so far I've been fine; though I am still in college, I've had a few jobs which were essentially full-time jobs, but temporary.

And dude, you don't have to know what you're going to do prior to going to college. A lot (most?) people don't, or at least aren't very sure. Just take some classes in different fields while you have time (hell, doing so is required most places; it certainly is here!), and you should get a good field for them.

Also, even if you can't transfer credits from a community college, theoretically you did actually learn the subject. Most places should let you test out of most any class[1], so that should help. And in my experience, math classes seem to have homework that is less and less mandatory as you go on, but it does actually become useful as a learning tool.

[1] This is from my experience with Computer Science departments; I have no idea about other subjects.

[starlooker]

I was innundated by brochures from various colleges, due to a high PSAT score. I panicked. I procrastinated. The three I ended up applying to were those which had the latest deadlines.

After I was accepted to all three of them, I held a coin-flipping contest, trusting that no matter where I went, I would be able to be happy and productive in that setting.

Thus, I ended up going to a small liberal arts college in the mid-south.

I went with the goals of not majoring in English or Psychology (because everyone said I was bound to go into one of them). Particularly not psychology. But I took the intro psych class my first semester, anyways, just to get the general credit out of the way, and I fell absolutely in love with the field. I loved those classes. I would've double-majored in it if I could've.

The rest is more or less history.

And I took several jobs along the way whose usefulness or my fitness for were not always apparent at the time. But they've always come in handy, eventually. Even my stint living back with my parents working at seven-eleven has had its uses.

Was there probably a "better" way to decide what to do? Yeah, I suppose. On the other hand, do I ever wish the coin toss had gone another way? No, never.

And I have a hunch I'd feel the same way had I ended up an English major at a college in Ohio.

[Eaquae Legit]

Despite what people (most often, parents) tell you, education for it's own sake is okay. If you enjoy a class, take it! You never know what you'll end up enjoying that leads you to a career or just a job. You really don't have to have it all figured out when you leave High School. The majority of people don't end up in the career they thought they would when they graduated from High School.
I know I certainly didn't.

Same here. I took Latin because I had a language requirement to fill and I thought it went well with my religious studies degree. I fell in love with Latin and things got a bit out of hand and now I'm doing a doctorate in medieval disability, so there you are.

[Slim]

Same here. Okay, maybe not the same. There was a program in my 3-2-1 Contact magazine when I was 8 written in BASIC. My dad showed me how to program in BASIC on his computer. The rest is history.

At my University, they recently added game development courses to the Computer Science department. Just now, they've added a certification course for game development. There is a high demand right now for all Software Engineers, including in the gaming industry. (at least, here in Utah anyway) If you have that option, I'd say get a CS degree, but get certified. That's what I would do, anyway.

I was also worried when I started in Computer Science about all the outsourcing. Turns out, there is more to it than typing code. Some things will never go abroad.

[Wil]

Hey, Slim, where do you go to college at? Also, do you mean the A+ and other such certs?

[Slim]

I go to Weber State University, in Ogden, Utah. No, none of the classes I took did the A+ or other various certifications, and I don't think there are any classes that actually do. (although some say that after taking and doing well in the class, we could go on our own and pass the test. One even used certification questions on our tests.)

So that is why I was surprised that they were going to start offering a "game design" certification course. I've never heard about it either, but it sure sounds cool.

[Wil]

Well, what do you mean by "get certified" then?