Hye everyone. As you can no doubt tell, I'm a Year 11 student at High School right now. Basically, I'm really interested in the gaming industry, either as a programmer or animator (I'm pretty good at both). I live South-west Sydney and am wondering what sort of uni's/other sorts of places offer courses that can open up into a career in the games industry that are in or around Sydney (I'm not all that keen on moving to somewhere else)
I've looked at Qantm and seen that they have a Bachelor Course allowing either majoring in Animation or Programming, however, 2 things I'm worried about is: a) A degree from Qantm wont be considered as much as a degree from say, UTS and
b)I'm unsure if Qantm allows for HECS.
If anyone could clear up either of these questions and/or provide info on other places, it'd be great.
I don't come from Sydney, but I can offer some general insight from my experiences.
I finished a multimedia course at a uni last year. While I wanted to get into 3D art/animation for the games industry, my uni course offered little in training for it. Most of the stuff was to do with general IT (systems analysis and design, databases, networks etc.), and the majority of the multimedia component consisted of web development/video. I only ended up doing 4 (out of 24) subjects that were directly related to 3D art/animation OR the games industry.
But I WAS able to incorporate a lot of relevant work into the other largely irrelevant 20 subjects. At the end of it, I was able to put together a decent folio of work. It took me 8 months before I got a job (which only lasted 2 before the project was canceled, but I have since found another one), but I did get one.
While I am by no means a veteran or expert on the industry yet, employers are look at your work, not at the insignia embossed on your piece of paper.
I would have loved to have gone to a place like AIE, had it been an option for me, but ultimately it didn't matter that much. I have found that employers are wary of people who go to those institutions and cruise through them, believing that passing entitles them to a job. It doesn't. The industry is too small for that.
So don't be afraid of uni degrees, or put pressure on yourself attending a Qantum/AIE type institution if it is not a financial possibility. Yes, many people will have a similar story to what I have, in that uni wasn't always relevant. But as long as the course you chose allows you the freedom to pursue your own chosen area of study, it will not retard you from getting a job in the industry. Cruising through any course will.
And yes, a uni degree will generally have wider recognition (thought that would be dependent on the title).
As I said, I would have liked to have done a more specialised course, as I reckon I would have got more out of that environment, as well as establish some industry connections (which I was not able to forge at uni). I am not recommending a uni pathway by any means, but you don't have to fear it like the plague. Whatever you end up doing, work hard and enjoy it.