I need some education advice, and I was hoping someone here could help me.

I'm 2 and a half years through a 4 year software engineering degree at University of Canberra. However, I'm really not enjoying it very much -- mainly because it turns out that "software engineering" is mostly management, and not a whole lot of actual programming.

Basically, I'm trying to decide if I should drop into the 3-year software engineering degree and go to the AIE for a year afterwards, or if I shoulf just stick it out for the 4 years at UC.

The first option would definitely have a better chance of getting me into the games industry, but the 4 year degree would probably be more advantageous in the long run if I end up doing other work. My main problem is I'm still not a hundred per cent sure what I really want to be doing.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has done the 4-year UC software engineering degree, and from anyone who's done the certificate of games programming at AIE. Did you enjoy the work? Was it what you wanted to be studying? How important were qualifications when you went for a job? Was the fourth year of UC better than the previous 3?

Cheers,

Yeah cause there's nothing like finishing Yr12, doing another 7 years of education and starting at the bottom when your a 25year old bum!

I agree with fatty.

I had to quit my film production course due to getting sick and it was all way over my head when I returned and I found it almost impossible to catch up.

You have already done 2 years, 2 more shouldn't hurt. I've got 2 mates that are both studying at the AIE (3d animation not games) the courses aren't that long. Having both diplomas under your belt would almost certainly be better then 1 or half of one.

Id stick with the Degree and ive done two years at AIE. Do the AIE after you hav done the degree make it much easier again to get a job in the industry.

Or you could do the AIE and go back to UNI later?

Let me clarify: I'm not considering dropping out of uni -- I'm considering changing to the 3-year Bachelor of Software Engineering degree instead of sticking out the 4 year Bachelor of Engineering (Software Engineering) degree I'm currently doing.

The difference is pretty subtle: if you do the 4-year course, you can legitimately call yourself an "engineer with specialisation in software", whereas after the 3-year course you're just a "software engineer". Big fuckin difference, I know.

Anyway, I guess what I really need to work out is "do I really want to go into the games industry?"

Can anyone out there who works as a software developer tell me what the work is like, and whether you enjoy your job? And can anyone who works in games tell me what your work is really like too?

last edited by Diablo at 20:04:44 06/Jul/05

Neither of them compare with flight school, wooohoo!

if you are good enough for games then apply for jobs in that field, cause AIE wont get you there.

Why do you say that? I spoke to some people at the LAN who were going to the AIE, and they said it had got them into the games industry. . .

And not everybody needs to go to AIE to get in to the games industry.

When DesertCombat first came out for BF1942, I got heavily into it... Reading the forums hours on end every day (I've got a forum addiction) ..One stage they were requesting more people to help them with the mod, providing you were good at something, like modelling, texturing, etc.

Now look where they are today, I hear they were the main guys for doing Battlefield 2!

Damn.

Well considering I had only 'heard' the information from another, it would appear that we are both correct...

www.gamecloud.com/article.php?article_id=240

So they were originally working on it, but eventually closed up mainly due to the members being apart.

Actually it was dice themselves that axed the dc dudes. EA hinted at it but the final decision was solely from dice

Yeah, I'd like to have a chat, if you've got the time :)

MSN: [email protected]