School courses: Bad situation.. need some advice.

[Nerseus]

It sounds like youd be happiest going to DigiPen, even if it means the tough road of getting through calc and differential equations and such... but only you know for sure.

-Nerseus

 

[wyrd]

I might be happiest at DigiPen, I might not. Im a very strange person, I go in spurts. One week Ill be interested in programming games, the next SQL apps, then the next .. who knows.

My goal right now is AA/AS degrees. Depending on the situation I may apply at the Livermore Lab here in California for an internship next summer. One of my previous teachers works there and said I could put him on my resume as a reference (for internship only, of course). The only problem is that they use Java and C++ as their primary programming languages and Im not to familiar with either.

 

[ThePentiumGuy]

yo liste, i may be 14, but heed this advice but the best thing to do is stay in school, work on math, learn calc. Just motivate yourself, go wherever you feel happiest ..

im thinkin about going to digipen for courses this summer (they offer it for ppl entering 9th grade)
anyway, i enjoy playing games, which is why i enjoy programming them

posted by wyrd
The only problem is that they use Java and C++ as their primary programming languages and Im not to familiar with either.

i hate both too, but just do your best and try to learn them
also, as you learn them, try to develop applications that you want..
for instance like 3 years ago(when i was 11) i was learning vb because i wanted to learn to make games... thats what motivated me and inspired me

i spent countless hours burying myself in books, trying to learn VB(6) it was hard(cuz i was 11) but i learnt a lot.. so, challange yourself to make applications that you want, for instance, lol i had trouble trying to make a calculator then i tried making, "whack a moe" then i made "pong" now im making mario.. lifes a mess, but dont let that throw you down

my point is, work at it, and youll acheive it..(and stay in school too )

 

[wyrd]

So.. it begins. I took my math assessment test and got a 27/45. I wanted to get a 30/45 which would of placed me where I wanted to be. Im a little annoyed because they only gave us 50 minutes to complete 45 questions, and I ran out of time before I could answer 10 of em. Let me break it down..

Math 90 - Elementry Algebra, non-transferable math.
Math 121 - College Algebra, transferable math.
Math 122 - Trig/Geo, transferable math.
.. then Calc, Calc1, Calc2, etc.

I placed inbetween Math 90 and Math 121, and I wanted Math 121 because its one of two courses required for pre-calc. I was 3 points off from placing in it. The good news is its at least transferable math. The bad news is its not needed for me to graduate. I need Math 121 and Math 122 before I can get my AA in Computer Science. In short, Im not satisfied and am going to petition to get into Math 121. With my Computer Science background it shouldnt be a problem. However, if that fails, Im not without a backup plan, as I will retest at a higher level which will insure my placement in Math 121 so long as I get 15/40 (but its a hard test).

I suppose I should pat myself on the back. After 5 years I remembered NOTHING about math and had to buy a self-learning book for Algebra and go through it. I went through the entire book and these are the results I got. Two weeks of pain and suffering over a math book is what it took. Funny enough, its the first book Ive read cover to cover in a long time.

I will not be denied Math 121.

 

[jfackler]

Originally posted by wyrd

I will not be denied Math 121.

You go boy.

Jon

 

[Nerseus]

lol (both of you )

I dont know if Ive ever mentioned this, but although I have a BS (bachelor of science) in CS, its not acredited (or however you spell that). The University I went to didnt offer an accredited (I spelled it the other way in case its right) degree. In my 3rd year I looked into transferring to a Univ that *was* accredited but I ran into a similar problem to you - they wanted a bunch more classes that I hadnt taken, such as advanced Biology and Chemistry (I only had the basic 101 level versions). To be accredited with a Science degree you needed a bunch of science that I didnt have. I decided to stick with my non-accredited version. At the time I was in a total panic that I wouldnt get to work where I wanted. McDonnal Douglas (in St. Louis, MO) was THE place to work as they had ALL the latest and greatest stuff, government contracts so you would never worry about your company going under, and did I mention COOL jets and related computer stuff??

Well turns out thats the only place I applied to that cared about an accredited degree. I was kinda bummed at first, but a friend of mine that did an internship there turned me around. He told me about how all of the regular employees had to write reports every week and month explaining what they did and why there were valuable. Theyd be used to downsize, determine raises, and more - the whole place was cutthroat (or so it sounded)! That was all 10+ years ago but still...

I didnt have any real experience coming out of college. No internship or part time work in the computer industry. My resume had Computer Lab Assistant and I did some data entry for Citi Corp (the closest I really got to computer exp. in the "real world"). It didnt really matter as all of my interviews were for entry level jobs and they ALL included using some language or tools that you would never learn in college. At the time, VB3 was big and every company using it had 3rd party controls. You werent really expected to know VB at all since no universities were teaching it at the time. And forget about learning about 3rd party controls in school - almost impossible.

Anyway, the short version is that a degree *might* matter, but probably not as much as you think. Its really more about what you know, how fast you can learn what you dont, and how personable you are (easy to get along with, do the job right, etc.). In some cases its even about who you know, but only so far as to get you an interview. I didnt know anyone but I still did Ok.

If you really want to get into Graphics and Games (in particular), Id write emails to a few companies and see what theyre looking for in programmers. Let them know youre in college and really want to get in, youre willing to learn anything but you need some guidance as to what THEY think you need.

-nerseus

 

[wyrd]

Ners:
I pay close attention to the GameDev forums, where every other day someone posts "what school to go to for game programming?" The common thing going around right now is go to a regular University and get a CS degree. DigiPen, etc. dont seem to hold as much weight as I originaly thought. When the time comes around next summer Ill do some hard fact research myself (ie; e-mailing everyone I can think of thats even remotely popular in the gaming industry.. which is a long list to be sure). But until then, I need to at least finish what I started, and thats my AA in CS and AS in CG. Never do I finish anything (or at least before now), and if I expect to make it in this lovely world of programming, Ill need to do just that. Like I keep saying, old habits die hard.

I will succeed, even if only for a brief second.

 

[Divil]

Once youve written your 2D games (from tetris to platformers) send them in to those game companies along with your emails. A solid demonstration of your talents will make more of an impression than anything else you could send them.

 

[wyrd]

Ugh.. well, looks like I had to send in a petition so I could get into math 121. Because Im not guaranteed that itll be accepted, I need to study Trig/Geom so I can take a level 4 test and try to place into math 121 the hard way (just incase the petition is denied).

Gotta do what you gotta do. Looks like my game will have to be put on hold for a few weeks.

 

[wyrd]

My brain has officially melted. Ive been reading this Geomatry/Trig book like crazy in preperation for my next test (just incase the petition is denied). I realized as I started the next chapter today, that Ive forgotten everything I learned yesterday. Definite melt down. Someone please jump start my brain.

Soo.. today and tomorrow Im going to print out a bunch of Algebra stuff from www.gomath.com and make sure Im up to par on basic Algebra. Ill then go over my Algebra book, just to make sure. After all that, Ill go back over the 3 chapters of Geomatry.

Time is short, I have no idea how Im going to learn Geomatry and Trig in 10 days. Not to mention SW KOTOR (Xbox game) comes out this week, which makes it even that much more painful. I cant remember the last time (if ever) I picked school work over a game. Hopefully Im killing off my old slacker habits (finally).

Sometimes I think I can actually feel my brain growing as I learn more and more. Is that normal? Im a freak...

 

[Nerseus]

Although I love the forums (great sources of info), I gotta recommend staying off of them for the next week or so, wyrd. Everything youre saying you want screams that you either get the petition through or pass this test. Now is not the time to be reading the forums if you really need to study. Are you going to remember these messages a year from now? Ill bet youll remember the test/petition.

-Ner

 

[wyrd]

Youre telling me that 8-10 hours of study a day isnt enough? I need more?

.. are you insane?

I need time to eat, sleep and relax. Not to mention I have my reading/english assessment test, and had to spend time driving back and forth to the school so I could get my petition submitted. Theres also random other chores that need to be done.

There is a great importance of getting into Math 121, but one must also understand their limits. You can only force feed yourself so much information at a time before it becomes a jumbled mess. If I cannot get into Math 121 with 8-10 hours of study for a week then whats another 1 hour a day going to accomplish? I have no problems understanding the material, but I do have a problem remembering it. Remembering something comes from habit, which comes from time, something of which I do not have an abundance of.

.. and what does all of this have to do with these forums? I spend maybe 10 minutes a day here. 20 tops. Or is this your way of telling me to get lost?

 

[wyrd]

I took my placements for English/Reading. Placed in the highest possible areas for both.

As for math.. I think Im going to give up with the insane rush job of trying to cram in Geomatry/Trig. Instead Im going to restudy Algebra here and there, that way I wont kill myself. I think perhaps I should be concerned with quality over quantity. Algebra, Geomatry and Trig all within a 3 week period is just to much to handle.

It was my mistake in the first place that brought me into this bad situation, and if I have to live with it then so be it. But I still will retake a level 4 test to try and get into Math 121, Ill just be doing it without the knowledge of Trig.

Old habits die hard, but not at the expense of killing myself.

 

[psycho]

wyrd, allow me an advice for you, please...

Im 30 yrs old, and I have started a lot of things (plans, projects,...), but just a few I have finsihed. The good point after all these years is those beginnings filled my knowledge and all I had to do was to crystallize it.
Keep coding !!

Daniel.

 

[wyrd]

Eh, doesnt matter at this point now. I found out that registration starts on the 22nd of this month, and I wasnt planning on retaking the Math test until the 24th. Now Ill have to push that up and retake it on the 22nd so I can get my results back the same week. If not, I risk the chance of having all the Math classes filled up, which means I may not get in. Im not willing to risk that. In any case, theres no way Ill get through Geomatry/Trig by then. I was already risking it on Thursday.

Sunday and Monday Ill do some Algebra studying and try my best. Life is such, looks like Ill be in Math 90. At least I placed where I wanted to with English and Reading.

Thanks all to the boost of energy you all gave me (and a slap in the face). If it wasnt for that I probably wouldnt of gotten this far. I still have a long road in front of me. The only thing left to do is enjoy it. In the mean time, back to programming my game...

 

[Optikal]

Just a side note I wanna make. If you are serious about wanting to program games, you should know that they involve TONNES of math. Especially if you are involved in the 3D engine portion of it. Matrix math, calculus, vector math, advanced geometry, etc. It sounds like you are focusing on your math skills which is good. Just thought Id throw in my 2 cents.