next »

[StrictlyDominant]

As much as I enjoy being able to create any game that I want, I have trouble finishing games.  I am a recent graduate and I have game developer ocd where I halt projects to start another one that I think up with full-intention of coming back to the original game but it rarely happens.

Because of this, I think it would be best for me to get a job at a company where I can pick up some good habits, learn to finish my games and hopefully become full indie afterward.  I have been looking through a lot of jobs online and I am obviously missing the professional experience to meet the qualifications for a programming job.

Has anyone hired a recruiter to help them find a job in the game industry?  If so, what was your experience with the situation?  How much does a service like this typically cost?  Should I stay far away from this?

Thanks in advanced.

[increpare]

I am obviously missing the professional experience to meet the qualifications for a programming job.

There are such things as entry level programming jobs.  Certainly a lot easier to get an entry-level programming job rather than an entry-level design job.  You have to know how to do games programming/math stuff and have a small portfolio.

Most companies will ignore recruiters when it comes to entry-level stuff.  You gotta do the groundwork yourself, pretty much. 

I got a programming job when I was working on my own stuff.  Had little previous programming experience, except that I could program, which is basically what counts. 

Oh, be sure to get a job with reasonable hours - if you want to work on your own stuff in your spare time, you gotta ensure that you will have some.  It's harder to find than you'd think.

[StrictlyDominant]

I have professional experience as a programmer but none in the game industry.  A lot of the positions that are posted specifically state professional game industry experience.  I haven't seen any positions open for an entry level game programmer (it's always for senior/lead positions) and I've checked every game company in several states and in Canada.

So you think it's just a matter of spamming my resume at any company that I would want to work for until I get a bite?

[increpare]

A lot of the positions that are posted specifically state professional game industry experience

So apply for the other ones then.

It's a matter of looking at all the websites of games companies that you're interested in working with, seeing what they're hiring (as well as generic games development job boards).  You can try spamming HR departments, but I doubt you'd get anything that way.

[StrictlyDominant]

A lot of the positions that are posted specifically state professional game industry experience

So apply for the other ones then.

My bad, the only reason I said "a lot of them" was because I haven't seen every single one.  I haven't come across a single entry level game programming position available online (nor QA for that matter, most are leads or require 1 year experience).

I definitely need to start searching from another angle.  I'll need to relocate for an entry level position too so that makes it more difficult.

Thank you for your responses.

[randomshade]

I don't think a recruiter would be necessary/helpful for you either.

You mentioned that you'd looked at several companies in different states, so you might already be using gamedevmap.com as a reference, but if not, that's a good way to find companies and jobs. A ton of companies only post jobs on their websites and forego gamasutra/dice/monster/etc.

I'm sure there are some entry level jobs out there; I know of a couple but I wouldn't recommend them to you, unfortunately. I guess if you get desperate PM me As a professional non-game programmer, you're going to have some advantages and disadvantages in your search.

Advantage: It can be assumed that you work well with other people and have programming experience in a team. +1 (unless your references don't check out.)

Disadvantage: Certain [dumb HR] people might get preconceptions that you'll be out of the entry level price range since you already have professional programming experience and likely made decent money. FWIW, entry level game programming jobs can vary from $35k - $75k depending on the company/location and your abilities.

The really great thing about the games industry (to me), is that they want really good people and not much else matters. Taking an entry level job will probably mean written/oral tests and if you can pass them you'll be in a good place. Good luck!

[StrictlyDominant]

I don't think a recruiter would be necessary/helpful for you either.

You mentioned that you'd looked at several companies in different states, so you might already be using gamedevmap.com as a reference, but if not, that's a good way to find companies and jobs. A ton of companies only post jobs on their websites and forego gamasutra/dice/monster/etc.

Oh yeah I've been all over that map.  I have a ton of respect for the people responsible for putting it together.  Thankfully I started my search with it.

...entry level game programming jobs can vary from $35k - $75k depending on the company/location and your abilities.

The really great thing about the games industry (to me), is that they want really good people and not much else matters. Taking an entry level job will probably mean written/oral tests and if you can pass them you'll be in a good place. Good luck!

Yeah I'm actually willing to take a hit on the starting salary if it gets me in the door and I'm allowed to dev my own stuff while I'm there.

Alright, so I think I am going to just start submitting resumes to the companies that have requirements that I can do and hope they forgive my inexperience professionally for the time being and they will appreciate the non-paid games I've worked on.

Thanks for your response.

[team_q]

Resume submission requirements are guidelines, you need to prove to them you can do the job if you think you should be able to do it. Address the discrepancy in your cover letter. I've gotten entry level jobs 'requiring' certain types of experience without it, and managed to show that I have the ability and willingness to learn.

[turgoz]

Signing up with a recruiter can be helpful. Certain companies like Microsoft hire contract workers entirely through recruiters. It isn't full time but it can get you the experience you need. Also go network at local events. HR is designed to disqualify you from talking to a hiring manager. Recommendations and meeting the hiring manager at a pub can get you around HR requirements that aren't as stringent (Like experience with games if you already have experience in other software related fields).