#Scripted and Compiled Programming Languages Certificate (Undergraduate)

[antitheticalsymbiosis-blog]

Beginning the long journey... (Year 0, Day 1 [sorta])

As I begin down this long and arduous path, I figured why not catalog all of my progress (and failures) in a blog for the world to see! 

All memes aside, I should probably begin with an

INTRODUCTION:

I’m Manuel; my friends call me Manny. I’m a recent graduate from a bachelor of music (B.Mus) program in southern California where I was fortunate enough to meet some great friends, mentors, and professionals who helped guide and inspire me to create some awesome aural artwork. I’ve loved music for as long as I could remember, and it was always something that drove me to be my best. I’ve aspired to play many instruments from a young age and always sought perfection trying to master their intricacies. I studied both composition and saxophone performance in college, while frequently freelancing as an audio engineer (my current line of work).

But wait, isn’t this a game development blog?: Yes, yes it is.

Due to a variety of circumstances and personal interests, I’ve decided to jump ship from one extremely difficult creative field (concert/classical/experimental music) to another (game development), leaving behind a life I feel indebted to and, honestly, still love very much. I’ve been thinking of making this jump for quite some time (a year or so), with a long, loooooong history of engaging with the video game medium on a deeply-infatuated level, which ultimately backs up this decision. Throughout my life, video games always played a pivotal role in my own forms of expression, happiness, leisure, and community. From my very first Gameboy Color to the now flourishing Nintendo Switch, from Pokemon to Monster Hunter to Bioshock and more, I’ve been hooked. Honestly, I’ve always considered these worlds my second, third, fourth, and n-th homes. Because of this, I’ve felt like I have a duty to give back to the community however I can. After five years of collegiate study and ridding the struggle bus, I realize that there’s no better time than the present to chase this dream. THE NOW, or WHERE TO START:

In firmly deciding on this change, I didn’t necessarily know where to begin. Hell, I didn’t even really know what careers or roles existed in the game development community. After finding scouring the internet and finding some helpful resources, I was blown away at the sheer amount of readjusting I’d need to do to even think about entering this field. 

For example, this messy bundle of terms flooded my brain while trying to get a grasp of the industry:

Senior-level

Lead

Technical Director

Junior-level

Temp

Frequent moving

Designer

Level Design

Mechanics

Game Design Document

UX/UI

Programmer

Game Engine

Systems

Game Engines:

Unreal

Unity

Doom

Quake

C++

Python

Scripting

Engineer

Architecture

Audio

Tools

Networking

Artist

Environment Artist

Concept

3ds MAX

Maya

Autodesk

Animation

Skeletal Meshes

QA

Automated Scripting

Debug Databases

Localization

Producer

Disengaged from content creation

Overseer

Independent

Freedom to create vs automated jobs in AAA

AAA companies

Subsidiary studios

Outsourcers

Art

Animation

Publishing

Audio

First-Party Studios

Publishers

Outsourcing

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

Marketing

Analysts

Free-to-Play

Microtransactions

Community

Blogging

Twitch

Streamers

Issues

Pay Disparity

Poverty

Under-appreciated

Sexism

Representation

Minorities/POC

And this list over-simplifies the complex web these roles create with each other. That being said, the last month or so has consisted of me scouring the internet for resources, deciding on what my long-term and short-term goals are, and orienting myself towards taking on Goliath.

MOVING FORWARD:

After being bombarded with this information, I decided that the best course of action for moi was to shoot for a game engineering/programming role, as I also had a brief two-year stint in astrophysics research and STEM coursework during my undergraduate degree. Another one of my passions, the STEM fields have always held a dear place in my heart and I picked up a lot of programming skills/languages in college, notably Java & Python. Intensive music study has also done wonders for the technically-oriented work I currently do, so I figured it would be fun to challenge myself with STEM-oriented work once again. So far, I hold a great, great admiration for lead game designers like Hideo Kojima and others, so design is also something I’m looking into. RESOURCES:

In doing my research, I’ve found a variety of extremely helpful resources that provided me with the insight to start this journey. I’ll post the most helpful ones below: GameDevUnchained (Podcast/Website): 

This podcast, hosted by Brandon Pham & Larry Charles (both established AAA game developers), explores the current state of affairs in the video game industry. Their conversations are filled with wit, charm, and tons of information, from wage negotiation and employment to indie development and technical direction. No topic is missed* (well, except for the exact technical aspects of being an artist, developer, or programmer). Despite this slight oversight, it’s still worth its weight in gold due to the fact that they bring in a new guest every week who touches on a specific topic. I’ve gained most of my working knowledge about the industry’s complexities from this source. [Currently on episode: 26] Game School Online (GSO): 

This revolutionary piece of pedagogy is an online game development school that is ENTIRELY FREE. Founded and ran by the hosts of GameDevUnchained, GSO’s main focus is free game development education with a focus on artwork, modeling, and technical artistry done through the Unreal 4 engine. The school is optionally supported through Patreon and provides special benefits to subscribers; however, a subscription isn’t necessary to enroll. Enrollment periods happen 4 times a year, with heavy waitlists for non-subscribers due to the need to keep class numbers down. Their educators consist of “Scholars” who teach and monitor the courses, all of whom are active AAA/Indie developers. Notable Scholars include Brandon Pham, Larry Charles, Leo Gonzales, Olaf Piesche (my mentor!), Matt Brown, Tai Chen, and many others. For subscribers, there’s the option to interact 1-on-1 with scholars, serving as lessons and mentorships to poise the budding student to enter the field. I’m currently a $40/month subscriber, which gets me a 30-minute session every month with Olaf. I’d like to stress, however, that at its current state GSO seems heavily oriented towards artists, with the art-oriented roles overshadowing the engineer/programmer roles 8-to-2. In addition, all classes are oriented towards art or design. This means Olaf & Matt are only doing 1-on-1 sessions. -_- *Oh well, better than nothing.*

The next two are both variations on the paid-online-schooling trope, but they seem alright nonetheless... 

Coursera:

Coursera is a platform that hosts specialized “certification” courses that were designed by universities around the world. These certification courses are essentially a compilation of videos, assignments, and online templates that are moderated by online staff (and presumably not monitored by the actual course instructors ever). Each certification consists of about 4-6 classes and takes anywhere from 6 months to a year to complete. Each class runs an average of 1-2 months and has about 1 assignment due every week. There is a peer-grading system which can be iffy at times, but it’s worked out well for me so far. The only downside is that these courses can be EXPENSIVE; however, there are financial aid options for those of us *ahemmeahem* that can’t afford the costs. Luckily, my cost for the first class was waived completely. I’m currently enrolled in the Game Design certification course created by Cal Arts. I’ll be updating you all on my progress every week as I work through this course. Something odd I’ve noticed is that the videos for the Intro to Game Design course are astoundingly short; I’m surprised this course costs anything at all given the kind of information I’ve received out of it so far.

Udemy:

Like its quasi-academic counterpart, Udemy hosts courses created by content creators (I’m not too sure on the qualifications these creators have...) that consists primarily of video tutorials. The beautiful thing about Udemy is that, unlike Coursera, their courses often times cost very little if you go through the right channels! This means promo codes from websites like IGN or your favorite tech reviewer, etc etc. I was fortunate enough to grab the Unreal Crash Course course for $10 through an IGN promotion last month. Also unlike Coursera, there are no assignments or grading systems in place for your work. Instead, there are often forums that host dozens and dozens of posts from current and past students of the course. This feature has felt surprisingly fresh and fun; however, not receiving a lot of direct feedback has its downsides. I’ve been slowly chugging away at this course, having finished 1/4th of it so far. I’ve also found that there tends to be much more technical work to be learned from Udemy as opposed to Coursera (in terms of game development); however, this may just be my limited scope, as I haven’t looked around too much more.

Game Engine Architecture, Third Edition by Jason Gregory 

(Naughty Dog Lead Programmer):

This book is AMAZING for the aspiring game engineer, as it’s filled to the brim with a detailed analysis of common game engine architecture as told by the lead programmer at Naughty Dog (go Uncharted/Last of Us teams!!!!). I’m currently in the second chapter of the book, but to give a brief overview of its entirety along with my own descriptions below each heading:

Introduction

“discusses the ins and outs of the industry

Tools of the Trade

“an in-depth look into programming tools”

Fundamentals of Software Engineering for Games

“development cycles and tool usage”

Parallelism and Concurrent Programming

“the title says it all”

3D Math for Games

“3D geometry and Linear Algebra, along with programming algorithms” (go STEM!)

Engine Support Systems

“a look at memory and systems”

Resources and the File System

“how to handle game assets”

The Game Loop and Real-Time Simulation

“graphics rendering loops and gameplay loops, along with dealing with time”

Human Interface Devices

“dealing with I/O”

Tools for Debugging and Development

“the title says it all”

The Rendering Engine

“rasterization and rending pipelines”

Animation Systems

“skeletal meshes and processing”

Collision and Rigid Body Dynamics

“physics systems and other collision systems” (go STEM!)

Audio

“Dealing with sound design and 3D audio” (go music!)

Introduction to Gameplay Systems

“dealing with data, game objects, and world editors”

Runtime Gameplay Foundation Systems

“dealing with all of the constituent parts and updating the game”

You mean there’s more?

“more to be learned”

As you can tell, there’s a whole lot of information to be gained by reading a textbook like this. Jason states in the Foreword that this is really meant to be used to teach a three-class series on game programming at the university level; however, I find that you’ll be able to understand a lot of this pretty well so long as you have an ample amount of programming experience (preferably with C++). That being said, it’s a perfect springboard for me and I’m so eager to continue that I sort of want to finish writing this entry already so I can get back to it! *o* It cost about $85 for a physical copy and $47 for a digital copy (Kindle).

So, that wraps up my currently used resources list! I hope it can serve as a starting point for some of your own deep-dives into the world-wide-web for resources! CONCLUSION: Thanks for sticking with me this far everyone. I know I didn’t dive into my past that much, but I hope it gives you somewhat of an idea as to who I am. In starting this journey, I’ve realized the importance of documentation and reaching out to build a community with others, so I hope that we can all interact and take this journey together, in some form. Tomorrow I’ll be delving into my current projects that I’m aiming to work on and some of my personal inspiration for taking the game development plunge, as well as discuss what I’m currently working on in terms of study/development. I hope you all have a good day, and never feel like it’s too late to start chasing your dreams again! - Manny Extra: Game of the Day - Disgaea 1 Complete on Nintendo Switch I’ve loved this game since I first played it way back in the early 2000s, so when I heard this was coming to Switch as a slightly remastered port, I couldn’t wait! The updated artwork looks great and I’m eager to get all of those extra scenarios completed! ;) GO SRPGs!

[vitmelbourne]

Most of the Different Careers with Bachelor of It Australia Degree

Anyone who's on the threshold of entering college should know which degrees most in demand by employers are. Year after year, organizations and experts publish the lists of degrees that hold maximum potential in terms of salary and employment opportunities.

 And surprise of the surprises, the Bachelor of It Australia degree continues to make it to the top of several such lists. A few years ago, everyone thought that all the Bachelor of Information Technology jobs that had been outsourced; who would have thought that a program that leads to a Bachelor of Information Technology Australia career would make such a dramatic comeback on popularity charts?

 But the fact is that graduates with BITS Australia degrees are currently among the most in-demand and sought-after job applicants. If you are thinking of investing in a Information Technology degree, then your decision couldn't have come at a more opportune time.

To provide you a peek into the future, we have to compile a list of careers that you can pursue with a Bachelor of It Australia degree.

 1. Software Development

 Career - This profession is ranked number two on the list of the 25 best jobs of 2020 published by a News and World Report.  As the name suggests, the computer software developers design and develop the software applications that make our computers perform specific tasks. Software developers may be involved in developing software for games, business applications, educational material, mobile apps, etc. They are also responsible for the testing developed software and making sure it meets the requirements of end users.

 Educational Requirement - For software development jobs, most employers prefer candidates with a software engineering or Bachelor of It Australia degree.

 2. Computer Programming

 Career - The job of a computer programmer is to convert the algorithm or instructions created by a software engineer into code using various programming languages such as C, C++, C#, Java, Python, Basic, etc. Part of a programmer's job is also to repair broken code as well as update, modify, and expand existing software programs.

 Educational Requirements - Programmers may be able to get their career started with a two-year computer programming degree, but responsible positions and advancement opportunities may require them to complete a bachelor's program. A Bachelor Of Information Technology Australia degree with an emphasis in programming may be the most appropriate program for aspirants of this career.

 3. Network Administration

 Career - Computer systems administrators, also known as network administrators, support an organization's computer systems. They are responsible for designing, installing, and supporting the Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Intranet, and Internet access of an organization. Among their duties is to the monitor network performance, fix problems, evaluate user needs, and suggest changes and improvements to the network.

 Educational Requirements - An Information Technology degree with a networking emphasis is an ideal program for network administration positions. Some positions, however, may be pursued with a relevant associate degree, along with professional certification and work experience.

 4. Information Systems Security

 Career - information security specialists have the important job of safeguarding an organization's information systems. As part of their work, systems security specialists educate workers about the importance of maintaining computer security, install security software on the organization's computers, monitor an organization's network for security breaches, and respond to attacks on an organization's security by cyber criminals.

 Educational Requirements - A Bachelor of It Australia degree with an emphasis in information security may be required to pursue the position of a computer security specialist.

 These are just some of the potentially rewarding careers you can pursue once you graduate from your IT program. All you need to do is find a program and school that meet your career goals and professional aspirations.

Learn Bachelor of It Australia degree for Further Education

The need for educated individuals to work on developing computer software for a variety of reasons growing as technology grows. Students must earn a higher degree education in software development technology. Technology and computer-based schools offer degree programs for interested students. There are several things one should know prior to enrolling.

The opportunities for Bachelor of It Australia in higher education are specifically designed to generate well-rounded students that can contribute to computer software development. Computer software is related to everything from multimedia interfaces and design procedures to operating systems. Higher education offers students the chance to enter a degree program in software development technology or applications development.

 Students should expect to find that most programs of this nature are undergraduate degrees. Graduate degrees typically focus on the engineering side of software development leaving students with multiple degree options in software engineering. The undergraduate degrees are a great way to enter the industry prepared for entry-level careers.

 An associate degree challenges student to develop necessary skills in logical and algorithmic analysis. Study dives into design techniques, programming systems, and working with relational databases. Curriculum is concentrated on looking at all services and applications students need to know for development practices. The main overall goal of a program at this level is to have students gain practical programming techniques with the use of superior problem-solving skills. Graduating from a program usually requires around 96 credit hours, which include courses on programming, web design, software development lifecycle, and web scripting. Students learn how to work with personal and business computers. On a personal level a course examines how to operate systems. Concepts and terminology on all hardware components and the function they serve. This knowledge coupled with software development technology skills prepares students for the work they will conduct in the industry.

 A software applications development bachelor's degree in information technology program teaches students the skills needed to pursue careers in areas like software design, development, programming, management, and process design. A foundation in programming skills is formed preparing students to work with different computer languages and platforms. Colleges integrate this information with theory and method of software engineering procedures and standards. Many bachelor programs like this one could require students to complete approximately 180 credit hours. Education is broken down into courses that focus on general education as well as core courses. With degree specific courses students learn about application design, programming, web service, software development, database design, and program implementation. To widen knowledge a course on contemporary world culture can be taken to address the impact of electronic communication and globalization. The course centers on how fast technological advances has influenced the world. Students can continue education or enter a career as a software engineer or a software programmer.

 For getting more information visit here VIT - Victorian Institute of Technology.

14/123 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

1300 17 17 55 (or) support@vit.edu.au