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Too Old?

Started by maxpenguin Sep 6, 2006 at 2:59 AM 28 replies 5k views

Original Post

Sep 6, 2006 at 2:59 AM

Hi All, I am hoping for a little bit of advice here. First, my background. I am 20, and currently working for a company doing C#, with sql and other things. I havn't got any real qualifications. I have a Diploma done at a polytechnic (I think a community college is the right term in the US. It was REALLY lame), but nothing else. I started college, and got really annoyed because it was going too slow - and ended up writing apps (for my "company", and making a few bucks) with all my time and giving up after a semester. Now, I am finding my current job is rotting my brain. I want something harder. My current plan was to keep doing my day job while I learn game programming and make demos, then eventually get a game programming job. But lately I am thinking I should give up and go to college and get a BS or something similar. The problem is I am 20 NOW, which means I will be 24-26 when I am finished college, and looking for my first game dev job. Is this too old? Should I just keep going anyway? Am I overreacting, does age really matter anyway? Hopefully, you game dev geniuses can give me some advice! I would MUCH appreciate ANY advice [grin]. Thanks in advance!!

lethalhamster

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:06 AM

Yeah, your over reacting. No one starts college until at least 18(when they get out of high school). By the time the next fall semester starts most everyone is 19. Your really only 1 or 2 years off. No big deal. My mom graduated medical school at 37. She did have 4 kids to care for at the time and took mostly night classes... but still, she has a good well paying job now. It is always worth it no matter what the age.

Eelco

237

Eelco

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:13 AM

exactly. this is no big deal. id recommend atleast getting a bachelors degree.

Eleusis

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:15 AM

Well, yea that's a little old. Most people start college at 18, get their associates at 20 and then their bachelors at 22. So most people start looking for a job at 22 not 26.

I'm sort of in a similar case. My mom messed up my life and I missed out on a year of college. I'm now 20 and should've graduated next semester, but instead, I'll be graduating on December 2007(my school's CS department is really screwed up so the last two classes I need won't be available until September 2007).

I suggest you really work hard at learning how to code no the side and make some demos. Try to make the most money you can before graduating, that's my plan anyway.

Tuesdays Gone

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:15 AM

no you are not to old. Also you'll have real world experience combined with your degree your age will be no factor.

good luck.

Eleusis

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:18 AM

Quote:
Original post by Tuesdays Gone
no you are not to old. Also you'll have real world experience combined with your degree your age will be no factor.

good luck.

I don't doubt that his age would be a factor. It's just, morally, it's a little old. Personally I'd be embarrassed if I was 26 with a bachelor's degree and one of my co-workers is 24 with a master's degree. But that's just me.

daviangel

135

daviangel

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:29 AM

Quote:
Original post by Eleusis
Quote:
Original post by Tuesdays Gone
no you are not to old. Also you'll have real world experience combined with your degree your age will be no factor.

good luck.

I don't doubt that his age would be a factor. It's just, morally, it's a little old. Personally I'd be embarrassed if I was 26 with a bachelor's degree and one of my co-workers is 24 with a master's degree. But that's just me.

I didn't have any college when I got my first programming job and felt embarrased for the guy in the next cubicle that had 2 degrees and did the same job!

Tuesdays Gone

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:30 AM

Quote:
Original post by Eleusis
Quote:
Original post by Tuesdays Gone
no you are not to old. Also you'll have real world experience combined with your degree your age will be no factor.

good luck.

I don't doubt that his age would be a factor. It's just, morally, it's a little old. Personally I'd be embarrassed if I was 26 with a bachelor's degree and one of my co-workers is 24 with a master's degree. But that's just me.

but isnt that inevitable. If you only ever have a batchelors at some stage in your life someone will have more education than you and will be yonger, its no reason not apply.

i think you're paying to much attention to age, an employer is going to be way m ore concerned about your education/ skill level/ comunication/ business heck a whole lot of other things before they start comparing candidates on age especially when we are talking about people in their 20s. Its your perception that theres a big gap between a 22 and 26 year old to an employer it means nothing as long as that 4 year gap wasnt spent being a bum, hobo, criminal etc.

xanin

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:30 AM

No, you're not too old. I know plenty of people older than you who are getting their bachelors, for example, one guy i know is 34, used to be a drug dealer who lived out of his duffel bag for 6 years, and is finishing up his Astrophysics/CompEngineering dual degree.

@Eleusis : There's no shame in taking a different route through life than someone else.

For the record, I'm not an older person saying this, I'm 23 and finished my bachelors degree when I was 22.

meh

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:54 AM

20 too old. :S

I was 24 when I finished Uni and got a job fine. One of my classmates was 28 when he graduated and now works with me. Age has no bearing.

maxpenguin

Author

maxpenguin

Sep 6, 2006 at 3:58 AM

Awsome, thanks everyone for the advice! Looks like I am going to college.

(feel free to keep the advice coming [grin])

THANKS!

ordered_disorder

Sep 6, 2006 at 4:14 AM

LOL at the people saying 20+ is too old to go for a degree. Sshould they work at mc donalds? Should they just kill themselves because there will be someone younger who has a higher level of education?

Why even ask this question, in the end it's about skills and attitude, not your age. I would look deeply within if your asking these types of questions. It should be very obvious age isn't a factor.

Tuesdays Gone

Sep 6, 2006 at 4:19 AM

i dont think you can criticize him for asking the question, its perfectly valid imho. if you dont know how important something is its in your best interest to find out.

maxpenguin

Author

maxpenguin

Sep 6, 2006 at 4:38 AM

I understand what you are saying ordered_disorder. I was actually just thinking that. I guess I have always been too eager to get into things, and that is how I have ended up here.

Thanks for your point of view. It would be plain stupid of me not to go to college now. No matter what, I will just be older - when I do decide. And I don't really want to just go work at McDonalds or something.

Thanks again!

ordered_disorder

Sep 6, 2006 at 6:03 AM

Quote:

Tuesdays Gone
i dont think you can criticize him for asking the question, its perfectly valid imho. if you dont know how important something is its in your best interest to find out.

Sure I can, especially if I am coming from an angle of good will, and wanting an individual to think critically. Which is the point of good criticisms.

Quote:
Original post by maxpenguin
I understand what you are saying ordered_disorder. I was actually just thinking that. I guess I have always been too eager to get into things, and that is how I have ended up here.

Thanks for your point of view. It would be plain stupid of me not to go to college now. No matter what, I will just be older - when I do decide. And I don't really want to just go work at McDonalds or something.

Thanks again!

There's an old irish saying(paraphrased). "As long as you have breath in your body, it doesn't matter how far you go down a road, you can always turn back.".

You already know it, but i am going to say it :] Create for yourself the skills that will give you a good life, whether that be through school or some other medium, and in the end, damned what other people think. Good Luck with your life maxpenguin.

paulecoyote

138

paulecoyote

Sep 6, 2006 at 6:44 AM

I hope 20 isn't too old. 27 with a BSc Hons in Computer Studies, over 5 years strong business app experience in C++ (over 3 of that with C#) so far - I kind of hoping when I'm brave enough I'll be able to make a sideways move in to Gamedevelopment. Perhaps tools or something to begin with.

kSquared

192

kSquared

Sep 6, 2006 at 7:19 AM

The saying is a trite one, but that doesn't make it any less true: You're never too old to learn something new.

shmoove

Sep 6, 2006 at 8:18 AM

Move to Israel. Most people are in the army until they're 21 and they usually take a year or five before going on to university, so at 20 you'd be way ahead of the pack.

shmoove

eedok

192

eedok

Sep 6, 2006 at 9:39 AM

What degrees you have != what you can do
same with
how old you are != what you can do
as well as
how well others are doing around you != what you can do

There's a good number of people who are great game developers with nothing more than 2 years of post secondary.

jjd

187

jjd

Sep 6, 2006 at 11:06 AM

Quote:
Original post by maxpenguin

LOL! :-))) No, you're not to old. Actually, you're probably in a good position to get your BSc quickly, skipping the really boring and easy first year courses. I'm assuming that you got your diploma from AIT (or whatever it's called now). It should be easy to transfer a lot of those credits to a degree a Auckland uni. The basic BSc is three years at Auckland, so you could get through in a couple of years.

BTW, I graduated from the school of engineering, but that was a few years ago now. I made a career change at 31 to get in the game industry. You have nothing to about with respect to your age.

Good luck.

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