So I am a Senior in High school about to graduate in like 6 months. My grades sadly are not very good due to the fact that in my freshment/sophmore year I screwed around too much, barely passed my classes and therefore my college choices are limited and ITT is really the only place near here that I can go too to learn programming. I want to be a game programmer and have been wanting to do it for a long time but I do not really know how it works or anything obviously and was wondering if anybody here actually went to ITT and thought they taught it good and you could go get a job after you finish? I know it will cost a lot of money but nowhere else really teaches what I want to learn as a career so anybody with comments or anything would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance!

Quote: Original post by blade5
barely passed my classes and therefore my college choices are limited

So you sent in letters and were rejected? If you're sincere about trying hard at a college/university you can probably find a way in. There's sometimes walk in meetings also where you can discuss your situation. They don't have an admissions system for nothing.

Like Sirisian, I'd say give the schools you'd like a shot. If your jr/sr year went better, and especially if you have something outside of the classroom (extracurriculars, volunteer work, a job, etc.), don't count yourself out. If your goal is a four year degree (or more) you could also consider getting a two year degree at ITT or somewhere else to help prove to the schools you're interested in that you've turned things around.

I'd be careful with ITT tech, I don't know very much about the game industry in specific at this point, but I do know there are some employers in other industries who won't respect a degree from institutions like that. I'd definitely check with people who know more, but community college is always a safe choice. :)

This seems like a good candidate for our new Breaking into the Games Industry forum.

Just to echo what's already been said, ITT is worse than worthless and your time will be well spent talking with admissions. Even community college is a better option. The admission requirements there are still pretty lax, and you can use the two years to prove that you can get your act together and then transfer into a better program.

That said, I'd also take a little bit to evaluate why you did poorly (and how you can avoid it). I've seen too many people (myself included) use "oh, I just wasn't really trying" as an excuse for personal failings. You can't correct problems that way.

The other side of it is you're actually going to need to learn the things you missed during those years (algebra and geometry most likely). They will be used in more advanced courses, and it's hard to catch up once you're behind.

If I were a hiring manager, any "qualifications" from ITT would be an instant no-hire. Just one man's opinion, but I know plenty of other people dislike places like ITT, and ITT in particular.

Here's what I recommend you do:

• Assess what your problems in school were, and address them as Telastyn said


• Pick something unrelated to computers, that you'd be interested in getting a degree for


• Go to a community college for your low-level prerequisite type classes - English, mathematics, history, etc.


• Transfer into a heavier-duty university to finish out your degree


• Learn programming on the side, and build a portfolio in your spare time that demonstrates your skills

That will be vastly more appealing to prospective employers.

Go to a JC, then transfer to a 4-year university.