College Major?

Porgramming is the least of the skills that a computer science degree will give you. It teaches proper design and how to adapt to a rapidly changing industry.

Alternatively, you could minor in computer science and major in anything else that interests you (I''m currently considering switching to economics and minoring in CS [my major right now is CS]).

yes, there is so much more in a CS curriculum then just programming. They teach you the whole nine yards in producing a software package.

"I pity the fool, thug, or soul who tries to take over the world, then goes home crying to his momma."
- Mr. T

I don''t think that computer programming (as a major) is even offered at 4-year colleges anymore. Most people with an interest in a career in the computing industry stick with the traditional majors, computer science and computer engineering. That being said, I know plenty of people that work in industry that graduated with a major that was not in computer science. Computer science is more than just programming, it involves other topics such as computer architecture, operating systems, and yes, even mathematics (although for some odd reason most computer scientists tend to shy away from mathematics...). I had the benefit of a liberal arts education as an undergraduate, which is useful for topics such as game design because not only did I obtain the necessary background in computer science, the other courses I had to take afforded me a greater appreciation for other essential aspects of the industry (courses in literature, philosophy, history, these are all useful in expanding your background, making you a more well-rounded individual capable of interacting and understanding not only the computer in front of you but also the world around you). Computer Science is a good major to consider, but don''t forget about all of the other subjects that enrich your experience and creativity.

Good luck in your decision!

Magius

if you are interested in programming go to a college that offers it as a degree. even if you dont get a degree in CS you can still take courses which interest you. i dont like 90% of the classes i have to take to graduate with a CS degree... but that other 10% has helped me immensly. besides what good is a college if it doesn''t even have a CS department??? i mean im from MONTANA and every large school here has a CS degree... not to mention that the school i am at has a very GOOD CS department... if montana has one your state does too... it is interesting because most of the grad students in CS didnt get a CS degree as their first. they just realized they liked programming and wanted to get a job doing it. also i know several undergrads that regretted getting art degrees earlier because they found out they were useless, and are now taking CS so they can get a job... sad using CS as "just a job" but hey at least there are that many more people on computers ready to play the games i make eh?

Brett Lynnes
cheez_keeper@hotmail.com

I actually majored in Computer Information Systems, which has you taking several programming language classes (I personally had C/C++, VB, and the horrible language known as COBOL, which is the one down side to this approach). There were also a lot of business and database classes (though you''ll want to avoid it if the curriculum is more database than programming, since that won''t help your game programming initiative at all). I also had some networking classes (which helped immensely since I''m a network engineer)

The good news is that with the DB classes, you can make a steady (great) income doing DB web design and back-end programming, among other things, but still manage to work on your own towards game programming. The only down side to this versus the CS approach is that you don''t get as much time dedicated to software engineering, and almost no math, though you end up having more options open to you upon graduation since you aren''t locked into one thing.

-Chris

If you want to demand a very good salary and have a knack for physics, mathematics and electronics, get an electrical engineering degree and minor in computer science. In my field, almost all EE positions require programming of some sort, but you''re not stuck coding all day for the most part.

If you just want to be a developer, you can get by with just taking some courses in the appropriate language that interests you, C/C++, VB, etc... If you are looking more for a career in the Software Development field, go with a solid Computer Science program. As other's have said, it is much more than just programming. You learn the whole process of Software Development including more detailed topics such as Operating Systems, Algorithms, etc... I have a Computer Science degree and currently working as a Consultant. By having the expierence of going through a CS program, my work is much easier and I can contribute more to the Senior guys.

Above all, go with what you like and have fun.

-----------------------------
kevin@mayday-anime.com
http://games.mayday-anime.com

Edited by - grasshopa55 on October 9, 2001 8:36:22 AM

Another interesting degree is Cybetnetics, you do programming in C++, electronics, mechatronics, mathematics, computer architecture, AI. Whether it''s relevent to games programming is debatable, although someone has got a position in a gamedev company as AI programmer with a MEng in Cybernetics ( it said in the prospectus ).

Crazygnome, do what you enjoy that''s all I can really say. I personally missed out on getting into a computer science course too, but I got into computer technology. If you have a burn to make games, then it really doesn''t matter what you do, because you know why, you have websites like this and a stack of books now on how to develope games. You can be your own best teacher. You learn what you want to learn and at the pace you set for yourself Although I was a self taught programmer, my course did fill in on little gaps in my knowledge. Some institutes even teach game development courses these days, you might want to check one of those out.
and I don''t completely agree with crouilla, databases are one of the most useful things you can learn for game development, especially for saving and retrieval of saved games. It could make the difference between a 2 minute load time and a 20 second load time. I wish I wasn''t as stubborn as I was, if I had my choice again I would have taken up database studies.
like i said it doesn''t matter what you do in the end you''ll have to master these aspects to make a decent game.

programming
software engineering
database management
maths
physics
that should get you started