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DigiPen: Computer Science and Game Design vs. Computer Science
If you want to be a manager I think that getting a regular CS would be of more benefit. A good manager can talk to anybody and relate to them at some level. Doing the general education part of a CS degree exposes you to a lot more random topics then DigiPen. Which gives you a wider perspective of life in general and forces you to deal with non engineering personalities. Both super helpful when dealing with people outside of programmers which you will do a lot in management.
This seems like a nice example of the benefits of talking to real people and I appreciate the helpful feedback.
Just read this article today: "How Difficult Is It to Become a Game Developer?" - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/quora/how-difficult-is-it-to-be_b_7600010.html
If you are interested in pursuing a career in game industry as a game programmer, I recommend that a bachelors degree in computer science would serve you much better than a game development degree in a community college. When I hire a programmer, I am looking for good programming skills and knowledge. Game experience is secondary with a junior programmer, because I will likely be hooking him or her up with an experience member of our team who can teach about our various protocols for doing game development. But I don't have the bandwidth teach someone who has made only GameMaker games how to be a more sophisticated programmer.
As indicated in the title, I've mostly looked at The Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science and Game Design (Hybrid Degree) (BSCSGD) and the Bachelor's of Science in Computer Science (BSCS). I primarily want to work as a programmer, but I feel as if a hybrid course in Development and Design will prepare me for a more flexible job-set or even managerial positions. My only worry is that I lose out on some programming education and opportunities that only the plain Computer Science Degree will offer.
While I know they are only trying to provide basic examples of Jobs, for each degree, the BSCS lists Game Developer as a career path where the BSCSGD does not. Game Developer or Programmer ranks high on my 'desired jobs list' and I'd rather not lose out on that opportunity.
I think you worry too much about what's "necessary" and too little about what interests you. http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson40.htm
I'd like to note that as a Computer Science college graduate, I can tell you that if you think that you will learn everything about programming from your classes and projects, that's not true -- at least for me. Comp. Sci. classes aim at not only teaching you specific languages, but mainly the techniques and mindset used to solve numerous problems, and the ability to adapt to new programming languages, and different environments.
That's all great, but I also have to say that although I am a programmer of video games (specifically engines), I did have to teach myself most of what I know regarding specific graphics libraries, OpenGL, engine editing, and using environments such as Unreal. It ended up taking a lot of time and energy to figure these things out on my own, opposed to just going to a game development school as a programmer. Also, it is possible that if you have the foundation of a programmer from this hybrid major, and were a little shaky on some programming skills, you can also learn those as well. No school who's major includes Comp. Sci. is going to shaft you on the essentials of programming.
In closing, I can only assume that in a game developer/comp. sci. hybrid, they will teach you the best of both worlds. I deeply believe that it is vital to make your choice on both interest and necessity. Having said that, I say this: If developing video games is really what you want to do, I would go for the hybrid. It would probably be fulfilling and fun. You can also always learn more about your field via books and online like I have, and currently do.
I try to steer people away from DigiPen. Why?
1) The degree is centered around game development and that's too niche. The average game developer spends about 10 years in the game development industry. If you have a 30 year career, you'll eventually change jobs and get out of the industry. You'll want to have a broader degree and experience base you can fall back on when and if you want to get out of the industry.
2) Game development is fun, but so is non-game development. It's all interesting as fuck, so why deprive yourself of those other amazing, enriching development experiences out there?! I've built enterprise applications which managed billions of dollars in goods and reconstruction projects. It was very awesome and fulfilling and I loved it. I've built distributed computing systems. I've done science with computers. It's amazing.
3) It's more expensive.
4) The market place value is actually lower for a game programming degree than a general CS degree (see #1).
5) Just because you get a degree in game programming doesn't guarantee a job in game programming. If you get a game programming degree, you're already limiting your opportunities for employment.
So: Get a CS degree. Go to community college for the first two years, get those core requirements out of the way, then transfer to a four year university and get that CS degree. Your wallet and career will thank you.
