What would I do?

Tuesday. April 23, 2024 - 3 mins

In an informal conversation with some second year comp-sci for video games students today, I was asked if I had any advice for them ahead of their final year. . .

1) Spend the summer building your network

Your network is the greatest predictor of your long term success. It’s also the greatest predictor of your net-worth at the point of retirement. Strangers have the keys to everything you want from life in their hands.

You just haven’t met them yet. So start.

To get the most out of your network when you need it, and to be there for the people in yours, you need to build it.

Using social media, find the people working at the company you’d like to work with. Engage with them. As in genuinely engage. . . not just a like or two. Make meaningful comments to build up rapport and get a proper feel for the work at the company. It’ll make your use of social media more positive if nothing else.
Find events to attend, even if they’re not specific to your industry. Get comfortable striking up conversations with strangers, swapping details, following up online after events. Don’t wait for the perfect event to do this for the first time.

2) Spend the summer building your portfolio / personal website

Any game dev (or software) studio worth its salt will want to see your work. Packaging your projects up into pages on a personal website over summer is a great use of time. It will mean your can add new additions to the throughout your final year, meaning your portfolio ready when you need it.

I can already hear your complaints!

My work isn’t any good.
I don’t want employers to think my year one work is how good I am now.
I can’t design websites.

None of these things matter!

If you can build a game, you are in the top 0.1% of the planets population in making games. You’re good enough.
People know skills improve over your time at uni. If they don’t, you’re doing uni wrong. Show them how much you’ve grown.
Unless you’re going for a web design job, you won’t be judged on your web design skills. Arguably, a plain website that lets the content take focus is a good thing.

I’d be sure to include a blog section, using it to share regular updates about your work. Employers LOVE this, and it’s a really easy way to separate yourself from most other students.

3) Struggled with something? Try again.

The final year of uni, to some extent, is about showcasing the knowledge and experience accrued in the years prior. If there is a core concept / library / skill that you think you’ll need in the final year, you have the chance to have another look at it without the pressure of deadlines.

In a similar vein, if you aren’t comfortable with git yet. . . get comfortable. Doing so will make you more comfortable in trying things out with your code.

4) Spend some time away from a computer

If you thought year two was tough, year three is tougher. There’s good reason why it’s weighted more strongly than the second year when final grades are calculated.

Step outside. Get some sun on your skin. Spend time with friends. Catch up with your family. You’re going to spend so much time in front of a computer in the year ahead. Make the most of being able to step away from it without having an assignment nagging in the back of your brain.

5) Bonus

A few years ago, I collated advice I’d been given. It all still stands ture.