Big Question!

[DPstudent]

Originally Posted by yaustar

Q. What is Computer Science exactly?
A. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science This is usually fundamental for any programmer, games or not.

Q. Wouldn't it be better to do an education specialized on Game Design?
A. No. You do that and you severely your career possibilities. If you do a Games related course and after two years you change your mind for whatever reason, switching careers to a non-games programming one is difficult because you don't have the underlying education that you would get from a Computer Science degree. However, to transition from a Computer Science degree to a Games Programmer career is much, MUCH easier.

Talk to your Careers adviser at College. He or she will give much more relevant information about your country's education system. Please bear in mind that the list I linked to are games companies, not education.

Edit: Have a read of this article as well: http://scientificninja.com/advice/on-game-schools

I'm going to have to strongly disagree with you about not being able to find a job if you choose to switch career paths.

When you learn to program games, you need all the fundamental knowledge that you would gain in a traditional Computer Science degree and the ability to apply that knowledge. At DigiPen (not sure about Full Sail) you start by creating a text-based game in a group of four. This is done second semester, after you have learned all the general knowledge of C. In the C programming class, you do nothing with games, it is taught traditionally just as in a regular University setting. Second year involves a group of 4 or more, as people get to choose how many in a development team. Artists are thrown into the mix as well and you develop a fully functional 2-D game. Again, when you learn all the programming languages, you are not taught how to use them in video games. There is a class required every semester called GAM (Game Development). This is the class where you create your games.

Third year is like second except you create a fully functional 3-D game, with networking capabilities. More artists are required, and preferably more programmers. The purpose of this class is to put students in a real world environment. When you create games for a career, you do it just as you do at DigiPen, in large groups where each member has a unique and specific role.

[yaustar]

I was being very general and talking from personal experience. Out of all the games courses in the world, I would say 95% are junk and don't teach you the same things as a Computer Science degree and give you a 'jack of all trades' education and miss some of the fundamentals you need for other jobs. When I compare what I did (from a games course) with other people from a CS degree, I do worry somewhat when I decide to switch careers. For example, they had to write their own compiler for a custom language which means they have a core knowledge of how a compiler works.

I am also echoing the general sentiment of games developers view on games courses from other forums and people I know.

Also bear in mind that the OP wants to go to Full Sail which is a very slippery slope when started. It is expensive, intensive and really doesn't offer much more over a traditional CS degree taking into consideration that he has to move to another country to get this 'games specific education'. IIRC, they don't offer refunds of any kind either.