Coming from another industry, clueless where to start

[morgendonner]

Hello everyone,

I'm happy to find this website, I hope it can be the help I need.

I went to college and graduated with a bachelors in mechanical and aerospace enigneering. My gpa is ok, but complimented by a great deal of extra-curriculars. after graduating in spring 2010 I started working as an engineer for a year. In July 2011 I quit my job because I was not happy with it. since then I considering many next steps including engineering grad school, another job, or an mba. After a lot of self examination I decided I wanted to pursue a job in videogames. I always thought of it as a dream job but considered it unrealistic. I've now decided to make a real go for it and do my best.

I'm a bit lost as to where to go next though. I'm fairly artistic, and as my engineering background would suggest I have a strong background in project management and critical thinking. I have some understanding of programming but not in the sense of anything substantial, nor do I have particular interest in programming. Within engineering my specialty was 3d design and cad work.

I've been trying to teach myself Blender but I'm not sure how worthwhile q pursuit this is.

What is my best step from here? Do I need to go back to school for another degree? Can I just start applying to jobs? Should I focus on making some levels using game engines or something and then apply? something else entirely?

I did read some of the intro articles on this site and found them informative but I would love to actually get feedback from other people. hoping to hear back from anybody who can shine some light on my journey.

thank you.