New Yorker, 1 semester away from graduating B.A in Studio Art PLease excuse length

[tnmnsquare]

Hey Folks! I am just looking for some helpful input because I haven't read of a similar situation in the forums.
I am an artist from NY who wants to stay in NY and I want to write and produce art work, guiding concepts for games, films, interactive media. I have always been concerned about futuristic experience and I would like to have a direct hand in forming it.
I have little to no programming experience, only recently introducing myself to it via Processing and Basic.
I am one semester away from graduating with a B.A(more on why i cant grad with a BFA later). I need postgraduate education in game design and digital art. I have been told that getting an associates after a B.A reads as a huge step backwards. It is better to get an internship and work with that because the job experience is what counts. I agree but I need rigorous education in Photoshop, Maya, programming, etc. I am teaching myself photoshop but, like anything else, it takes years to really learn. I
Where can I find an internship or a entry level job in NYC Gaming industry? (which is small and nascent. From what i have read, most of the big name companies in NY represent the accounting, not the creation, art production.)
Where should I go post graduate? ( I am interested in the ITP program at NYU, there is something similar at Parsons but every artist I have met from Parsons seems to have no heart or humor, no offense. I was thinking it would be a good idea to go through a Certificate Dig. Art program at Pratt and then try for NYU ITP. )
Can a game designer/writer/artist support themselves in NYC? ( Does anyone think that the NYC game industry will get bigger soon? I read NYC Game Industry sometimes and it doesn't give me much hope. Should I apply to one of the dozen schools in California? )

I want a BFA but the selection process at Hunter College is really exclusive and is designed for fine artists who mean to work in the gallery. I made a few big mistakes early on in my career at Hunter so while I have made the Deans List three of four times since i re matriculated, my GPA is .5 points too low to even qualify for entry.
If I did get in I would have to spend another year and a half at school. Like I said, I have made some mistakes in my past. I am 26 now. The pressure is on now.
I had known earlier that I wouldn't be able to graduate with a BFA I would have gone into the Media Arts Program or double majored instead. I thought it would be better to have the formal arts education before heading into a dedicated digital graphics education and the BFA just looked really good.
You don't find out whether you get into the BFA program until its basically too late to do anything else with your time there. Not only that but you have to develop your technical skills on your own time while you are fulfilling the heaps of general requirements needed to graduate. Most art classes are assignment-based rather than being based on classical study. There are few nudes and the one nude class only happens once a week at 9 am. STUPID. As a result I have had to go to the Art Students League in order to learn about nudes, muscle study and other basic stuff like that.

[yaustar]

There are a fair number of developers in the New York area: http://gamedevmap.com/index.php?quer...&Submit=Search

You have to contact them yourself for work or internship enquires.

What is the difference between a BA and a BFA? Do you have a portfolio ready for job or internship enquires.