How youse doin'

Current mood: excited

I have come to another point in my journey where I can see the tracks changing. This Saturday (May 10th) I will graduate with a Masters of Science in Computer Science with a certificate in Game Design and Development. I remember when I graduated two years ago with a Bachelors and imagined what it would be like once I finally had my M.S. degree. I was a bit scared and uncertain about my future after that, finding a job was a scary thought. At the time, I didn't really think I would get a job in the Game industry. I thought I would end up doing computer graphics work at some Visualization center or something.

But that graduation was not really that life-changing experience, because I knew I was just going to get back to school the following semester anyway. No, the moment the tracks started shifting was when I met Dr. G. Michael Youngblood. I was taking his Artificial Intelligence in Games class just because it had "game" in the title and I knew I would like it. But then I found out he had some really cool research ideas that seemed as though they were made just for me! Then I found out that there was going to be a Game Design and Development certificate and I could get it! But wait a sec... if I had this certificate... I could ACTUALLY get a job in the Game industry!!!! WHOA! It was a huge revelation and I have never been so excited!

So I talked to him about how I wanted to do a thesis (an extensive research paper outlining what you did during your Masters) even though it was optional to do so at UNCC. He told me about this project that he wanted to do that visualized a player's activity in a game world. As soon as I heard this, I knew this was it... this was for me! It combines my two biggest passions: games and information visualization. I knew I had to do this and I could already see how big it could be. This work is now pretty much finished and you can read my thesis if you so choose here or watch a five-minute video summarizing some of my work here.

During this last semester of my college career, I was searching for a job along with finishing my thesis (who am I kidding.. writing my thesis). I started by searching online and submitting my resume to game companies that were looking for programmers. Most places required at least one shipped title so I avoided those most of the time. Then I had the chance to go to San Francisco in February for the Game Developer's Conference (GDC). This was an excellent place to meet with recruiters and find a job in the industry! I learned a lot during the sessions and handed out plenty of my resumes. But none of those prospects from GDC worked out in the end.

One day in late March I was checking my email when I saw the title "Game programmers wanted" (or something of the sort). It wasn't an email.. it was a targetted google ad! So I clicked on it.. and it was legitimate. TimeGate Studios in Sugar Land, TX was looking for software engineers. The requirements listed matched my experience almost point-to-point! So I applied online and continued working on my thesis. Then all of a sudden I get a phone call from a 281 number. I was shocked to realize that it was actually TimeGate Studios calling me about my application! So a survey and phone interview later I was flying to Texas for an on-site interview. I saw some cool stuff while I was there and met some great people. I knew I would love working at this company and felt confident about my interviews.

A week later I had my first offer for a job as a Game Developer! I accepted the offer and I will be starting on June 23rd. I had to wait until then because from May 12th to June 9th I will be in India. I remember the last time I went to India was after graduating high school in 2002 and it was a similar transition period for me. So six years and two degrees later I am going back. Its going to be quite interesting to see how things have changed (or haven't).

I will try to update from India as much as I can, though I am not taking my laptop so it won't be happening all the time. I will probably use twitter some but I'm not sure about the texting charges :P

Hope you enjoyed this long update.. because its probably going to be a while before I do another one :D Maybe once I'm settled into Texas and have some time.

Bye
-Me