Education · 1 of 5

The path

Nobody gets hired on a transcript. You get hired on things you finished and shipped.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 9 to 12

   Start making now. Learn one language properly and finish small games, even bad ones. Finished beats ambitious every single time.

2. 2

   Learn an engine

   6 months to 2 years, alongside school

   Unity uses the C sharp language, Unreal Engine uses C++. Both are free. Pick one and go deep rather than sampling both.

3. 3

   Degree, usually computer science

   2 to 4 years

   Four years at a public university is the safest bet. Specialist game programs exist and some are excellent, but they cost more and narrow your options.

4. 4

   Build a portfolio

   Throughout

   Three to five finished projects, published where people can play them, plus game jams. For a programming job, one deep technical project beats five shallow ones.

5. 5

   First job

   After graduation

   Junior programmer, associate designer, or quality assurance with a plan to move. Expect to apply to a lot of places. Internships are the strongest route in.