Most major corporations require a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as software engineering, animation or graphic design. But everyone is not cut out for college.
Many savvy professionals have launched lucrative careers without degrees or any type of formal education. However, they had relevant skills that made cross-training possible.
Your young adult may have some of those skills as well!
Choosing a Game Design Career Path Right Out of High School
Starting a gaming career fresh out of high school may not be easy, especially if your child has no job experience at all. However, if he/she has worked in retail or service jobs, such as cashiering, valet services, or bartending, potential employers may be more open to giving the kid a chance if attendance and performance were good and a desire to learn is present.
When young adults are in their early 20s, they likely have more job experience to add to their resumes. They may have even taken a few college courses. These factors can help give potential employers something to consider, along with the factors below:
- Are they dedicated?
- Do they show up on time?
- Are they willing to learn new things?
- Do they go above and beyond?
- How long do they stay at a job?
- Are they pleasures to work with?
If this is your child, they already possess the soft skills needed to become a great game developer. These skills are also valuable for those planning to start their own game design businesses as entrepreneurs.
How Much Can My Kid Make as a Video Game Designer?
High school graduates with game designing skills but no work experience start at about $12 to $15 per hour.
A more experienced designer could make about $130K per year. But all of this depends on the specific division and the niche you choose.
What Skills Do Teens & Young Adults Need to Develop Games?
Being a successful game developer takes more than just technical or hard skills. Your kid will also need soft skills to help them create quality games for entertainment.
Hard Skills Needed for Game Developers
If your child has any of these hard skills, your young adult already has the technical abilities needed to start down this career path. But if they don’t, yet they’re interested in designing games for a living, these are the courses they should focus on in technical school or college:
- Math & Analytics– Jobs that require lots of coding, like video game developers, require outstanding math and analytical knowledge and abilities. If computer programming is a major focus, those mathematic reasoning skills must be up to par. And analytical skills open doors in IT departments and other support system areas.
- Programming Languages – Coding languages constantly evolve in every arena of the software business. So, make sure your child knows the current coding language trends, such as C++ and C#.
- Software Development – Your kid will have access to even more jobs if they expand on those programming language skills. Make sure they take courses in college and technical skills that teach basic software skills. And if they’re good at it, encourage the young adult to take advanced software development courses, as well.
Soft Skills Needed for Game Developers
These soft skills already exist in people who are right for this industry. As corporate or company employees, they must work on teams with others to design the best games possible.
Even as entrepreneurs, running their own game design businesses, it takes a village to create a high-quality, engaging, market-sustainable video game.
If your child has these soft skills already, this may be the perfect industry to get into:
- Creativity – Video game designers tell stories within their visual creations. They develop game worlds, mind-blowing scenarios, memorable characters and intriguing gameplay to keep players engulfed in their games for hours at a time.
- Problem-Solving – Issues can arise during the game development phase and after it’s launched to the public. Entrepreneurs and employees help find errors and problems with games and develop solutions without breaking the game code.
- Teamwork – There are so many moving parts to creating a video game, from the planning phase to making upgrades and applying fixes to marketing the game itself. It’s very rare for one person to take on every single role. That means good designers must have good communication and interpersonal skills and know how to work well with others.
Get the Skills You Need to make an impact as a Game Designer
We all know how important representation is and the power of stereotypes can have on our community. Give your child not only a way to develop universal critical thinking skills but also an opportunity to make an impact in shaping tomorrow’s perceptions today.
Polycaik is game development software specifically designed to help people, traditionally ignored by the game industry, create their own video games.
The platform focuses on providing features that help address many of the challenges people in our community face, whether it be a lack of knowledge, support, or funding. We are dedicated to launching quality games for, by and about us.
Enroll in our course offering to learn everything there is to know about how to use the Polycaik platform. Also, receive updates on product launches, features, and game industry information, as well as opportunities for your youngster to take some of the financial burden off of you.
Get exclusive access to the Polycaik community, a network of developers, creatives, and gamers looking to build and promote digital games rich in Black content.
Leave a Reply