I'm not alone

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Hi there,

Its slowly dawned upon me that I'm not alone in tying to get into this sector! What is a bit more worrying is that a lot of people seem to be younger than 20 years old!!

As a 30-something being made redundant next month things could be better. However, I'm pleased to of found this site and hopefully 2011 will turn out to be a good year.

I've spent the last 11 years working in the games industry and have made some pretty decent games and gained some great experience along the way. Like most things the far East are cheaper and Cameron's tax relief for UK games dev's being axed was the final straw for us. So, what to do now? Teaching appealed for a while but I've decided I'd like to get into the support side of things.

Researching all the various certs and qualifications is a little daunting and mystifying (hence me being here) and the realisation that I have missed the start dates of a few FE courses is a little annoying. The self study route seems popular here so I'll certainly be investigating that option. Exactly where to start and what to prioritize is something I'm unclear on. I need something to get started to gain experience and to get a first job but what would be the best way to get that first step onto the ladder?

If this goes as far as I hope it will I will no doubt bore some here to death with questions.

Night all - I have some more notice period to serve out tomorrow

 

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All things being equal (salary requirements, experience levels, education, etc.), I'd hire a 30-something over a 20-something. Life experience counts for a lot.

Welcome to the forums!

 

Welcome to CF

NB

 

Hi Jason,

From what you say you might be suited to Application Support Technician roles (assuming you have programming language skills which should be transferable). Saying that though I'm one and don't have any programming skills, but you may be able to command a better wage because of it.

The MCDST expires in June this year, but should you have enough time to complete it, it'll be worth having as a lot of companies will still use XP (some are even still on Windows 2000). You can also upgrade this to the Enterprise Support 7 at a later stage.

I would recommend looking into reading up on SQL as this is most certainly a technology you will need knowledge on to secure a position. (If you decided to go down the App Support route)

Possibly need a bit more information on your experience to advise further.

All the best.

Phil

 

Welcome to CF!

 

you could spend the remainder of your notice period thinking up the next angry birds!

 

Get those basic, entry level certs and hunt for jobs along the way. You'll find your way soon. Best of luck and Welcome to CF!

You'll get loads of help here. No problem

 

Thanks for the welcome messages everyone Nice to be in the company of people with lots of experience.

Phil182, thanks for taking the time to comment. Unfortunately I am coming from the creative side of games - zilch experience in terms of programming with the exception of simple batch file stuff for custom tools etc and a little custom scripting.

dales, I wish I could but I am a content creator really and not a designer either.

A little further info:

I'm basically a technical artist by which I mean I am not just a content creator but I am involved with the processes of getting assets into game engines by way of conversion tools. Data management tools and processes are also parts of my role.

I completed an MSc in Computer Graphics and Technology Applications which had a fair amount of technical modules including; general computer technologies, info management and internet technologies, project management, strategic planning for information networks as well as a load of creative modules too BUT I completed this 11 years ago so I'm sure mostly irrelevant now in terms of current tech.

My other qualifications are a degree in Fine Art and art and design A-levels - very creative type early on.

My initial thoughts were to go for the cisco certs but having read some great advice/threads here including some people who didn't like the advice I can see this route is too advanced for me at this early stage.

How feasible is studying for the MCDST with a view to taking the exams before they expire in June? Baring in mind I will have a lot of time on my hands from mid-Feb onwards In terms of computer experience; I have always built my own PC's and have set up and fixed a few home networks etc, I trouble-shoot all my own issues, have setup and used VPN for accessing my workstation at home etc - from this starting point am I likely to get the job done in time?

Thanks for reading once again and apologies if this has gone beyond the bounds of this particular forum section (mods feel free to move)

 

Still, I think you can tailor this towards supporting apps, starting out in a helpdesk role.

Doesn't really matter, if they ask for an IT degree (which most do) the fact you have a degree is enough to meet the requirement. I have a HND in Media Production, which yeah is pretty worthless but shows you can apply yourself to something and stick to it and because of that I got an interview over someone who had a lot more experience than me.

Not really much point if you're not using Cisco equipment and have no experience in it. Not all companies use Cisco systems either (especially smaller ones)

Could be tight but it really depends on you, how you study and how quickly you can absorb the info etc, but I'd start now if you were going to attempt it, two months on each exam revision should be enough time.

Phil

 

Thanks again Phil - great info and especially the relevance of past qualifications - also great to hear my thought process isn't too wide of the mark.

Best get those books ordered that were recommended in zimbo's thread. Any other practical advice you would offer up? Besides the aforementioned books what else am I likely to need? I have the option of purchasing some of the old workstations in a few weeks so getting a couple of those is a good place to start?

 

Absolutely, if you get a good deal. Hands on is vital, if you want the theoretical stuff to stick and make sense.

Good luck and welcome to the forum

 

What games have you worked on?

 

a few smaller titles when I first started: Independence War (aka I:WAR) for the PC followed by Powerdrome (xbox remake of the old classic) and over the last few years Project Gotham Racing series for Microsoft.

 

I think you will be able to do it before it expires. Requires a bit of experience with XP.

 

Thanks for that - I have a fair bit of XP experience and a bonus today finding a couple of of old PCs in the loft!