Hey guys, just updating everyone with what’s going on behind the scenes on my blog this past bit. So much has happened this year, it’s hard to keep track of the time, and it’s been challenging to stay on track with my goals too. This update is mostly about programming stuff like the blog was originally intended to be.

When I started this blog I was torn between learning web development and game development. I was sort of learning both simultaneously while scanning the job market for entry level positions or opportunities to freelance on my own.

Once I got accepted into UoPeople, it sort of derailed my focus on this blog and it shifted towards my experiences as a student rather then covering programming and gaming. Starting at UoPeople also allowed me to meet a very fine fellow who has helped mentor me on programming related things. Until he says whether or not he wants to be mentioned in my public posts we’ll just call him Jim.

Jim is a student at UoPeople and also a freelance web developer. I originally reached out to him seeking guidance, and direction. When he said he would help show me a thing or two I immediately decided that it was my goal to be a freelance web developer by years end.

Unfortunately with all that I have on my plate between school and family, I honestly feel it will take much longer to get to a point where I can confidently charge money for my services. So because of this, web development has sort of been put on the back burner for now. I’m still trying out things and experimenting to keep as much as I’ve learned stuck in my head, but I’ve reverted back to game development for a number of reasons.

Reverting Back to Game Development.

Reason number 1.

The first calling back to game development was a project at school that is being organized by one of our instructors at UoPeople. I think I’ve mentioned before in another post but it’s a video game that’s supposed to make learning APA format fun for new students.

I looked at it as something that I already have the skill set for, and it would look good on a resume. I’m also interested in this sort of thing; designing games intended for interesting experiences such as making education fun. I thought it would be a great opportunity to gain experience working on a team of developers, and it has been. So far it’s going pretty good 🙂

Reason 2.

The second reason is that a couple of companies in my local area finally opened up some entry level positions. This is pretty much the biggest reason most of my time is focused on game development right now. Both companies are game studios, one makes AAA titles, and the other makes mobile and casual style games.

One position is a QA job for a major AAA game studio, which I’m really hoping for, because I’d like to start in QA before working my way into development and programming. Everywhere I work, I always like to know a little bit about what everyone else’s jobs are.

The other position seems pretty awesome too, and if I were to get one it would probably be  that one. It’s a student position for a game developer so I would actually be working with the programmers. They are specifically looking for a Computer Science student to work full-time hours. How perfect is that? UoPeople is a perfect school for this job!

Reason 3.

The last reason is that Jim has been working hard on a project that I’m eventually going to be a part of. I can’t say what it is, but it adds up to enough reasons that I need to refocus back on what I already know best – games 🙂

I do enjoy building websites, and I don’t plan on dropping it completely. But to be fully effective in my new endeavors I have to prioritize where I spend my learning, and creative time. Game development is an area that I’ve spent most of my time as a self-taught programmer so it’s only natural that it comes most easily to me. Web development has a lot of layers and technologies associated with it, all of which I have almost ZERO experience with.

What does it all mean?

So what does this mean about the blog? Well I’m still going to be blogging about student experiences. That’s not going away until I graduate.

But what it might mean, is that any major changes to this website itself probably won’t happen for a while. I did mention a little while ago that I was looking into redesigning my site, but after some reflection and change in opportunity, it’s more likely that I’ll be focusing on the content rather than its appearance.

So what you can look forward to in the next quarter is my student blog, but also an increase in posts about programming. I know I’ve released the odd one here and there, but I’m going to try for more consistency moving forward. Jim and I are actually in the works of rethinking the Beginner’s Guide to Programming that I started in the summer.

Having an extra hand is going to be huge for both quality and frequency. There is a lot to flesh out yet, but I’m hoping once the general outline is agreed upon, to have about one post per week. All though, as seen this past year, I make a lot of big goals that I don’t quite achieve. But hey, shoot for the sun… You might not make it, but you’ll hit higher than you could have ever possibly dreamed, right? Somebody said something like that once I’m sure, I can’t remember who.

Thanks again to everyone supporting me, you are all truly wonderful!

Cheers,

Dan