Thread: Where should I head if I want to make a career with programing?

Howdy guys! I started learning Java and I know most of the basics. My dream is to create games. I chose Java to get closer to that dream. The problem is that I am a newbie and I have no idea what should I do... I don't know if I should start learning Slick or LWJGL or libgdx and so on and so on. What should I do? I also plan on creating a few indie games for facebook/android before thinking about joining a company or something. It would be awesome for me to create a successful indie game and if that happens I may start making a living of my games finally . I know this forum has many experienced programmers which know how to guide me to success. Thank you in advance!!

i have the basics of java down pretty well and ive started on games now with platform style games(like mario and such) and its not very hard and i also wont need external libraries for it unless i decide to add sounds and music

i also read a lot about game programming professionally and pretty much everything i see says everyone wants to be a game programmer...so the companies dont have to pay the programmers as much as they would earn if they were in like a corp job so be ready for that

With the last sentance you mean that working alone on a project would make me more money if it was successful that working in a company right? I don't think I will make money anytime soon so the first goal of my road is creating a simple playable indie but I am still thinking of how to start.

no a corp job i mean say working in a corporate setting making like accounting software or so instead of at a game making company making games

from what ive read is that most that go to college for games when they are getting out of college they usually dont end up making games at all because while a game company will pay you say 40k a year while a corporation looking for someone for their accounting software(just an example) will give you say 60-70k

Aha got it. Thank you for the answer

Well I am not saying that you are required to learn any of these but I can tell you that learning C++ is probably important if you want to join a big company. Unity is also becoming very popular and it wouldn't hurt to learn it. That being said Java is still a great language for games and it is still my favorite language. Having a large area of knowledge instead of just one language definitely makes you more desirable to companies.

Good luck with game development!

start my mastering the art of game creation....you will find a lot of challenges on the internet....start with some simple card games to more complex ones....also try to do some sort of internship in your viccinty...it does wonder to your resume and confidence and vision