Hi, I''m 17 years old, I like gamedev''ing, mostly modelling and designing. I live in Cancun, Mexico. I''m not even sure what I want to do for a living. I''m interested in game development and 3D arts, but that means I have to leave everything behind, go to some college in other country (probably the USA) and stay there to live. However as I said I''m not sure. I could stay here and study architecture. It''s hard to leave everyone and everything behind, to go and live another life, specially if you''re not even sure. Yes I like game developing and 3D arts quite much, but its a really big step so I''m not sure. I need some advice for this, what would you recommend me to do? thnx

Follow your dreams man. It''s a pretty amazing adventure to leave everything you know and try something new. There are very few opportunites in your life to do things like this. By the time your in your twenties you may have a steady girlfriend, maby even a wife, a house your making payments on. You will have so many responsibilites it will be impossible for you to drop everything and chase your dreams.
Stepping out into the unknown is an amazing expirence, full of risk and adventure. But with great risks can come great rewards.

thnx for that Ironside

well thing is that its hard for me to just leave everything as that. I've been living in the same town my whole life, only changed school once; which means I'm not someone used to that kind of changes.

I'd like that some ppl give me some advice, both positive and negative if someone can do that (most of the time there's atleast one not happy with what he did). so plz keep the comments coming!

btw here's one of my latest models, I havent even studied anything 3D yet (only some tutorials some years ago and then all from my own), so I think I may have some future since I can now do this kind of stuff:
http://www.geocities.com/zerox0001000/reno-d-skinned.jpg

[edited by - zEROx on August 25, 2002 4:07:55 AM]

Hi zEROx,

I''m kinda in the same boat although I am 26 and have much more experience both in programming and making games. The fact is there just isn''t many games companies here in Australia so I''m haveing to apply for jobs Overseas... and that''s a scary step to take.

But if you are sure that game programming is really what you want to do... if you have been staying up to ungodly hours working on your games and when you are working on particurly boring parts you think to yourself "Well I don''t have to do this, what else would I rather be doing?" And the answer is "nothing." Then sure... go for it, follow that dream.

The worst thing that can happen really is that you loose a little time and your still young enough for that not to matter to much.

But I also agree with Pipo DeClown, it wouldn''t hurt to talk it over with someone who knows you and who''s advise you value...



--------------------------
Jai Shaw
Dreamstars 3: A space combat game with depth?!
http://icarusindie.com/Dreamstars

zEROx:

Well I am a bit ahead of you, about a week and a half after graduating from high school I moved to australia, I dicided to move to aussie about 4 moths before graduation was over. Now I been here for about 1.4 years and I am moving back to the US in a few months, just about done with my schooling here. I have to say it was the best move I have done in my life.

This move gave me the chance to grow up as my parents said, and I have changed a lot, I did a complete 180 in how I went with my life, I was very lazy, didnt work, didnt do school work, just enough to pass with a C average... Now I goto school 5 hours a day and some nights goto work for 3-4 hours and then I come home and be with my gf or do some computer stuff till 3am, but I am still lazy lol.

I lived in the same city just about my whole life. I always wanted to see aussie and I had the option to leave everything I had behind besides some clothes and 2 programming books. For me everthing turned out very well, I am sharing a place with 3 females, one is a gf and I managed to get a computer of my own, I work few nights a week and paying all of my own bills but the school, parents taking care of that.

One of 2 things will happen if you do go.
1) It WILL be the best experience you will have, and you would not wonder what would have happend if I did leave home.

2) It will be a very bad experience, but you will have had a lot of life leasons that you wouldnt get living at home.

if you dont go you will wonder what would have happend if you didnt go. Its normal to be scared moving out on your own, I wasnt but I take life as it comes by, I didnt have anything really planned out in detail, all I knew is what school I wanted to goto, and I knew I had my school payed for. Other then that I had no idea, but it was very good. A few times it was bad but I pulled through the bad times and made myself a better person.

No one is going to know what will happen if you do go, and it doesnt mean you will be gone for good, just a little bit. I personaly think you should go, if you want to. My friends and family wanted me to go, because non of them will have that chance I had. Because once you set in your place its very hard to travel at a young age. I think out of everyone in my grad year I am the only person to goto school in a differen country, thats 600 people.

Good luck on your choice

Dalik

zEROx:

Well I am a bit ahead of you, about a week and a half after graduating from high school(18 years old) I moved to australia, I decided to move to aussie about 4 moths before graduation was over. Now I been here for about 1.4 years and I am moving back to the US in a few months, just about done with my schooling here. I have to say it was the best move I have done in my life.

This move gave me the chance to grow up as my parents said, and I have changed a lot, I did a complete 180 in how I went with my life, I was very lazy, didnt work, didnt do school work, just enough to pass with a C average... Now I goto school 5 hours a day and some nights goto work for 3-4 hours and then I come home and be with my gf or do some computer stuff till 3am, but I am still lazy lol.

I lived in the same city just about my whole life. I always wanted to see aussie and I had the option to leave everything I had behind besides some clothes and 2 programming books. For me everthing turned out very well, I am sharing a place with 3 females, one is a gf and I managed to get a computer of my own, I work few nights a week and paying all of my own bills but the school, parents taking care of that.

One of 2 things will happen if you do go.
1) It WILL be the best experience you will have, and you would not wonder what would have happend if I did leave home.

2) It will be a very bad experience, but you will have had a lot of life leasons that you wouldnt get living at home.

if you dont go you will wonder what would have happend if you didnt go. Its normal to be scared moving out on your own, I wasnt but I take life as it comes by, I didnt have anything really planned out in detail, all I knew is what school I wanted to goto, and I knew I had my school payed for. Other then that I had no idea, but it was very good. A few times it was bad but I pulled through the bad times and made myself a better person.

No one is going to know what will happen if you do go, and it doesnt mean you will be gone for good, just a little bit. I personaly think you should go, if you want to. My friends and family wanted me to go, because non of them will have that chance I had. Because once you set in your place its very hard to travel at a young age. I think out of everyone in my grad year I am the only person to goto school in a differen country, thats 600 people.

Good luck on your choice

Dalik

Pipo DeClown: I have actually asked my friends, one of them says "heck yea!" (the one I'd be going with), the others just say "its your decision". I still have to talk to my familiy about it though, I will really soon (I have till next year anyway, so I got time to think).

Jai Shaw: Yes I've been staying up for ungodly hours working on games. However when I get to any boring parts and I ask "Well I don't have to do this, what else would I rather be doing?" the answer is "Probably being out whit my friends". However wherever I go I'll still have friends and I need a profession anyway so maybe its the way to go.

Dalik: I think that's the most important thing: to get independent. At this moment I can't really see the day I'll get away from home to live on my own, so I guess that would do me nothing but good.

Thnx for your comments. I just wanted to hear some examples of ppl that have been through the same, and see what happened to them (not really their advice for my personal case).

[edited by - zEROx on August 25, 2002 12:48:37 PM]

I'm sure it would be easier if you knew you had everyone standing behind you and supporting you with your decision.

Who knows what will come of it - you may succeed, you may not, but if taking the chance feels good, and coming back if it doesn't work out feels ok too, and the whole idea of that feels well settled, then I'd say take the risk.

Life is about spreading your wings. You never know what other opportunities and interests will come from it.


[edited by - Waverider on August 25, 2002 1:05:53 PM]