They only have a short lifespan in the industry if they work at a studio that makes them work for 80 hours a week. I'm lucky to be at a place that is usally only 40 hours, though people tend to stay a little longer of their free will.
I'm at studio on the East Coast, and there are 5 programmers from DigiPen, about 10 from Full Sail, and 35 from normal CS degrees, mostly RPI and and other nearby colleges. But the people that started the company came from those other nearby schools, and continue to support them, which is important to think about. Getting a job is a lot easier if you know the right people, and have the right connections.
Programmers don't have as much of a say in the design of a game as the people hired as designers. But if we do have some sway, and more so if you're friends with the designers. Of course that also depends on the structure on the studio, if the design is dictated from the top, or if everyone works together and influences each other.
I graduated from RTIS at DigiPen, and now work programming games. Once I got my entry level job, I was blown away by how easy the programming was. I felt DigiPen gave me a lot of core programming skills, and in the classes I learned more about programming graphics and engine design, then lets say, database programming, but if it's a question of if I can get a programming job outside the game industry, then I think it should be fine. As with all degrees, what you get out of it really depends on what you put into it. I can say that DigiPen is much better known on the West Coast than the East Coast (where I am), but I'm working on that. If you go to DigiPen, it's probably best to either take classes in the summers, or do it in 5 years, as it has a heavy course load, but you do learn a lot. If you're hoping to party every night, then the school probably isn't for you (I'm not saying there aren't any parties, it's just a bit of a different culture than my original college).
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They only have a short lifespan in the industry if they work at a studio that makes them work for 80 hours a week. I'm lucky to be at a place that is usally only 40 hours, though people tend to stay a little longer of their free will. I'm at studio on the East Coast, and there are 5 programmers from DigiPen, about 10 from Full Sail, and 35 from normal CS degrees, mostly RPI and and other nearby colleges. But the people that started the company came from those other nearby schools, and continue to support them, which is important to think about. Getting a job is a lot easier if you know the right people, and have the right connections. Programmers don't have as much of a say in the design of a game as the people hired as designers. But if we do have some sway, and more so if you're friends with the designers. Of course that also depends on the structure on the studio, if the design is dictated from the top, or if everyone works together and influences each other.
I graduated from RTIS at DigiPen, and now work programming games. Once I got my entry level job, I was blown away by how easy the programming was. I felt DigiPen gave me a lot of core programming skills, and in the classes I learned more about programming graphics and engine design, then lets say, database programming, but if it's a question of if I can get a programming job outside the game industry, then I think it should be fine. As with all degrees, what you get out of it really depends on what you put into it. I can say that DigiPen is much better known on the West Coast than the East Coast (where I am), but I'm working on that. If you go to DigiPen, it's probably best to either take classes in the summers, or do it in 5 years, as it has a heavy course load, but you do learn a lot. If you're hoping to party every night, then the school probably isn't for you (I'm not saying there aren't any parties, it's just a bit of a different culture than my original college).