Okay, now I'm not so pissed at my kids for spending time playing video games. My eldest is working on a high school class assignment programming a video game. If he can start at ~$60K as a college grad, then I guess his hours spent gaming will not have been a waste.
It depends on where you live. In my neck of the woods (NE GA), $60k goes a long way. Out where most game programmers are located (CA coast), I'd hate to try to live off of that. When you're taking home $4000 a month (after taxes) and spending $2500 on rent or a mortgage payment, it doesn't look so good.
Either your numbers are off or you pay a bundle in state taxes or you don't have kids and a mortgage. At $60k, I bring home $3750 after taxes and health insurance.
Actually, that is without kids and mortage. And that isn't what I bring home, it is about 3,400 (no state taxes) every two weeks. I figured being single in Cali, paying their taxes would drop it a bit lower than what I get.
If you live in California, are single, and are spending $2,500 a month on all expenses you are living beyond your means. I live off of about $1,200 in expenses every month here in the bay area. I'm saving the rest of my money for a house, which hopefully by the time the housing market crashes here won't be so expensive.
And I totally don't believe the $60k figure. Unless you're a 4.0 student coming out of a well respected university, you're not going to make that much anywhere starting out.
Sorry if I'm off. The only figures I have on what mortgage payments run in California are off my work in on-line Mortgage Brokerage firms. The average payment we ended up with from our California customers was about $2500 (that's couning all of our mortgage types: 30 yr, 15 yr, 3/1,5/1,7/1 ARMs, and interest only in all of the above). That's the only figure I have. You say you live on $1200 in expeses? That's pretty good no matter where you live. You're saving for a house so I assume you're renting. Do
I rent, about $850/month. No roommates. Have an OLD vehicle (1984 Honda), but I live so close to work I ride a bike most of the time. I'm also very frugal, I rarely buy things I don't absolutely need.
Yeah, some people are paying $2,500 for morgages, but my bet that's from a two income household making 80k - 100k+ a year.
You'd better hope he gets paid more than average. I mean, at least NFL players get a large salary (min is $180k this year?) for a job that effectively burns them out completely in 10 years or less (exceptions exist, of course). The worst thing is that this kind of hype will draw more moths to the flame of $$$, ignoring entirely the quality-of-life considerations kids should be considering.
Oh, and yes - it's almost impossible to teach kids the valuse of time off, family, and job satisfaction. I was lucky that
It is indeed "funny" that they completely ignore the quality of life issue, when IGDA [igda.org] devotes a large portion of their work to that topic.
If we were to take this story and draw it to its absurd, logical conclusion, we could just as well write an article about all the money that sex workers pull down without referencing the health issues (and no health care), the personal sacrifices and the quality of life issues.
If you don't mention quality of life, benefits, anti-discrimination considerations and job s
I'm a third year Computing Science (A.I.) student. I was at my university careers fair today, and the most I can expect to earn as a starting graduate in the UK is in the area of £21,500 (~$38,000).
A friend of mine just graduated with a BSc Games Technology (Hons) [abertay.ac.uk] degree at another univerisity in Scotland. He said only one of the 20 or so people who graduated this summer have found a job!
I think it would be quite interesting, but I don't know how much work is available afte
In my experiance salary's are a lot lower in the UK. I've been working in the States now for 5 years where salary's are higer and everything costs less. Plus it doesn't rain as much.
Ouch. I feel a reference to the lack of universal healthcare.
Id rather get sick here where we have to pay for quality healthcare than get sick in canada where everything is substandard because its government funded.
But at least Dundonians aren't a bunch of sheepshaggers.:)
Damn, thought I might get away without that one! (I was actually born in Inverness, but depending on who you believe the bestiality gets worse the further North you go! That's why I don't trust the "Islanders":) )
If you're an engineer, Aberdeen is pretty great. Being the oil capital of Britain and all! Not so much for software development though...
I quite like Aberdeen, but I don't really want be here for long after I graduate. Looking for
It's different in the US...I'm a senior in CS, just went to my school's career fair. In the Philadelphia area I will expect to make between $50k and $60k a year.
Something to think about: Do you which people made a profit durring the gold rush? It was stores selling the equipment. Very little actually turned out a profit digging for gold.
Actually, it was more than that. The brothels, the stables, restaurants, saloons, casinos all made money during the gold rush. Probably the LEAST amount of money was made by anyone finding gold. IT industry is similar. I don't think we would be where we are now without the dotcom boom. Not many dotcom companies made money du
But that $60k is probably going to be in a big city where it isn't worth that much. I started out making $40k as a normal programmer. Where I live, thats equivalent to making roughly $60k in Chicago, or $80k in San Francisco. With benefits.
What makes you think that spending lots of time playing video games has anything to do with being a good game developer? Studying more math, for example, would probably be time better spent to that end.
Okay, now I'm not so pissed at my kids for spending time playing video games. My eldest is working on a high school class assignment programming a video game. If he can start at ~$60K as a college grad, then I guess his hours spent gaming will not have been a waste.
you would be amazed how many people who work on games like john madden football dont really play games at all. also i know plenty of people play video games better than anyone i know, but cant program to save their life. playing and programmi
His time is still wasted. Anyone can play games. It takes a very different mindset to make games. If, after playing for an hour, he goes off and starts coming up with his own ideas and trying to create games on his own... then maybe he's cut out for it. A love of playing games is different from a love of making them. It helps to have both, but without the latter, he'll never cut it. Second, that article is BS. Starting salary is more like $35-45k for entry level engineers, even living in high cost of l
Starting at $60K? (Score:-1, Flamebait)
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:2)
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
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And I totally don't believe the $60k figure. Unless you're a 4.0 student coming out of a well respected university, you're not going to make that much anywhere starting out.
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:2)
That's the only figure I have. You say you live on $1200 in expeses? That's pretty good no matter where you live. You're saving for a house so I assume you're renting. Do
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
Yeah, some people are paying $2,500 for morgages, but my bet that's from a two income household making 80k - 100k+ a year.
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:2)
The worst thing is that this kind of hype will draw more moths to the flame of $$$, ignoring entirely the quality-of-life considerations kids should be considering.
Oh, and yes - it's almost impossible to teach kids the valuse of time off, family, and job satisfaction. I was lucky that
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
It is indeed "funny" that they completely ignore the quality of life issue, when IGDA [igda.org] devotes a large portion of their work to that topic.
If we were to take this story and draw it to its absurd, logical conclusion, we could just as well write an article about all the money that sex workers pull down without referencing the health issues (and no health care), the personal sacrifices and the quality of life issues.
If you don't mention quality of life, benefits, anti-discrimination considerations and job s
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
$60,000...Yeah, right!!
I'm a third year Computing Science (A.I.) student. I was at my university careers fair today, and the most I can expect to earn as a starting graduate in the UK is in the area of £21,500 (~$38,000).
A friend of mine just graduated with a BSc Games Technology (Hons) [abertay.ac.uk] degree at another univerisity in Scotland. He said only one of the 20 or so people who graduated this summer have found a job!
I think it would be quite interesting, but I don't know how much work is available afte
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
Id rather get sick here where we have to pay for quality healthcare than get sick in canada where everything is substandard because its government funded.
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
Haha glad to see thats working out for you.
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
But at least Dundonians aren't a bunch of sheepshaggers. :)
Damn, thought I might get away without that one! (I was actually born in Inverness, but depending on who you believe the bestiality gets worse the further North you go! That's why I don't trust the "Islanders" :) )
If you're an engineer, Aberdeen is pretty great. Being the oil capital of Britain and all! Not so much for software development though...
I quite like Aberdeen, but I don't really want be here for long after I graduate. Looking for
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:2)
Actually, it was more than that. The brothels, the stables, restaurants, saloons, casinos all made money during the gold rush. Probably the LEAST amount of money was made by anyone finding gold. IT industry is similar. I don't think we would be where we are now without the dotcom boom. Not many dotcom companies made money du
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:2)
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
-matt
Re:Starting at $60K? (Score:1)
you would be amazed how many people who work on games like john madden football dont really play games at all. also i know plenty of people play video games better than anyone i know, but cant program to save their life. playing and programmi
Re:Starting at $60K? - Try $40k (Score:2)
Second, that article is BS. Starting salary is more like $35-45k for entry level engineers, even living in high cost of l