Considering Valve for a career...Not ready yet

[KING OF THE DIRTY DANS]

I'm considering working at Valve after my college graduation, but I am unsure of what would make me look better in the hiring process...

This is mainly due to the fact that I had a chance to visit them in 2018...

However, I am unsure of how to achieve the skill set they want due to my University's lackluster classes

For example, I need C++ to be considered at Valve, but my college only teaches Java/Python/C#, because they think the games industry is not a career ...

Until my senior year, they will not be willing to teach me C++, so I need to find a way to gain experience for the time being, along with other skill sets (3D modeling,general programming, HL2 Mods, etc)

Along with this comes the fear of Self-Organizing Co" that comes from Rich Geldreich's tweets about Valve's bonus system killing Valve (i personally find that the guy is a dick)

 

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to move forward?

 

 

[wasab]

Intern at valve first?

[KING OF THE DIRTY DANS]

They DO NOT do internships, sadly 

Belive me I asked

 

[BobVonBob]

If you want to learn C++ to get the job you want, learn C++. You don't have to do it through your university. Here's a good resource for learning the building blocks of just about any language you could want https://learnxinyminutes.com/

 

Your university also might offer C++ courses but under a more obscure name, something along the lines of system programming, embedded systems programming, or operating systems.

[KING OF THE DIRTY DANS]

Thanks for the link.

They are willing to give me a 1 on 1 course, but I would have to take every CIS class first... 

 

[Sauron]

Learn C++ on your own, if you've worked with C# you should already be familiar with the basics. It's absurd to expect a university to teach you every single programming language you may want to learn, and besides that's not what a CS course is for - languages are just tools, once you know how programming generally works you're expected to learn and use whatever you need to get the job done on your own. My junior degree thesis was a project in C++ and I had never used it before; all you need is a general understanding of C-like syntax and OOP to get started.

[KING OF THE DIRTY DANS]

Thanks for the advice.

My college's CIS program is stuck in the early 90's

(like how our HTML Class, still only teaches HTML 1.0)

[Chett_Manly]

I second the post about you needing to just learn it on your own, and then keep learning, as it won't be the last language you need to pick up without formal classes. Then you have the APIs and other tools to pick up. It's a never ending process. 

 

[Velitation]

From what I remember, Valve usually only takes in industry veterans, with one notable exception being some students at DigiPen making a game that Valve wanted to improve upon, which became Portal.

 

You don't necessarily need C++ to do that, you need to know the fundamentals so that you can continue to learn throughout your career because the industry changes all the time. If you want Valve to notice, then you're going to need to make a game that gets their attention. You're going to have to learn it on your own time though.

 

Anyway, good luck with your studies.

[Guest]

How’d you get to visit valve? 

[KING OF THE DIRTY DANS]

Sorry to bring up an old chat, but fpo, I just emailed Valve, Try frontdesk@valvesoftware.com or mayak@valvesoftware.com