Expect Expectations

I’m starting to see that all the warnings given prior to enrollment are proving true. I was warned by faculty, and alumni the following:

• Expect to live near campus
• Expect to have little time outside of school work
• Expect to have to make time for your friends, family, loved ones, and yourself
• Expect to learn a lot

The general message is that we should expect to sacrifice for the 16 months of FIEA. However, what we are getting in return is well worth it. When you observe the situation from that perspective FIEA is exactly what a quality education is supposed to be, an investment.

While we half-kid about FIEA being a boot camp for EA, it is true that most people looking into getting into the industry are expecting the wrong things and are ill prepared for the cold hard facts. While it is true that creating video games is incredibly fun and rewarding; like your education it is an investment. The more you invest the greater chance of success.

Order to Chaos

We’re all getting settled in here at FIEA. We’ve been here for a few months and things are becoming more routine; and by routine I mean most of the time we are going through the same motions but usually in different ways. The standard has become class, projects, and improv. However the professors have ways of throwing a wrench into the gears. On occasion they will call for status reports earlier than expected to see how well the group knows the project they have spent the past week or more working on. On other occasions they will mix things up completely and change the entire objective. These are things that WILL occur in the industry, and are vital tools to learn in a real-world environment.

Too many students are used to procrastination (myself included). At FIEA we’ve learned quickly that a day wasted directly reflects on the quality of the product. Whether the aforementioned product is the project you’re working on, your grade, or your reputation.