Chasing Dreams

Gaming has been a lifelong passion for me. It is one of the few things that I never outgrew from childhood. As a child, we were taught that going to college was the pathway to success. But college was not for me. after wasting almost 4 years I enlisted in the United States Navy, where I served for 10 years as an Aviation Electronics Technician. During my tenure in the Navy, I completed my bachelor’s degree in Electronic Systems Technology. But I didn’t feel any more knowledgeable or prepared because of it.

After leaving the Navy, I leveraged my skills and expertise in maintenance to land a very good job as an Electrical Technician. Good Money but work! I found myself escaping into the gaming world every chance I had. I dreaded getting out of bed in the morning to go to work.

COVID-19 changed my life. I got laid off, along with so many others, when the virus hit. And as I sat at home struggling to find work, I realized that while I am very good at maintenance, I DO NOT enjoy the type of work I was doing. Nor could my body handle this type of work long term. So, I contacted the Veterans Affairs administration (VA) and activated my benefits.

This gave me the unique opportunity to start over and build a career doing something I am passionate about. I enrolled in an undergraduate Computer Science program with a concentration in gaming and 3D simulation. Fast forward to today, I am getting ready to start my senior year and have absolutely NO idea how to make the simplest games.

I know, firsthand, that graduating from college does not prepare you for the real world. That is only learned through experience and time. GameDevHQ is closing the gap between knowledge and experience.