Frequently Asked Questions
These are a few typical questions asked prior to hiring so I'll answer them on this site.
Q: [Strong knowledge of C and C++
programming languages?]
A: [I've spent approximately 2 years in college getting an education
in C++ in a good teamwork environment. ]
Q: [Adaptive coding style?]
A: [I can learn and follow a new coding standard, whether it’s Hungarian or some other standard, I can learn it and adjust quickly.]
Q: [Dedicated towards individual and
team growth?]
A: [Absolutely. Trying to make it a daily process to evolve as a person is great not only for a team, but also for society as well.]
Q: [Good people skills?]
A: [I have a good sense of humor, and I like to joke around and have a good time. Work doesn't have to be a job it can be fun.]
Q: [Collaborative attitude?]
A: [Important skills to have in any relationship are compromise and
understanding. ]
Q: [Good instincts for game design and
fun?]
A: [It's always good to think of what might make a game fun. Take what happens in life, in a movie, and in other games and ask, how to make that better in a future game. Talk to people, cook up some new ideas, and most of all have fun!]
Q: [Understanding of Procedural
Programming?]
A: [Procedural programming involves functions, modules arguments, and variables. Being able to program a modular class or group of functions is important of plug and play programming.]
Q: [Understanding of Object Oriented
Programing?]
A: [A great deal of programming is now object oriented. Object
oriented programming involves methods, objects, messaging, and
attributes of said objects. It is important to recognize the
difference between object oriented programs and procedural
programs.]
Q: [Knowledge of Aspect Oriented
Programming?]
A: [Honestly, I'm not very sure. I did not know what this was, so I looked it up. So far, what I've determined is that it is pretty much the concept of creating secure, stand alone modules that can work together with other modules with little to no tweaking. ]
Q: [B.Sc. in Computer Science and/or
Mathematics?]
A: [As of March 2009, I received a B.Sc. in Computer Science.]
Q: [Development experience in the games
industry?]
A: [Not exactly. I have worked on several student games throughout my course here at Full Sail University (FSU). Here at FSU, they try to create a realistic simulation of a real work environment with numerous group projects. Most scheduled class days are 8 hours, and there is a great deal of work outside of class as well. Students have to be willing to either give it their all or fall behind.]
Q: [Development experience on consoles
(X360/PS3)?]
A: [None as of yet. However, I'm eager to learn and have fun programming on gaming consoles.]
Q: [Strong communication and
organizational skills?]
A: [I'm a strong communicator, and I can be good at getting my point
across. I do need to improve on organization, but I can easily adapt
to a changing environment.]
Q: [Works well under pressure?]
A: [I'm capable of working hard under pressure. In SGP, our group went from working from a 40 hour week, to a 60 hour week, and finally 80 hour week to meet our quota.]
Q: [Passion for making AMAZING games?]
A: [I feel that as long as a company never loses sight of what is "fun," we can make not only great, but amazing games!]
Q: [Ability to work within a schedule?]
A: [Sometimes it takes sacrifice to keep a game on schedule. There will always be slippage in a development environment, but it takes will and determination to spend that extra time and effort to keep a game on track. I am willing and able to do that.]
Q: [Excellent oral and written
communication skills?]
A: [Grammar and punctuation are not my strong suits, but I gladly accept words of wisdom where and when I can get it. So, if I write something and I feel something doesn't feel right, I look it over a little bit, and I'm not afraid to ask for help even if it means being penalized later. I think it’s better to get it right the first time, rather than having to try and try again. That does not mean if I fail I won’t try again though, it simply means practice makes perfect or at least ideal.]
Q: [Any Experience with
multi-threading?]
A: [Some, I'm no expert. However, I do know the important of keeping critical sections small as to try and not cause run time tread priority collisions. I am always eager to know more about this ever growing new venture in programming and I'm eager to do my part as a programmer to adapt to this ever changing environment.]