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1. If my strengths are problem solving and leadership and my hobbies are playing basketball and videos games, what types of careers or industries might best fit for me? 2. What other strengths or experiences might I need for the suggested careers?
I need some help finding out what to do after high school
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John’s Answer
As someone who makes basketball video games, what kind of jobs interest or inspire you? Problem solving is pretty much a core component of game development, but there are still a lot of facets there depending on what you like to do. Some of the major career paths related to game development are art, engineering (programming), design, and production (managing team processes and development). Each of those focuses on different hard skills with a shared set of soft skills. If you're not familiar with those terms, soft skills generally describe skills that apply broadly (such as problem solving or communication) whereas hard skills are more narrow (the ability to program in a specific language, or to use a specific piece of software are examples of hard skills).
In terms of what you can do now in high school to take your first steps, try making a game! There are a lot of great tools and resources out there that remove a lot of the barriers to entry. Unity and Unreal are two game engines that have broad support and provide you a lot of tools to get started, including existing art assets and code snippets/scripts that can help jumpstart you, and tutorials to help you get started. You can also try modding existing games or playing with their creative modes to see what kinds of new gameplay you can invent!
If you want a more low tech solution, try some paper prototyping! Its a tool we use to test new game ideas and mechanics by crafting them out of paper and tokens so we can test things without major investments into assets. Either way, you'll start to build valuable experience and taking your first steps into becoming a game developer!
In terms of what you can do now in high school to take your first steps, try making a game! There are a lot of great tools and resources out there that remove a lot of the barriers to entry. Unity and Unreal are two game engines that have broad support and provide you a lot of tools to get started, including existing art assets and code snippets/scripts that can help jumpstart you, and tutorials to help you get started. You can also try modding existing games or playing with their creative modes to see what kinds of new gameplay you can invent!
If you want a more low tech solution, try some paper prototyping! Its a tool we use to test new game ideas and mechanics by crafting them out of paper and tokens so we can test things without major investments into assets. Either way, you'll start to build valuable experience and taking your first steps into becoming a game developer!
Updated
Gina’s Answer
Remember that you don't need to center future careers around your hobbies. Working with what you love frequently leads to hating what you used to love, and the work may be sufficiently different from the actual hobby. Game development is very different from game play, and the industry can be susceptible to overwork and high stress. John has some excellent advice to help determine if the work would interest you, and I would also encourage you to look into the work/life balance as well. Make sure that the enjoyment you get out of the work is sufficient for how often you will work.
I would make sure to consider additional careers that can lead you to enjoying your hobbies in your spare time. Problem solving and leadership are good qualities that can benefit you in almost any career, so you don't need to feel pigeon-holed. If there are any subjects at school, you can see what jobs are available in that subject. Also take a look at what's adjacent to your hobbies. If you like computers, you can look into information technology or engineering. If you like playing basketball outside, you can look into jobs where you would be outdoors the majority of the time.
I would make sure to consider additional careers that can lead you to enjoying your hobbies in your spare time. Problem solving and leadership are good qualities that can benefit you in almost any career, so you don't need to feel pigeon-holed. If there are any subjects at school, you can see what jobs are available in that subject. Also take a look at what's adjacent to your hobbies. If you like computers, you can look into information technology or engineering. If you like playing basketball outside, you can look into jobs where you would be outdoors the majority of the time.
Updated
Karine’s Answer
When you work with something you like, your work sometimes become something you look forward to do. The qualities you have will help you in any kind of carrer you decide to follow, but I don't think you should concentrate your options on hobbies you enjoy.
I will give you an example of what I did with my carrer, cause I have the same qualities you have and also love playing games. I decide to go to the tech industry and today I work as a software engineer. The good thing about being a developer is that you deal with "puzzles" and problems all day long and this is where being a problem solving person would come in handy. The leadership trait would be great for when you are already a great developer and you want to be a tech leader for a team. Also there are some perks from working remotely, you can work from whatever environment you want, travel a lot and there is more free time to have lunch with you family, become healthier by doing exercises and eating better food.
I will give you an example of what I did with my carrer, cause I have the same qualities you have and also love playing games. I decide to go to the tech industry and today I work as a software engineer. The good thing about being a developer is that you deal with "puzzles" and problems all day long and this is where being a problem solving person would come in handy. The leadership trait would be great for when you are already a great developer and you want to be a tech leader for a team. Also there are some perks from working remotely, you can work from whatever environment you want, travel a lot and there is more free time to have lunch with you family, become healthier by doing exercises and eating better food.
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