| Many kids today spend thousands of hours playing | | | | program (for example, Daniel Webster Colleges' |
| video games. Progressing from GameBoys(TM), to | | | | "Gaming, Simulation and Robotics" BS degree or the |
| GameCubes(TM), Wii(TM) and XBox(TM), to the final | | | | University of Baltimore's "Simulation and Digital |
| frontier of the Massive Multiplayer Online games, it | | | | Entertainment" degree). Scientists, engineers, defense |
| looks to have taken over their life. Is there a way to | | | | planners and educators all use simulation to facilitate |
| capitalize on this obsession and find a career that is | | | | their jobs. |
| equally (or at least almost) as appealing? Take up the | | | | Mobile Application Developer |
| quest and discover a brave new world of future jobs | | | | Another huge career trend is the explosion of |
| that video game geeks might really love. | | | | applications for all kinds of other devices. Just look at |
| Video Game Designer | | | | the iPhone or the iTouch. What can't these things do? |
| First and foremost, of course, is the job of creating | | | | Creating content, software applications and who |
| video games themselves. The facts are these: the | | | | knows what else for all kinds of mobile devices is hot. |
| video game industry has surpassed movies in terms | | | | So "Mobile Application Developer" is a career that is |
| of the dollar value generated. Amazing! Not only is this | | | | here now and will expand in the future. This is also a |
| industry continuing to expand, but it also appears to be | | | | career that colleges and universities are already |
| relatively recession proof. What does it take to have a | | | | recognizing. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute offers a |
| career in video game creation? First, you need to | | | | degree in "Electronic Media Arts and Communication"; |
| understand that there is not just one kind of video | | | | Worcester Polytechnic Institute offers "Interactive |
| game job out there, but many. It takes a team of | | | | Media and Game Development". Rochester Institute of |
| people with multiple talents to pull off the creation of an | | | | Technology (RIT) has a BS in "New Media and |
| exciting new game. The jobs and skills involved include | | | | Interactive Development"; Champlain College offers a |
| artists - storyboard artist, character artist, animator, | | | | degree in "Software Engineering for Emergent |
| texture artists, programmers, including sound and audio | | | | Technologies". |
| engineers, game designers - character design, level | | | | Computer Forensics and Cyber Security |
| design, overall design, game producers - project | | | | The other really hot area highlighted at colleges like RIT |
| management skills, and writers - software | | | | is computer forensics and cyber security specialists. |
| documentation, storytelling, character scripts. There has | | | | You only have to listen to the latest news about |
| been a recent explosion in colleges, technical institutes | | | | hackers stealing 135 million credit card numbers to see |
| and certificate programs to help you get the skills you | | | | why these are hot job areas. Computer forensic |
| need to get into this industry. While I was researching | | | | specialists work with criminal justice folks to dig into all |
| this industry, though, I found out that there are a lot of | | | | the computerized records and data associated with |
| other up and coming careers that use a lot of the | | | | criminal cases. We are only going to get more |
| same skills and may be equally appealing. | | | | connected in the future, making us even bigger targets. |
| Simulation Engineer | | | | If you like figuring out how to get around what |
| Just as the job of the video game designer and | | | | someone else made, why not consider putting your |
| programmer is to make a convincing virtual world, | | | | talents to good use for everyone's benefit? DePaul |
| there is a "real life" application of this for a number of | | | | University offers a degree in "Information Assurance |
| industries- simulations. At one college they talked about | | | | and Security Engineer"; RIT has "Information Security |
| how some students were using electrical impulses | | | | and Forensics", while Champlain college offers |
| from the heart to render 3 dimensional images of the | | | | "Computer and Digital Forensics". |
| heart in real time to help doctors examine what could | | | | These careers are real, growing, and educational |
| be wrong. At RPI they are working on creating a | | | | resources are available now! If you are a gamer, or if |
| simulation of a surgical procedure for doctors to get | | | | you know a gamer, there are cool careers to get into. |
| practice before they cut someone open! Beyond | | | | The US Department of Labor predicts that IT jobs will |
| medical applications, simulations are gaining ground in | | | | be among the fastest growing and highest paying over |
| aerospace, automotive engineering, and many other | | | | the next decade. These jobs will be critical to the |
| industries. Of course, the military has been interested in | | | | nation's economy and security, and offer the highest |
| simulation for a very long time. Some of the college | | | | entry level salaries with a bachelor's degree of any out |
| video game degree programs are recognizing this | | | | there. Check them out, and look into the schools and |
| trend and have added "simulation" into the title of their | | | | programs that most excite you. |