Going from Indie to a normal job in the industry Thread

As a self-taught programmer and indie game dev, I'm curious about getting a job in the gaming industry(or maybe another part of the software development industry) with no experience outside of personal projects.

I would take an entry-level position anywhere in the software industry, right now I am quite broke, and can barely afford food and can't afford health insurance or even my own place to live. I've been programming for a long time as a hobby(about 10 years) and did a little bit of freelancing on small mobile apps/websites/games. Right now I'm working on my biggest project ever, and am going to be releasing the demo soon, but I'm afraid I won't be able to finish it because I'm going to be homeless soon(for real homeless, not just sleeping at a friends house) if I don't find a real job.

Im pretty confident in my programming skills, I have some experience in web(frontend and backend), mobile, and mostly game dev. I occasionally do competitive programming and am decent at algorithms/data structures, probably better than most developers who aren't into competitive programming. I can make and organize bigger projects(big for a 1-person project), and once my games demo is done I'll have a pretty big and high-quality game project to show off in my portfolio right now I only have a handful of medium-small projects. Assuming that my self-assessment is correct, and that I have decent programming skills and will soon have a pretty impressive and polished game demo to add to my portfolio alongside the mobile apps and websites and mini-games I made as a freelancer, do you think I'll have a tough time finding a regular job in the industry? Especially with no previous professional experience outside of small freelancing jobs and no college degree.

Also, if anyone has any advice on how to find a job, where I should look, what I could do to make myself more attractive as a potential employee, etc, it'd be really appreciated. I need to figure out something soon or I'm going to be pretty screwed

This is a fascinating topic, and one I don't have any experience in, but I imagine some tips for any indie dev would be to consider the job conditions of main industry dev, namely the more enforced crunch time vs (usually) higher pay.

Actually , Im in simmilar point as you are, I have friends who works in industries, they adising me, to get a job, any kind of job(to support your life), You cant expect to get somwhere without anything, One dude was in same spot , he had job, made some apps, then he was going to interviews, they ask you about your expierience etc, ask to show some projects you made, looking into your personality and so on and so on, you need to think now, if you have expierience try to apply at some small studios, they look into your certificates etc, but they will test you , if your good as you think you are no degrees will stop you

Wow, thanks for the well thought out response. I've asked this question and similar ones in many places and have never received any responses that were nearly as helpful. A few things in particular were especially helpful, like the idea of telling yourself you are interviewing the company to help with nerves, it might sound kinda silly but I can totally see how that would help a lot, and nerves are a big problem for me with serious job interviews and just interacting with 'normal' white collar people in general(my family/background was extremely different, working at my dads and living with my family I can't even think of more than a couple people I actually know in real life who aren't literally felons).

I am definitely going to read the long version of your story also, I'm glad you managed to make the switch and that it changed your life for the better. If I can make it happen for me it will be the most life-changing thing I can imagine, right now I wouldn't say I'm depressed, but my actual life situation is very horrible and I'm surrounded by people I don't relate to at all and who treat me like crap for not wanting to be an asshole/criminal like them. The only way I can get out is by getting a well-paying job so that I can afford to move to a new area and live on my own. I would be more than open to taking a job that required relocating, but I don't know if that's an option and if I should apply for positions in distant locations. I have nothing tieing me to my town/state except being unable to afford moving, and I want to leave ASAP, but if I were to get hired(or even an onsite interview) somewhere far away, There is no way I could afford the trip. Is it common to get relocation assistance prior to starting the job, so I could travel to the location and find somewhere to stay at least temporarily before starting the job? And what about on-site interviews for positions that would require relocation? Sorry if I'm asking too much, I'm just totally blind to the world of 'normal' people and have a lot to learn. But I am very excited to figure things out and integrate into that world, as I'm sure I'll feel much more comfortable and fit in better with fellow nerds and normal, functional adults

Cheers for such a brief motivation lad