It has only been a few eons since I last posted . . . much has happened since. I spent all summer working for a nifty little company over there yonder. Sadly, it was not related to games in any way. I did, though, get to work with a great group of guys and the last three of us just so happened to be the very last three summer workers to finally get laid off, and when it did happen it was done with grand honors, which made us all happy we stuck it out all summer.
On top of that, my newest book just so happens to be 3ds Max Modeling for Games (2nd Edition) by Andrew Gahan. If you are 3-D artist with Max and you don't have this book, buyz itz nowz. I am just now tearing into the first few pages in order to build on my skills and wow, this is some great stuff! Andrew is a true, industry-hardened artist and the whole book not only teaches you various ways to use Max to get the fantastic results you want, but also how to use Photoshop, Painter, and UVlayout to do amazing things--like take over the world. ;) It doesn't stop there either as it goes on to maintain it's focus on training you for the industry, going to lengths to ensure you develop a professional mindset while working as an artist. The whole book finally concludes with training you to develop your portfolio and how to assemble it, show it off, and land that first job. Great book.
Also, I am been more closely involved with a great group of dudes at Zenetech as we embark on our first mod. I cannot divulge the details but I am excited about it and will continue to do what I can to move us down the path of awesomeness.
Oh yeah . . . there's this thing called college, too. I am wanting to go, but trying to decide between Entrepreneurship, Entertainment Business, Game Design, or Film Production. Post your thoughts?
Nice to see a person dedicated to doing something he enjoys =P Anyway, as far as the degree goes, I would choose whichever you think you could get a job with right away. With how the economy has been, its hard to say if it will be back on its feet before you finish. If not, finding a good job in your field will be difficult. Once the economy straightens up, and you have a bit of experience, you can always change fields - people do it all the time. At least half of the people I have met professionally are not currently employed for what they got their degree in. People often find that something else suits them better.
Thank you for your response! I can totally see what you mean there, there are so many options, but ultimately I just need to grab it by the horns and jump into it.