Type systems aren't supposed to "get in the way of programming". Instead, they are supposed to assist you, and they do. This is why there is the perception that, for instance, code written in languages like OCaml commonly turns out to be correct once it compiles correctly. It's certainly not the case that language designers deploy a complex type system to make your work harder.
I don't question that they're created with the best intentions, but the most important thing is the end result, not the programming language. And well-intentioned language features don't always work out like they're supposed to.
Is studying in the UK an option for any of you guys? Many prestigious UK universities offer so-called conversion degrees for people with a non-traditional background. You should be able to produce a solid academic track record and some familiarity with the field, though. For those with a CS background there are many specialized MSc degrees, like Computer Graphics or Machine Learning.
The so-called generalist programs are for non-CS majors, while the specialist programs are for people with a CS or related background. Degrees in the natural sciences commonly involve introductory programming courses, so those may be a good fit.
Thanks for the reply. It looks like a great program.
Unfortunately, my wife would have a hard time finding work in her field and my daughter loves her school and friends too much. I'd feel awful asking them to make the sacrifice.
Not directly. I did study in London on campus. However, there are plenty of cases where outstanding alumni of those distance BSc programs got admitted to a later on-campus Master's program. Also, the content of those distance BSc courses is identical to the on-campus versions. They teach the same courses, and you'll sit the same exams.
Yes. Having lived in New York for many years and visited Berlin several times in the last few, I can say that the cost of living there is skyrocketing. Also, 1/3 of the price to live in Berlin vs. NYC is a vast exaggeration, especially if you're talking about an English-speaker looking for short-term digs.
A typical salary for a software developer is between 35 and 40k Euros in Germany. Of course, if you've got a special skill set you can make a lot more. To people coming from the US, those salaries often appear to be "shockingly low" at first. Of course, this is before they take into account all the benefits, and this includes --- to pick three random examples --- not having to step over homeless people on the way to work, very low crime rates, or an extensive public transport system.
By the way, the few Americans I know who moved to Europe don't complain at all about the nominal wage differentials.
That's not 1/3 of that 35 to 40k. The employer pays the fee, not the employee. This is very important. We don't want you to make less money; in fact, if that was the case many people who are already in highly paid jobs would not do it (myself included).
Funded startups that are looking for the top talent, at any cost, are the ones that I assume will benefit the most. For them, 1/3 of the 1st year salary is an investment. Better pay that rather than having to have the position open for 6 months (time is money). Hiring is extremely hard, and the people you want to hire... are by definition almost never looking for jobs. These are the same people that are attracted by the idea of spending 3 months mastering a bleeding edge technology.
From the company, not the participants of the retreat! That percentage is also not unusual; 1/4 - 1/3 of the first year's salary seems like a pretty common range. Who would you rather have your future employer pay that fee? Some annoying headhunter, who only connects 2 parties or a skill-boost camp that supports your growth as a developer over several months. Just my 2 cents.
Also, 35 to 40k sounds really on the low end. I don't think I know anyone making that little. And this is Berlin, where salaries are lower than in the rest of Germany. 50k seems to be rock bottom for a seasoned front-end engineer, more for backend, even more for specialty stuff such as data science.
MSc degrees in Europe are significantly cheaper than in the US. I think some countries don't charge any tuition fees at all, so if you take this into account, you can probably live with the relative scarcity of financial aid. Post-graduate education in Germany at public universities is usually free. There normally is some kind of administrative fee, which often includes free travel on public transport, but the total cost is much lower than what you'd have to pay for a regular ticket for public transport otherwise. Overall, it's a very good deal. Of course, the question is whether a MSc in CS will lead to a higher-paying job, especially when taking opportunity costs into account.
That's the question actually. I don't want to stay back and that stops me from taking a huge education loan. I actually plan to return to my country and join academics.
There were places like Sweden but tuition for non-EU students is longer free.
"There are 90 people in the photograph below. With the exception of a small number of outsourced assets, you’re looking at the entirety of the dev team across all disciplines. We've resisted the temptation to grow into a multi-studio team of hundreds, such as you often find behind games of similar scope to those we make."
I find it most astounding that Skyrim was made by a team of less than 100 people. It seems that these days it's not unheard of that hundreds or even more than 1,000 people work on a game. An example of the latter category is Grand Theft Auto IV.
There weren't 1000 developers working on GTA IV, certainly not full-time. More like 1000 people who once had at least one small task related to the development, sales or promotion of the title.
Having said that, 8 level designers making 300+ dungeons is extremely impressive.
Most of the time there are contractors, and lots of the art gets outsourced to other companies, so you won't have all the people there. Was QA present?
