Professional Skills for the Digital Age The Ultimate Guide to Success in the Game Industry & Life
What prompted you to change careers at this stage of your life?
After being in sales for 20 years and more then half my life I decided it was time to follow my original dream of being an artist. When I graduated from High school, financially I could not afford college, nor could my mother who was a single parent just trying to put food on the table. I ended up getting into normal “Life” and was lucky enough to get into a sales position that I loved. But there was always something calling me deep down inside. After running my own business for 13 of those years and having lots of ups and downs, I knew it was time for me to get back to that dream. I NEED to be creative and no matter how successful at sales you are, you just are not creating anything. The actual moment I decided to follow this long lost dream was one morning sitting on my couch, watching youtube videos on my XBOX. This video was in the suggested videos and it was all about how schools should be teaching code because everything is going the way of the computer and no one is teaching it in public schools to kids. It reminded me that I was not to old to learn this and the next website I visited was www.fullsail.edu. I entered my info and within minutes they called and invited me down for a tour. The rest is now as they say… history… and my future!
Your blog has been well received. What were your thoughts when starting it and why did you decide to make a journal of your college experiences?
I decided to start my blog www.MyFullSailJourney.com for two reasons originally. First, was to be able to have one place that any of my family and friends could follow so I didn’t have to explain to every single family member or friend that asked how school was going. The second reason was more for a personal reason. I knew this endeavor was going to be one of the most epic and historical moments in my life, I needed to record it so that down the road I could look back and remember all the great times I had at Full Sail. I had no clue that this would soon become a source of inspiration for others. It is mind blowing to me that people are following my blog to see what I will do next or what my latest project is going to be or how it turns out. It is also a little humbling to me that anyone actually cares that much about my journey. But I am honored that people are being inspired by my journey and my website. I do hope now that I can keep inspiring people to either follow their dreams, or to work hard at their craft, or just give them some sort of inspiration for that day. It makes me feel good that people are looking up to me as a role model already and I haven’t even finished college yet.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years I will be working at a major gaming studio working on the next great video game. I will be using my art skill to create things in video games that millions of fans will be looking at daily. I have a few studios that I would love to be a part of and I hope that after I graduate in 2 years, that I will be able to get right in and hit the ground running with the skill that I have acquired from Full Sail. I also see myself coming back to Full Sail to talk about my path and journey up until that point. I know that will be a milestone in my life to be able to be the "Rock Star" coming back to Full Sail just as I watched so many myself.
What advice would you like to share with your piers who are still in school?
Never settle with anything less then perfection from yourself. The only person you are cheating is yourself. Give 110% all the time. I know that sounds so cliché, but seriously, this is going to be the vehicle that gets you to the job you may want. This could be the vehicle that gets you to the career you want for the rest of your life, treat it as so. It drives me crazy when I see talented people not taking school or their grades or their projects and work seriously. It shows. People can tell when something is done without passion. Have passion in whatever it is you are working on. Even if it is something you might not like to be doing. You never know who might see it and what they might think. That silly project that you think is ridiculous and a waist of your time might just be the thing that gets you noticed by the right person. So treat every day and every opportunity as if it was the key to your future. I have a motto that I live by: “No matter where you are in life, it is your own fault”
Can you give a few examples of how networking has helped you already in your career while you remain a student?
I have met soo many people here at Full Sail. I learned at the very early stages that Networking is going to be vital to your career. In fact so much so, that every person that I have spoken to that is in the industry, not one of them has said “ I filled out an application and got the job” They have all said, that networking and knowing someone or meeting someone was the reason they got the job. I recognized that early and have made it a point to meet and greet everyone that I can when someone comes to campus. But specifically I have made some good friends so far in the industry. I feel very honored to know some of these people now not for what they can do for me down the road, but just to be able to see the possibilities down the road for myself. It’s nice to see people I have met at Full Sail working on the next great games or opening their own game studios, or talking about what they are working on. I am learning that the gaming industry is one big family and mostly everyone I have met is willing to share info to help you succeed. I can not wait to be side by side with these people working in the field I want to be in. But the way it has helped me the most is realizing they are just like me. When these people come in they seem so out of reach. They seem so high up in the industry. They seem like GODS! But then when you finally get to shake hands with them and get to know them, or even become their friends, you realize they are just like me. They were just like me, they went through the same program or followed the same path I am on now. Yes they are still awesome and god-like, but they aren’t unreachable. They aren’t so far up that they won’t lend a hand down to give you some inspirational info that makes you think, “I CAN DO THIS” For them, I am grateful.