CW208 Questions

Flora5

I'm starting the Computer Games Development next September. I'm just wondering if there is anything I need to know before starting. Like, do I need to bring my own laptop, USB stick or whatever. Will they supply software like MS Office etc.?

What about general info about the college and classes etc. Basically, tell me everything about everything.

Frynge

It is quite a broad course that covers a lot. You obviously need a head for programming and be ok a maths.

The number 1 think to make sure you do is attend every lecture and practical class. I started the course years ago and found everything at the start very easy so started to think everything would continue to be easy. I was wrong.

Ms office and other software is available on the computers in the library and the labs. When you start needing more specific software you will be in a lab dedicated to the course.

I dropped out in third year, foolishly but lots of people I was in college with are starting to get very good jobs now that they have a few years experience.

There are a good few people on here who were in the course so you will prob get more up to date info from them,

artanevilla

This is a good thread for info on this course:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056750535

Flora5

Another thing I have to as is, do I need my own printer or can I use printers in the college? Printers and me just don't mix. I can never get them to work properly. Maybe its just my fault for buying a cheap printer.

artanevilla

There's printers in the library, you can buy credit for them online, it's 9cent a double sided page. They're fairly easy to use.

Flora5

Thanks. Thats handy to know. I've always had trouble with printers. Even something as simple as the Wifi print on my iPhone never works for me.

woppers

I am currently in the middle of my 4th year exams for the software development course in IT Carlow.

I can only speak for the Software Development course but I'd reckon that the Games Development course is similar for the basic things. On the day you register they will provide you with a USB stick. You will also have access to computers in the lab's that you will be working in. These computers will have all of the software you will need to use. i.e. MS Office, Visual Studio, Blender, etc. I am not sure what other software you will need for that course.

My advice would be to attend EVERYTHING. All of the lectures and all of the lab sessions. I say that in capital letters because it really makes the difference of understanding what is going on and not having a clue what is going on in there. Also, in some of the subjects you are awarded maybe 10% of the course for attendance. Very easy way to pick up marks while going into your final exams.

The lecturers are there to help and they are sound out. They really want to see you succeed and they will do everything they can to help you succeed. That is of course that you show an interest, make an effort and you attend all of the lectures. Some of my lectures would happily give you some of their time outside of the the hours that they get paid for to help out anyone who is trying their best.

I saw one guy who never came to lecturers or tutorials ask one of the lecturers for some extra classes in the run up to an exam and he was told never to ask for an extra tutorial if he wasn't willing to attend the scheduled lecturers of tutorials. I believe the lecturer was right in this case. If any of my mates or I had of asked that same lecturer for help he would have went out of his way to help us out because we never missed a minute of class.

In 1st year there are going to be a lot of guys who are only there to mess and have a good time. Thats fair enough because its ok to have a bit of fun in there but keep your eye on the end goal if you want to succeed and become a highly paid professional software developer. Try not to get involved too deep with the messers because they wont make it through the first year and they'll only drag you down if you let them. Have a bit of craic with them but do go ditching class with them or gong home early with them.

A lot of messers and guys who didn't care got weeded out of my course in 1st and 2nd year. Now, not all of these guys were messers. Some of them just realised that computers was just not for them and thats fair enough too. Some of those guys switched courses and were delighted with the change.

I would suggest that you sit up the front. I arrived late to lectures a few times and sat at the back. This was a mistake because I could not concentrate on the lecture because a lot of the students in front of me were playing angry birds or watching TV shows which distracted me. Don't worry, you won't be jeered for being a swot for sitting up the front. It's college, not secondary school.

I found 1st year easy in my course and second year was easy to me too but it didn't come naturally to me. I had to work my ass off to get the good grades I got. You will only get out of it what you put into it.

3rd and 4th year are a different matter. They are much more difficult but if you have been laying the ground work in first and second year you shouldn't have a problem. In between years during your summer holidays you should take on little projects of your own. You will learn a great deal of information while doing these projects. It will also keep your head in the game so when you arrive back to college for your next year it will feel like you have hit the ground running. They don't have to be original ideas or the next big thing. Just look for a simple app in the app store or a simple website and try to replicate it for your own amusement.

Also, become friendly with your class mates. I believe I wouldn't be where I am today without the support of my class mates. We really helped each other out big time through out the last 4 years. If you decide to keep yourself to yourself you may end up alienating yourself and you may struggle through the course.

There will be an element of people who spout buzz words all over the place too and talk all sorts of jazz about computers about how good they are at computers. Ignore them. They generally don't make it through from what I can see. One of the best software developers that I met on my course didn't even own a computer before he started my course with me so don't get intimidated by people who appear to know everything.

If you can afford it, I would suggest using you're own laptop. I used my own for most of the course. And I would highly suggest opening up a Google Drive account. If you already have a Gmail account then you already have a Google Drive account. Your Gmail address and password will allow you into the Google Drive account. Google Drive is free and you can store all of your college notes in it. I have my 4 years of notes, projects, etc stored in it. And the beauty of it is if your computer dies or something like that, all of your files are safely stored in Google Drive.

The beauty of Google Drive is that you can install it on many computers phones ipads etc and all of you're files will be in sync on all of your devices. My laptop died on me in 2nd year so I was glad of Google Drive then! I was able to retrieve all of my files easily. USB sticks are a disaster, I have seen many people loose big projects they had been working on for months due to leaving a USB stick behind.

I hope some of this helps! If you have any question just give me a shout! And best of luck with bro! It's probably the single most hardest thing you are going to do in your life but its worth it!

For any coding projects that you have to do, the sooner you learn how to use some source control software like Git or Subversion the better. This will save you from catastrophes. One minute your code is working fine and the next minute BANG! you change something and it all goes to sh*t. You haven't a clue what you changed so you furiously change more stuff.It gets to the point where you want to cry and theres no going back.

http://github.com or https://bitbucket.org/ are both good and free.

Flora5

Thanks for the reply! It answered a lot of questions I had and ones I hadn't thought of yet. Google Drive seems like to way to go. I usually like to keep a few copies of important files.

I'm just wondering when do you finish up exams? Do most other students finish up around the same time? I'm wondering because I'm trying to get into some decent accommodation. I've noticed a few more places than usual pop up on daft and other sites this month. I was hoping to get an apartment or whatever of my own. I can get distracted when there are other people in a house and I'm trying to concentrate. Plus I can be very protective over my stuff (especially my guitar since it is my pride and joy) and wouldn't want anyone around to damage it.

Also, whats the story with bringing your own laptop into the college? Is it really necessary or would it be better to leave it at home since there are so many computers around the place?

woppers

Flora5 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply! It answered a lot of questions I had and ones I hadn't thought of yet. Google Drive seems like to way to go. I usually like to keep a few copies of important files.

I'm just wondering when do you finish up exams? Do most other students finish up around the same time? I'm wondering because I'm trying to get into some decent accommodation. I've noticed a few more places than usual pop up on daft and other sites this month. I was hoping to get an apartment or whatever of my own. I can get distracted when there are other people in a house and I'm trying to concentrate. Plus I can be very protective over my stuff (especially my guitar since it is my pride and joy) and wouldn't want anyone around to damage it.

Also, whats the story with bringing your own laptop into the college? Is it really necessary or would it be better to leave it at home since there are so many computers around the place?

That was something that I forgot to mention. The labs that you will be working in will have all of the necessary software that you need for your course. The problem starts when you are trying to find a quiet place to study in the college in the evening or during the day.

All of the labs are set up for different courses so you will not find the software that you will need on all of the pc's in the college. The engineering labs have different software than the game devs, etc.

If you cant find a free, quite lab to use you may have to use the pc's in the library. Don't let the name "Library" fool you. This place can be chaotic and noisy a lot of the time and those pc's more than likely wont have the specialist software you require. i.e. visual studio. You may request that the software be added to the pc's but this is easier said than done.

Also, sometimes it can be quiet difficult to find a free pc because the library can get so busy.

I used the college pc's in first year and soon became frustrated by the things I mentioned above. I know that the games dev students have their a dedicated lab just like the soft dev students have their own dedicated lab.

We weren't allowed into our lab until 3rd year. I am not sure when you will have access to the game dev lab. Probably 3rd year. So I used college pc's for 1st year, my laptop for 2nd year, my laptop and college pc in the soft dev lab for 3rd year and my own laptop for 4th year.

The problem you will face is when you want to code at home or when you are on a pc which is without the required software you need.

The laptop is not necessary, I spent weeks carrying it around sometimes without even turning it on but when I needed it, I was very glad to have it. If I was doing it again I would use mine for the 4 years.

Also, they are testing out some new virtual machine software this year with the 3rd year software developers. What it is, each of the students had their own virtual pc in the college but they had to access it through an actual pc. This meant that even though they didn't have the the software on their machine that they needed, they could log into their virtual machine which had all of the the software that the needed. Does that make sense?

So a lot of them used their own laptops. They could easily work from home like this as long as they had an internet connection.

They test drove the software and I think it is being rolled out to more students next year.

All the exams are over on Friday the 23rd of May this year so maybe thats why the rentals are popping up on daft.

Google docs is also a decent free alternative to MS Office.

Flora5

woppers wrote: »

That was something that I forgot to mention. The labs that you will be working in will have all of the necessary software that you need for your course. The problem starts when you are trying to find a quiet place to study in the college in the evening or during the day.

All of the labs are set up for different courses so you will not find the software that you will need on all of the pc's in the college. The engineering labs have different software than the game devs, etc.

If you cant find a free, quite lab to use you may have to use the pc's in the library. Don't let the name "Library" fool you. This place can be chaotic and noisy a lot of the time and those pc's more than likely wont have the specialist software you require. i.e. visual studio. You may request that the software be added to the pc's but this is easier said than done.

Also, sometimes it can be quiet difficult to find a free pc because the library can get so busy.

I used the college pc's in first year and soon became frustrated by the things I mentioned above. I know that the games dev students have their a dedicated lab just like the soft dev students have their own dedicated lab.

We weren't allowed into our lab until 3rd year. I am not sure when you will have access to the game dev lab. Probably 3rd year. So I used college pc's for 1st year, my laptop for 2nd year, my laptop and college pc in the soft dev lab for 3rd year and my own laptop for 4th year.

The problem you will face is when you want to code at home or when you are on a pc which is without the required software you need.

The laptop is not necessary, I spent weeks carrying it around sometimes without even turning it on but when I needed it, I was very glad to have it. If I was doing it again I would use mine for the 4 years.

Also, they are testing out some new virtual machine software this year with the 3rd year software developers. What it is, each of the students had their own virtual pc in the college but they had to access it through an actual pc. This meant that even though they didn't have the the software on their machine that they needed, they could log into their virtual machine which had all of the the software that the needed. Does that make sense?

So a lot of them used their own laptops. They could easily work from home like this as long as they had an internet connection.

They test drove the software and I think it is being rolled out to more students next year.

All the exams are over on Friday the 23rd of May this year so maybe thats why the rentals are popping up on daft.

Google docs is also a decent free alternative to MS Office.

I'd probably try to stick to my own laptop for the most part. I'm a bit concerned since I've got a Macbook Pro running OSX 10.9. I was going to install Windows 7 or 8 before I start next Sept, but I'm not sure whether I should install Windows 7 or 8. I use 7 on my desktop PC. I upgraded to 8 but downgraded back to 7 shortly after (I wasn't fond of 8 that much). I haven't tried 8.1. What do the majority of the computers in the college run on?

I forgot to ask, do we get lockers or anything? Or is there anywhere to put a wet coat form walking in or will I just have to stay drenched on the wet days?

I think I probably know the answer to this, but are there a lot of books to carry around for a software course?

What about bikes and cars? I take it students aren't allowed park on the school grounds?

Is there any other general stuff that I should know about?

Thanks a mil for the help!

artanevilla

There's lockers available for rent in the college. Parking is available for students the exact same as staff on campus, only costs a tenner for the year, but you need to be in before 9 to guaranteed a spot. Plenty of places to leave bikes too.

woppers

I have a Mac too with 10.9. All of the pc's in the college are running Win 7 so if I was you I'd stick with that. I used Parallels to install Win 7 and one of the lecturers told me that some of the games dev students were successfully using Macs too with Parallels and Win 7.

I installed 7 and 8.1 but I never used 8.1. 7 did everything I needed it to do.

The last thing you need are incompatibility issues while switching from say Win 8.1 on your machine to Win 7 on a college machine. It will give you grief, wreck your buzz and you will waste a load of time trying to fix the problem. And trust me, time is not a luxury that you are going to have.

If you decide to give 8.1 a spin install Start8 its well worth $4.99. It gives you back the start menu from Win 7.

Like artanevilla said, you can rent lockers but do that early. They go quick. I think you rent them from the student union but I may be corrected on that.

As for books, the lecturers notes and slides are all you really need. They cover everything you need to know. They may suggest books to buy but it is not necessary. You could always download the ebook format. The only thing I had in my bag was handouts, my handwritten notes and notes that were printed off.

The canteen is decent enough. A good selection of food and it is nice food at reasonable prices. €3.50 to €4.85 for a dinner which isn't bad.

Thats all I can think of bro but if you think of anything you want to ask just give me a shout!

Probably the most important thing is to enjoy it! It's a lot easier when you're enjoying what you're doing. Also, when the lecturers are trying to give you advice on where you are going wrong when you're coding, listen to them. Don't get defensive. You will turn out some really sloppy, buggy code. Its all part of learning but keep an open mind because there is nearly always a more efficient, shorter way to do something. Especially when you're only learning. I saw some guys argue with lecturers over their code and guess where those guys are now? Yep, they never made it passed 2nd year because they could not handle some constructive criticism.

Also, if you are really enjoying the coding and you don't like the other subjects, don't neglect the other subjects. Theres no point bing great at 30% of the course and cap at the rest of it. You have to pass everything to get the degree at the end. Even though you probably won't use most of the stuff in the real world. I also saw guys doing this and that didn't work out for them either.

I hope it works out for you!

Flora5

While I think of it, whats the story with work placement or whatever in 3rd year? Is it optional? How long is it? etc.

threein99

Flora5 wrote: »

While I think of it, whats the story with work placement or whatever in 3rd year? Is it optional? How long is it? etc.

The choices are either a 6 month work placement or a project that you do after the end of year exams. I'm currently on my placement, the college have links with a few companies who take people on every year, these places are decided on an interview process and they companies are not obliged to take anyone. You can also sort out your own placement if you know anyone in the industry.

Flora5

threein99 wrote: »

The choices are either a 6 month work placement or a project that you do after the end of year exams. I'm currently on my placement, the college have links with a few companies who take people on every year, these places are decided on an interview process and they companies are not obliged to take anyone. You can also sort out your own placement if you know anyone in the industry.

Thanks. So if you take the project option, is it done over the summer or whole other students are on work placement, or is it structured a different way?

threein99

Flora5 wrote: »

Thanks. So if you take the project option, is it done over the summer or whole other students are on work placement, or is it structured a different way?

You start the project the Monday after the exams finish, I'm Software Development so it may be different for the games course. Our course had 10 weeks to do the project, anyone we spoke to said do your best to get a placement as the projects can be tricky

Flora5

threein99 wrote: »

You start the project the Monday after the exams finish, I'm Software Development so it may be different for the games course. Our course had 10 weeks to do the project, anyone we spoke to said do your best to get a placement as the projects can be tricky

Are you working near your accommodation? Would I have to pay for accommodation in two places if I get put somewhere else, such as a business in Galway for example. I know a place near my home that might take me on for work placement.

threein99

Flora5 wrote: »

Are you working near your accommodation? Would I have to pay for accommodation in two places if I get put somewhere else, such as a business in Galway for example. I know a place near my home that might take me on for work placement.

I'm working in Shannon, I've moved down here for the internship.

Flora5

I might be a little bit late, but I've thought of a few more questions.

How do I take a day off. Do I just not show up, do I have to call someone in the college or something?

Is there any kind of morning assembly or sign in/sign out process?

To lecturers take note if you are not present in class?

What do I need in terms of general stationary like notebooks etc.?

How do I know when the first day of college actually is?

I'll probably think of some more stuff eventually, but if you guys things there is anything else I should know, let me know.

entropi

Flora5 wrote: »

I might be a little bit late, but I've thought of a few more questions.

How do I take a day off. Do I just not show up, do I have to call someone in the college or something? Generally, it is not recommended that you take any days off if possible unless you have a medical reason. There might be something you missed at a lecture or practical that you can't learn or process in your brain because of that. If you really need to, then email your lecturer for the subject(s) that you'll miss that day and let them know (in advance if possible).

Is there any kind of morning assembly or sign in/sign out process?In most, if not all courses you will have lecturers using sign-in sheets or a roll call.

To lecturers take note if you are not present in class? Any lecturers I have would take note in the roll call, mentally also. Especially if you've missed something important that day.

What do I need in terms of general stationary like notebooks etc.? I would reckon that your own laptop and USB drive are essentials for your course for a start, with an A4 pad, pens for taking down notes and a scientific calculator a likely requirement.

How do I know when the first day of college actually is? You can find that information here: Academic Calendar

I'll probably think of some more stuff eventually, but if you guys things there is anything else I should know, let me know.

If you have questions, just go ahead and ask. The people posting in this forum try to be as helpful as possible

Casmur

Any practical work is done in labs with the necessary software installed.
You don’t need to bring your laptop with you for any of the classes, they normally give you a usb stick at registration, you will need it .
You should bring a notebook some pens and a calculator with you the first day, if a subject needs something specific like a book the lecturer will tell you. I only had one book in first year and one book in second year both for the programming module.
Theres not a lot of writing in games as its heavy on practical work but you will need a notebook for rough work and pseudo code and sometimes notes.
You can access subject notes and assignments online.
The lecturer will keep note if your missing but it's only really important for subjects where attendance is graded, if you have a valid reason email them or tell them next time you see them.
Graduated the course this year so it might have changed slightly but if you have any questions on the course I'll answer what I can

Flora5

Thanks for the replies guys. Its going to help a lot.

About registration day. What do I need for that? I got a deferral last year and the letter I as given told me I had to bring said letter with me and it mentioned about course fees I think? Do I have to pay the course fees on that day? How do I pay them? Is there anything else I need?

artanevilla

Flora5 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys. Its going to help a lot.

About registration day. What do I need for that? I got a deferral last year and the letter I as given told me I had to bring said letter with me and it mentioned about course fees I think? Do I have to pay the course fees on that day? How do I pay them? Is there anything else I need?

You just need yourself, that letter, and if you have them, the fees.

If you're coming through the CAO from the Leaving Cert, you won't need to pay tuition, but you will need to pay the registration fee, which is 2500 I think?

There's an AIB on campus which will be open on the day and they'll be able to sort you with a bank draft, you can also pay by card online, the person registering you will show you how to do all this anyway.

It's a fairly straight forward process and won't take too long.

Flora5

artanevilla wrote: »

You just need yourself, that letter, and if you have them, the fees.

If you're coming through the CAO from the Leaving Cert, you won't need to pay tuition, but you will need to pay the registration fee, which is 2500 I think?

There's an AIB on campus which will be open on the day and they'll be able to sort you with a bank draft, you can also pay by card online, the person registering you will show you how to do all this anyway.

It's a fairly straight forward process and won't take too long.

I went through the CAO back in 2013 normally and a slightly different way this year. They said ti just put down the CW208 course and nothing else.

How often do I have to pay registration? Is it just once at the start of the year or twice, three times, four times? Are there any other fees that have to be paid. I'm a bit confused about all this stuff. As far as I know, there is the €2500 registration fee and a €2500 Contribution fee or something? I think a SUSI grant goes towards the Contribution fee if its granted to me. How often must that be paid?

artanevilla

From what I read you're entitled to free fees, so you've only to pay registration, which as far as I can remember is 2500, once off, there's not a contribution on top of this.

Again as far as I'm aware, if you're entitled to a SUSI grant, this is all sorted for you, just say it to the people at registration and they'll look after you.

As for how often it must be paid, if you're paying yourself you can pay it once off or from what I've seen it's in two parts, ie, a payment before term, and one more at Christmasish...

If this doesn't help I'd just say ring the registration office and ask, they are very helpful, and if you're stuck on anymore issues, give me a PM and I'll try to help more.

EDIT: There's a good amount of info on SUSI in this forum also: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1101

Flora5

Thanks. After a bit of research, I think that the Contribution fee is actually the registration fee. I found the page I've linked below on the IT Carlow site basically saying that all students, unless funded by SUSI, are required to pay a €2500 Contribution fee. Sounds like the Contribution fee is just a fancy term for Registration fee. I'll call the registration office just to be sure. Are they open during the summer? Also, is the the Admissions Helpline (at the bottom of the page page I linked below) that I should call?

Apparently I can't link since I'm a new user, so just add the blow text to the end of the regular IT Carlow URL to get to the page I was trying to link.

/study-at-itc/financial-information/financial-fees.htm

Flora5

I'm starting on Wednesday the 10th and registration is on the 9th. I'm not really sure what happens on registration day. I know that I have to pay or show that I've applied for a grant, but is that it? They've only given about 15 mins total between each course for registration. For example, CW207 is at 10:45am and CW208 is at 11:00am. Does that mean that I don't have to go in until 11am? Once thats over do I just leave or is there other stuff that I have to do?

Also, on the 10th, it says the day starts at 10:30am. I take it that its not a full/proper day. Any info would be great.

threein99

Flora5 wrote: »

I'm starting on Wednesday the 10th and registration is on the 9th. I'm not really sure what happens on registration day. I know that I have to pay or show that I've applied for a grant, but is that it? They've only given about 15 mins total between each course for registration. For example, CW207 is at 10:45am and CW208 is at 11:00am. Does that mean that I don't have to go in until 11am? Once thats over do I just leave or is there other stuff that I have to do?

Also, on the 10th, it says the day starts at 10:30am. I take it that its not a full/proper day. Any info would be great.

Just bring proof that you have applied for the grant or to have your fees paid. You will get your ID as well

The day on the 10th will just be a intro to the college, our first day was meeting all our lecturers, them telling us what subjects they teach what to expect etc ect . They will prob give you a tour of the college as well.

Thargor

Do people get good jobs from this course? Good money?

Genghiz Cohen

Thargor wrote: »

Do people get good jobs from this course? Good money?

I came out of the course and into a startup company with friends, that lasted less than a year and then I got some small contract work. About 18 months after graduating I got a job in Unum in Carlow for about 26k. Got bumped up to 28k after a year then moved job to 37k after 2 years. If I move again, I'll be looking more along the 45k mark.


In the whole GIT/SVN debate I've found GIT to be the better choice. Tower is recommended on Mac, it's paid but good.