   How people become a professional game programmer?
  How do people become a professional game programmer?Where they learn their DirectX ? I went to DeVry University (private school) and they only taught me C++. For the Direct X 9 part, they told us to copy and paste the code from the book and that didn't help me at all. I've been reading books but I don't get much out of it.What way professionals learned their game programming from? Is it self taught or a particular school?[Edited by - Templar8guy on August 3, 2009 4:51:47 PM]
  Professional game programming paths are pretty varied, but the staple and generally recommended course of action is getting a traditional Computer Science degree from a respectable school and couple that with practical game programming that you work on learning on the side.   ;  If you learned C++, you can start to build a portfolio.If you didn't really learn C++, then you should learn it, then start to build a portfolio. Should've tried harder while you were in that study program.   ;Quote:Original post by Templar8guyHow do people become a professional game programmer?Where they learn their DirectX ?I went to DeVry University (private school) and they only taught me C++. For the Direct X 9 part, they told us to copy and paste the code from the book and that didn't help me at all.I've been reading books but I don't get much out of it.What way professionals learned their game programming from?Is it self taught or a particular school?Beyond going to a higher-education facility? Lots of books and Tons of practice.  It really depends on your learning style. I went to three different schools and learned less there than 8 years of just out-right working on my own in the various languages I wanted to learn like C++, VB.NET and the DirectX API (bothin VB.NET and C++). I'm recently going back to college classes and can walk in knowing more than the teachers themselves and end up explaining to the class what they didn't.Some books I would recommend:Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Gamma, Helm, Johnson, Vlissides)ISBN:0-201-63361-2Complete Code, 2nd Edition (McConnell)ISBN-10: 0-7356-1967-0ISBN-13: 978-0-7356-1967-8Sams Teach Yourself C++ in One Hour a Day (Liberty, Rao, Jones)ISBN-10: 0-672-32941-7ISBN-13: 978-0-672-32941-7Effective C++, 3rd Edition (Meyers)ISBN-10: 0-321-33487-6ISBN-13: 978-0-321-33487-9More Effective C++ (Meyers)ISBN-10: 0-201-63371-XISBN-13:978-0-201-63371-9Beginning C++ Game Programming (Dawson)ISBN:1-59200-205-6Beginning Game Programming, Third Edition (Harbour)ISBN-10: 1435454278ISBN-13: 978-1435454279Head First: Object Oriented Analysis & Design (McLaughlin, Pollice, West)ISBN-10: 0-596-00867-8ISBN-13: 978-0-596-00867-3(This book uses Java code examples, but the concepts it teaches are invaluable)[Edited by - cugone on August 4, 2009 10:25:30 AM];Quote:Complete Code, 2nd Edition (McConnell)ISBN-10: 0-7356-1967-0ISBN-13: 978-0-7356-1967-8I second this motion.   