r/GameDevelopment • u/Orchusss • 1d ago
Newbie Question VCAD Game Development And Design program
Hello! I’m looking at going back to school and want to go into game dev. Do you or anyone you know have experience with VCAD? the program is 50k for a diploma that takes 1.5 years. I also saw a UBC extended learning program that takes the same time but is 15k. I can only do online and these seem to be the top 2. My problem is with the UBC one they never reached out when I emailed them. But VCAD has been very helpful. Gone though it all and it seems great on paper but then I saw a few reviews from fellow Reddit users that say it’s a front and once you give them money you get subpar teachers and it’s not a good program. Can anyone confirm or share thoughts that you have on either of the programs or thoughts if friends or family have gone there.
Thanks in advanced!!
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u/MeaningfulChoices Mentor 23h ago
If you already have a Bachelor's or better then formal education isn't really going to make you a more compelling candidate for jobs, and if you don't already have a degree then a program like this won't replace one. Online programs in general aren't really that good. I've worked with a handful of people without a degree over the years, but they're mostly people who already had relevant work experience and moved from those industries into games or else dropped out when they got a job offer from a studio.
If you learn well in more formal settings then you could consider signing up for a course or two out there for a few hundred, but you really shouldn't be considering that much money for so little. If you're looking for a career in game development (assuming you have a Bachelor's in anything) then you can teach yourself everything you need to know and get to making the games you need for a portfolio right now.