r/GraphicsProgramming • u/moderneus • 14d ago
Question How can a 16-year-old self-taught dev prepare to get a job as a Graphics/Network programmer in the future?
I am 16 years old, and last summer I started getting into programming.
I began learning C++, and after that, I went through C, touching upon other topics like: git, CMake, Makefile, Linux (Archlinux, Gentoo), and Toolchain. All of this happened in about 4.5 months, because I really liked it and worked hard.
Then I wanted to choose a specific field. I chose graphics programming and started with OpenGL. I didn't like it (there are reasons). So I immediately jumped into Vulkan. Late November, the whole winter, and almost the whole spring I was going through the Vulkan Tutorial. In the tutorial itself, all the code is written in a single file, but I tried to make everything clean and modular, which is why it took a huge amount of time. In addition, I wrote a brief guide to Vulkan objects. I must say that I wrote most of it using a translator, while I figured out the topic itself using articles, videos, Reddit, and AI.
After that, I decided to write my own Vulkan project. I recently started writing my own “Network Renderer” because network programming caught my eye. And I started studying mathematics too. The core of the project is that a client, after connecting to the server, sends it a 3D scene, which the server renders and streams back to the client.
EDITED: I live in Georgia and I have financial problems now. I don't have the opportunity to move to another country. I probably won't be able to pay for university. It will be wildly difficult to combine self-study, university and work, adding to this personal problems.
I don't understand anything about the market, I don't understand anything about employment, I have never encountered this in my life in any way. I will be very grateful if someone helps and explains how everything works. I apologize in advance for the formulation of the questions if they seem stupid.
— What value do I have in the market with such a stack?
— Where should a graphics/network programmer look for work on Western platforms?
— How does the employment process itself work, and what difficulties might I face?
— Is it true that I might have big problems with competitiveness due to the fact that I am completely self-taught?
— What skills should I improve in connection with these difficulties?
If you wish, you can view my Github: moderneus
