11 replies to this topic

[Morexod]

Hello, I'm a complete alien so some questions may be too evident.

I'd like to get a degree in computer graphics (something like physically-based animation and rendering) in a major American university. I'm a Russian national with German residency, never been to US. I already have a degree in applied mathematics and 7 years of experience as a software engineer in Russia and Germany (not directly related to computer graphics). That makes my question complicated, since I don't need most of the courses for a computer science degree. What should I do? Which university to apply? Is it actually possible? Whom should I speak to? An advisor or a specific professor or another faculty member?

How much may it cost? I have 20.000-30.000$ to spend.

[alphadog]

Do you want to create graphic-related code, or become a content builder/designer? Because "a degree in computer graphics" may mean either.

[Morexod]

Something like r&d engineer. So it's both code and technology. I'm a programmer now, so I should play to my strengths.

[alphadog]

Oh, and you have $20-30K to spend total or per year on a four-year degree? Without loans?

To put it in perspective, a year's tuition and fees in a private four-year school costs about $25K per year, in a public school costs $8K.

[Morexod]

Well, I don't need to learn 4 years. I need only computer graphics related courses (since I already know most of the other staff). Basically I was asking if I'm allowed to take (and pay for) only computer graphics courses and get the degree. If I will have to visit basic maths courses which I can lecture myself, then there is little reason for it. I can spend 30k (well maybe 40k) for the total.

[alphadog]

You may be able to get credit for basic and math classes in an overall CS curriculum, but there's a inherent limit to what colleges will allow you to comp out. You see, every class is revenue to them, so they don't like to go too far. So, you'll likely to still have half to two-thirds left over to take. IOW, you may shave a year or so off. I know, because I went through a similar process about six years ago.

What's your end goal anyways? You want a degree? And, if so, why? With your background, you are already employable in a way a Bachelor's would change in a minor-to-negligible way.

I would consider quality, free books and online materials, like MIT's open courseware.

[Morexod]

Not really, I don't need a degree that much. I want to requalify from engineering software to CGI and get a job in CGI once the financial crisis is over. I live in countries where I'm not a permanent resident, so I have to either work or study full-time. Maybe I can get a bachelor in Germany fast, and then make masters in North America. Maybe I should get Canadian residency, that will make it easier to make masters in Canada.

You are right, I am employable, but I don't like my job. And I won't get a job in a different field without corresponding experience or education.

[Mihail121]

Morexod said:

Not really, I don't need a degree that much. I want to requalify from engineering software to CGI and get a job in CGI once the financial crisis is over. I live in countries where I'm not a permanent resident, so I have to either work or study full-time. Maybe I can get a bachelor in Germany fast, and then make masters in North America. Maybe I should get Canadian residency, that will make it easier to make masters in Canada.

You are right, I am employable, but I don't like my job. And I won't get a job in a different field without corresponding experience or education.

With all respect, a software engineer + applied mathematics >>>>>> (many times greater) than what you want to achieve. You are much more now, than you want to become later... Just take some books, spend some time reading, program some stuff, you have it in you! But to answer your question, I am not aware of any major university or general educational institution offering specific stuff like computer graphics. You may consider doing a PhD on a topic, or some master-related courses though. Just dig up some names of university staff and start some contacts with them. They are normally very fond of young, motivated people.

[alphadog]

Morexod said:

And I won't get a job in a different field without corresponding experience or education.

You are right, but you are erroneously focusing on the latter rather than the former. I may be in the minority, but your experience is the driver here, not the possession of a CG-related CS degree, esp. a bachelor's... unless you intend to work in academia.

The primary thing you can do for yourself is establish a portfolio of advanced CGI code; drawing circles in DirectX won't do. Rummage through the groups here and you'll see people implementing cutting-edge code on their own based on papers and research thereof. Write working code, publish it openly and build a website resume, then point potential employers your way.

If you absolutely want to hedge your bets with a degree, get a high-level one. I'd recommend to skip the bachelor's, but that means more complication. Basically, you need to find your topic of interest and people in that field. For example, join ACM's digital library (or if you have access some other way) and find some papers (ex: in SIGGRAPH proceedings) on topics in CG that interest you. While the economy is still down, read as much as you can and nail down your specialization field, because you will have to write a thesis in that field. Collect the author(s) of your favorite papers and apply for a master's in a school where those authors are located. They would be your eventual supervisors and, maybe, your network into your new position too.

Good luck. Hope I helped. Went through something similar a few years ago and I know how terrifying a career change, even if in a parallel field, can be.

[Reedbeta]

alphadog said:

The primary thing you can do for yourself is establish a portfolio of advanced CGI code; drawing circles in DirectX won't do. Rummage through the groups here and you'll see people implementing cutting-edge code on their own based on papers and research thereof. Write working code, publish it openly and build a website resume, then point potential employers your way.

To back up alphadog, here's the website that got me a job, more or less. I went to college and got a bachelor's in computer science, but I only took one graphics course during that time (for an easy A ), and my thesis was in programming language design - something completely different! I learned graphics by reading books, forums, and papers, and most importantly by messing around and trying things out myself.

However, personally I think that going to school and getting the CS degree was invaluable, if only because it forced me to broaden my horizons (e.g. functional programming) and gave me a really solid foundation in the classic algorithms and data structures that coders actually do use quite often. Sure, in real life you almost never need to implement a hash table, a red-black tree, or a DFS - but knowing how those things work at a high level is important to be able to choose the right tool for the job on a day-to-day basis. I'm definitely a stronger coder for having gotten the degree.

[alphadog]

Reedbeta said:

I think that going to school and getting the CS degree was invaluable...gave me a really solid foundation in the classic algorithms and data structures that coders actually do use quite often.

Agreed. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone reinvent the algorithmic wheel.

My assumption was that the OP is a trained and experienced software engineer, and should have encountered those same concepts. If one hasn't, a quick and dedicated spin through an algorithm textbook is a good proxy! :yes:

[Morexod]

Thank you Alphadog.

I've had a look at some courses, they are made for a real layman :). So probably you are right, I should study by myself.