So I’ve worked in IT for around 18 years now and in that time I’ve worked for 2 gaming companies, I started my most recent a year ago, but I’m wondering if I should just jump ship for the tech industry again, I’m now waiting for the layoffs in our business unit. I’m an immigrant living on a work permit and losing my job will mean losing the life I’ve made for myself over the last 4 years, and that terrifies me.
I used to love the company I work for but now I’m wondering if it’s worth it anymore.
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Having been through all this, I would most of all prioritize getting a permanent residence permit. This brings stability, and then you can decide whether to work in games (more fun) or elsewhere in tech (higher pay). Having been in both industries for a long time, I can tell you you’ll always wonder if the grass is greener on the other side. But at least you’ll have options. If a tech company gets you to permanent residence quicker, go for it.
I’m applying for it in 4 months time, not sure how long the processing time will be though. This is the most stressful time. I only got my second 2 year permit in October 2023… I terms of pay, it seems like here every industry pays the same and I’m close to the ceiling of my role.
Okay - I’m a manager at a FAANG.
Most of the immigration issues we deal with are handled by HE or a company we outsource to - I have some direct involvement in terms of writing out roles and duties, but generally they keep us away from the actual mechanics of things. However, for us, it’s handled at the company level. I know that they’ve tightened up on the perm residency and H1Bs, but I think it’s something your employer should be solving, not you.
Second, things are tough all over these days, but the gaming industry as an industry has always had a terrible reputation for long hours and (comparatively) low pay. The attitude seems to be to get in younger people and burn them out. I’m very sympathetic to your desire to make a move.
The best thing you can do is find someone who can write you a recommendation for an open position at their company, but as you know you’ll have to take your immigration status into account. All of the companies I’m familiar with don’t take immigration status into account when hiring - it’s specifically forbidden by policy - but if you have to grit your teeth and deal with your current position for another six months or whatever, it’s probably better than starting from scratch.
Hi.
Ex game dev here who jumped ship and is now doing VR training stuff for a big medical company.
I don’t regret it one bit. You definitely lose some of the spirit and excitement of working with people who are super excited to make the fun games they grew up playing, but on the flip side, if you’ve been in the industry long enough to have 18 years under your belt, you’ve probably had enough of that excitement to see the bad sides of it.
By far the nicest thing about being in an industry that isn’t entertainment is that the success of the “product” you’re making is so much easier to define than “is this fun” or “will this help playing retention”. I can’t describe how nice it is to have actual users instead of players, and UX’ers who to come tell me what people want. Sure, it might not be as fun as games, but to be honest, I’m OK with that. I get vastly better pay, better work life balance, and most importantly, a complete lack of any kind of game director whose vision I must try to make real.
The tech industry is not doing much better. But in general, if you can find a job in tech vs. games, you’ll make more money, have more stability, and be treated better.
I wonder if mid sized companies isn’t the way to go.
I’d say keep an open mind when it comes to industry and environment. I got my start in game dev but quickly left it after I realized it wasn’t really for me. I bounced around for a while after that, even picking up a job teaching English abroad (probably not advisable in your situation) before returning back to the US and taking a job working for a nonprofit.
A lot of industries like healthcare, finance, education, and enterprises in general have need of developers with experience and they still pay decently well. It may not be as exciting as FAANG/Silicon Valley style dev work, but you’re likelier to find stability and a more manageable work/life balance. It helped me finally learn to work to live instead of live to work, and I can also still take some pride that the work I do is used to help people.