This year, i’m on my 8th (final) semester of uni and im dealing with working on my undergrad thesis (it’s about open source and how companies monetize free software). I dont know where im going after this. Back in 2023 i was in 12 months of grueling low paying internship with 4 hours of commute but at least that was something because i bought a lot of stuff from HDD, games, and shirt. Sadly it wasnt enough to cover for rent so i commuted 4 hours a day I hate being stuck in my parents house, and worse, because im busy with my thesis + preparing for quiz, i dont know how to make money or if it’s wise to get a job when i still have classes in my schedule. For the thesis itself, it’s due around 20th June and right now i have 20 pages. Im aiming to get 70-75 pages by then. I also have to see my advisor 10 times this semester. What can i do about my life? Give me some insights so i don’t hate myself too much for being so broke and caught up with everything else. All my interests are pretty much narrative gamedev and cyber sec, and it’s hard to make money with it.
It’s hard to make money in cyber security???
It’s definitely hard to break into it, it’s a specialty that requires experience, and no one seems willing to train. Tons of money around if you have 10-15 years under your belt, but you’ll starve before you find a junior position
All my interests are pretty much narrative gamedev and cyber sec, and it’s hard to make money with it.
I kinda agree with the person who are calling you out on this statement. 🙂 I get what you’re saying though – I think the missing factor is that interests don’t make money. Completed work makes money. I had a pretty easy time of it starting off in my career because I had a track record of hobby projects and real-work projects, and so my first and third jobs out of school were from people who were doing startups as they were graduating and got in touch with me about working for them, and from there it got a lot easier (I was actually working basically full time for one startup during my last semester before I graduated). But I only got the first two jobs because people knew stuff I had done, from way back before work ever even came into the picture.
IDK how well that will translate to the present day; the climate is different now I know. But you say you’re interested in gamedev… what game do you have to show? If you have one and everyone knows about it, even if it’s small and humble (think Hungry Knight -> Hollow Knight) then I think you’ll be in a lot better position than not.
If it helps any, you’re not the first to have feelings like this toward the end of your undergraduate life. You’re not alone.
My advice for the moment would be to focus on making a strong finish in school. Yes, you need/want to start thinking about your future, but you don’t want to get this far only to stumble at the finish line. Don’t tack on a full-time or demanding job unless it’s absolutely necessary. June is going to show up a lot faster than you think it will and you have a lot of research, writing, and revision to go.
