Computer game designers commonly start with a regular computer science major in college, though they may add some electives in graphics, artificial intelligence, creative writing, art, and physics.
However, engineering majors are scarce at PASSHE schools, and substitution with other majors is less doable than for computer game design.
When someone is given something for free that others have/have had to pay for, that is in essence a bailout IMO. It is when the government or a school or some other entity decides who wins & who loses not based on individual efforts.
It is not an indication of how hard someone has worked. Many people who make good money - do so because they work extra hours. I donāt feel that is entitlement. I feel it is more entitlement when people claim they ādeserveā things more than other people. Some people can look āpoorā for a few years because they work less while their kids are in college in order to receive aid, but are given funds from wealthy grandparents or have it in savings that they live off of for those years. Some people on government assistance of one form or another will have the newest iphone or forego working extra hours as they will lose their government assistance or their kid will get less aid if they work harder/more hours. There are so many different scenarios/family situations that it is a losing argument to try and argue who ādeservesā what.
In my personal experience I went to a ācheapā college that you may feel is below you. In retrospect it was a blessing. Without the bells and whistles of some other colleges, I had few distractions and focused fully on my studies. As I was paying myself I fully understood how much it truly cost for each and every course I took and how much I had to work to pay for it. I understood what it would cost if I had to repeat a course if I got a poor grade for stupid things such as over-sleeping or too much partying. I had to learn to take initiative and advocate for myself as there was no hand-holding and minimal career services. I quickly learned about what compound interest is and how it works when I had the shock or seeing my student loan paperwork for the first time after graduation. I learned to pay down principle, make extra payments when I could & MANY other important things that I then applied to my life later when I had a mortgage. I learned that compound interest can also be used in your favor when it is YOUR money. There are so many positives to having some āskin in the gameā.
The problem with applying this concept to school (K-12 and college) is that the amount of skin that the student can put in the game is largely dependent on the studentās parentsā circumstances and choices, but much less so on the studentās own ability and motivation.
There are Pennsylvania colleges with a minor in game design- Penn State, Penn State Behrend, Kutztown, for example.
āMany people who make good moneyā. And many people are gifted that money. I daresay many of the kids of the families on CC. Skin in the game is a nice idea, though Iām not sure we really want most 18 year-olds to be making financially momentous decisions (as most teenagers discount the future too much; both the pain and gain of their future skin).
As for bailouts for people, etc., again, it depends on whether you see higher ed as a luxury good or an investment in the human capital of our society for the future. Taken to an extreme, why should we pay taxes and bail people out with free K-12 education?
OK, fair point. Switch the state to IL, then.
Agreed, that has certainly been an interesting aspect to her search. She is also aware that she may decide to CHANGE major, like many people do (including myself as a sophomore), so in that regard, a school like Champlain isnāt on her list anymore because while it has a strong Game Art program (ranking wise), the school has many fewer other choices, and does not rank well among those.
Schools like Purdue, VT and MSU will clearly offer a huge array of other career options, should she choose those. VT for example has a massive health science, and agricultural science area. Schools like RPI, WPI and RIT have a much narrower focus being tech schools, although still solid in most of their offerings.
Her home school (UConn) is a great school, and even has a major for this, but she has said she would borrow whatever it took to NOT stay in state, as she is 101% ready to be out of this state and meet new people (not see 400 kids from her HS at college). All of my kids say the same, Uconn would be absolute last resort, despite being a good school and price.
So one thing your D will not have considered is that at a large uni like UConn, she will likely not have anything to do with any of the 400 or so of her classmates who will go there unless she wants to.
Ask any of the folks who went from large HSs to giant state schools. Thatās been their experience.
UConn has nearly 19K undergrads. Take out 400 and nearly 98% of the student body would still be new people.
Granted, I know kids want to feel special at that age, but her future self would think her foolish for taking on debt to be among similar kids (just mostly from another state rather than her state).
And as for going out of state, study abroad exists.
So, when those living in poverty receive free school lunches, food stamps and medicaid, they are getting a bailout. Food pantries are bailout programs for the hungry who donāt have the money to buy food. Got it.
So weāre back to the āour flagship is affordable but we donāt care for itā school of thought, NOT the "our flagship is not affordable so we have to travel 2500 miles for an affordable college which is lower ranked.
And folks donāt see that their situation is NOT the same as that of a kid who is poor who cannot afford their public option? And so many red herrings about people who inherit money having done nothing to earn it???
Totally agree. The very very vast majority of students at UCONN will be total strangers to a kid even when 400 from their high school attend the school.
Study abroad is a great optionā¦or internships in another city or state. Both can broaden the geographic circle in undergrad school. Especially of finances are a consideration.
@HankCT your kid could also go to UMaine Oronoā¦I believe for the same instate tuition cost as UCONN.
The terminology of ābailoutā has a negative connotation I agree. However, I am not saying that there are people who do not have times in their lives/circumstances when they need help. If I called it a helping hand, would that be OK? It would mean the same thing. I was just repeating the term that the poster I was responding to had used. The point I was making was that the years I spent in poverty/struggle actually had a positive impact on my later life - it made me work so much harder to spare my children the same. I know some may not believe this or will be quick to jump on that statement. I am not saying people deserve to be poor which is somehow what you got out of my post. The bottom line is that where you go to undergrad does not determine ones lot in life. It is a privilege to go anywhere! Ironically, my child after completing interviews for this cycle noticed that the alumni from T20 schools that did the interviews, were all working in jobs that definitely did not require a prestigious undergrad education. It was a reality check.
Now thatās a statement I can get behind!
I used the term because cancelling student loan debt, which is currently under consideration, is the very definition of a bailout. And thatās what I was referring to.
@thumper1, @PurpleTitan also mentioned this. For starters, you are both somewhat preaching to the choir. As a middle aged adult who has already paid for his own college debt, and dealt with life, raising children, and so forth, I see eye to eye with you on this. Best bang for the buck, best ROI. College is a 4 year step in your life that is mainly an investment. Weāve had many family debates about this, and nothing we have said to our kids has had any impact.
I know at age 17, I was extremely stubborn, sure of my thoughts and ideas. Did I make mistakes in retrospect? For sure, at least by the numbers. Weāve had a lot of influence on our kids. In fact, all of the schools she is considering are ones that my wife and I guided her to. The only one she rejected was Uconn 
I will say that as someone who did not go to UCONN, when I visited UConn in the 90s, I was shocked at how many of my former classmates I came across, in one single day. Including 2 different ex-girlfriends (ick). But to some kids, a clean slate after HS is a huge thing. To other kids, they want to retain their old base of friends because of comfort.
The good news is that my daughter has a few options that are the same or cheaper than UConn (MSU, Miami OH), with better programs for what she wants to do, after the merit offers. So that takes some of the financial strain off of this issue for us.
In the end she will be choosing between schools that are equal or less than in-state Uconn cost in one tier, and the other tier is whether or not she wants to borrow additional to go to a private school, or a higher ranking state school out of state.
Iām also working the phones as well. Iāve appealed and reached out for more merit, and it has been mostly successful. Additional 25K from RPI, same for RIT, an an additional 32K from MSU. Itās not over until itās over (May 1), so will do as much as we can to reduce the expenses.
Hank- great your D has affordable choices!
I wish CC had a special button which we could all push when we want to post āI hear youā vs. āThis is our situation as wellā. Because we often read about someone in a pickle and then it turns out- oh, they have great, affordable options after all! No, doesnāt sound like Champlain is a good option for her at all. But knowing that sheās got strong affordable options means that nobody is going to post Uās with weaker programs than what sheās got.
ā The point I was making was that the years I spent in poverty/struggle actually had a positive impact on my later life.ā
I have to wonder, though: if the impact was so positive on you, why do you want your kids to avoid it? You donāt want positive impacts on their lives?
And I know that may sound snarky but Iām actually being serious here. If I had a great life experience, I certainly would want my kids to have that same great life experience.
Nice! Best wishes.
No, it wouldnāt mean the same thing, and it wouldnāt have the same connotation.
No, I did not get that out of your post. What I got out of your post was what seems to be an opinion expressed by you that those of our fellow citizens who rely on government aid to meet basic life necessities donāt deserve the assistance. This is what the term ābailoutā suggests.
Actually that is something I struggle with daily! I get in a mood where I feel my own kids are acting too āentitledā and feel they take way too much for granted/donāt appreciate things as much as they should etc. My H has to remind me that their life experience is totally different than mine was & they are coming from a different set point. They do get the experience of seeing how my siblings who made different choices still struggle and the effect that has had on their cousins. I feel the challenge of parenting in wanting the best for your kids but making them realize that material things are not the answer to happiness. However at the same time also making them understand that financial literacy leads to more choice in life and that this is priceless. They also hold jobs during school and are expected to contribute to a portion of their college expenses.