Tips/Advice for getting into QA/Game Testing?

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joshth

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Hey Duders,

So I'm a recent College Graduate and have made the decision that I really want to work in the game industry. I was looking at QA jobs to be my entry level position that would be my foot in the door, so I could start making connections, etc. It seems like so many of these jobs want people with at least one year of testing experience, and the ones that don't seem like there's a lot of competition.

So I was wondering if there was anyone here at GB who has experience in this field and could maybe give some tips on what I can do to make myself a more appealing candidate? I feel silly asking, but it's been very frustrating sending lots of applications and getting basically nothing in return, for jobs that are low on pay and benefits for a college graduate.

Any and all help would be appreciated!

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killacam

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#3  Edited By killacam

What exactly do you want to ultimately be doing in the industry? Do you have any skills that are relevant to games? I'm sure companies see tons of applicants with "playing games is my life!" on their resumes and not much else.... Show them you're passionate and have room to grow. If you learn a bit of programming/art/music-making and start hitting up game jams in your city it will make your resume look 1000 times better. A skill like this is pretty important because nobody wants an "ideas guy". Don't worry if you're not that great at any of these things. Just go, have fun, meet people, and learn!

Also, aim for the smaller companies. As a QA person, the larger ones will chew you up and spit you out. In smaller companies there's a lot more collaboration happening and opportunity to show them you can be more than just some dude looking for bugs.

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rynox45

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If you studied something like software development or computer science in college don't shy away from applying for software testing/QA jobs. They're not exactly the same thing but it's experience you can use to get an interview in games QA later down the line. If your goal is to work your way up the ladder once you've gotten into QA then John Vignocchi's advice from the E3 coverage this year is as good as you'll get.

https://youtu.be/6ULDQHpFkac?t=32m48s

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killacam

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@rynox45: If he studied CS he wouldn't need to start with QA at all...

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rynox45

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@killacam: With 0 experience no position is too low, although as @dudeglove pointed out it depends on where he's looking for work. I finished a degree in game development a month ago and haven't been able to get so much as an interview where I live.

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killacam

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@rynox45:True, but it sounds like there are a lot of companies in his area. Tons of tech companies out there are more than willing to hire an inexperienced kid with a CS degree for an actual dev position because there are simply more jobs than there are people to fill them.

That's pretty crazy about your situation though. I live on the east coast of Canada (read: nowhere) and got a job at a game studio the day after I finished my CS degree. I had a bunch of my own personal projects to show potential employers by the time I got out, which seemed to really make all the difference.

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joshth

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@rynox45:While I took some basic Computer Science classes at my school, I did not major in it. I majored in communication studies and definitely want to go more the John Vignocchi route, hopefully ending up as a producer.

@killacam: To be clear, I am applying anywhere in the US, location is not really a concern of mine starting out. There have not been a lot near where I live though, which is frustrating because a lot of companies ask for people who are living in their area, and I'm not sure if I'm effectively stating in my cover letter that I'm willing to relocate to be near the company.

Thank you all for the advice so far though.

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spartan117tron

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@joshth What did you major in? You could always look into contracting companies like VOLT. Being a contractor can suck but a lot of companies get QA from contracting companies. That is what I did while I was in school at a company in NC and worked my way up to a programmer, but doing that might be a harder thing to do depending on the company you work for. Though I would not say being in QA is entirely sustainable for the long term.

If you want to do more then just QA games (which I suggest) you need to make something on your own! I can not say that enough. Making something on your own shows that you can complete something and you will be way ahead of some of the other applicants if you have something to show. It doesn't have to be big. Just make something small that does something really well. If you are a programmer have a Github page that you can show code that you have made.

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deactivated-5b031d0e868a5

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Start from the beginning and read all "Tales From The Trenches" : link

Good luck.