I've got an associate's degree in computer science and I'm eager to break into the IT field. However, I've been struggling for the past year to land interviews. A friend suggested that my resume may be holding me back because I only feature games in my "Projects" section. I've worked on a variety of games, from simple ones like Flappy Bird and Pong to complex procedurally generated dungeon adventures. Making games is my passion, but I'm wondering if it's a mistake to showcase these on my resume. Should I pivot to different types of projects instead?
6 Answers
If I were hiring and saw a resume filled with unrelated projects, I’d definitely lean towards someone who has relevant experience. It’s crucial to match your projects with the tech stack used in the jobs you’re applying for.
From the perspective of someone involved in hiring, I’d love to see any personal projects, including games. They show your genuine skills and creativity. The projects can reveal a lot more about your capabilities than just what you did at previous jobs.
IT isn’t really focused on programming or game development. It might be time to broaden your project scope to align more with typical IT roles.
If you want to keep those games on your resume, try to tie them back to the jobs you’re applying for! For instance, if you developed a multiplayer game, mention how you set up the cloud infrastructure or created a CI/CD pipeline for your builds. As a hiring manager, if all I see are games when applying for a software engineering or sysadmin job, I might overlook you in favor of someone with more relevant experience.
When folks mention "IT jobs", they usually mean more of the sysadmin or network admin roles. Are you targeting those, or are you aiming for a programming position? If you know what the job descriptions require, you could incorporate relevant technologies into your games. For example, if it’s a web development role, consider making a React website to track user scores.
It largely depends on where you live, your skill level, and your connections. Starting with just game projects might work if you’re exceptionally talented, but it could be tough. Just be ready to prove your skills!
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