What’s been going on?
Despite the project being marked as None for preferred qualifications, the scope of this project seems very intimidating; at least from an initial standpoint. I have never worked with any game engine of any sort, yet alone implement features such as GPS tracking. There’s also the three dimensional aspect to it which makes the thought of implementing the project even complicated. In terms of our project coordinator, I have not had the chance to meet with them yet. In all honesty, I’m going to admit I feel a little lost, but by the end of the term, I am confident that I will revoke my statement. From what I’ve been told, it is just the nature of the industry that sometimes you feel like you will not directly be given all the tools to be successful, but however it is up to you to sink or try your hardest to float. There were multiple times in this program where I felt like I couldn’t do it, especially in CS344 with the shellsh and OTP projects. However, the mindset that got me to success was to implement little by little until eventually, your bunch of small pieces have now completed the puzzle. Let’s apply the same logic here to this capstone project.
First, I need to start off by learning the basics of Unity engine. Learn how to put a 3d model in, then learn how to manipulate that 3d model. Next learn how to implement a map and textures; later on, we want to combine the mechanics of both and form a map with terrain with a spawning mechanic. After the spawning code is nailed down, we are probably going to implement a compass, GPS mechanic, and math questions. Once these are implemented correctly, we now have a minimum viable product and the next step is to add polish. Polish can include extra animations and maybe even sound. In order to get started in learning how to implement all this, we’re using online Unity tutorials on Youtube and a free course on bitdegree.
Job outlook
I am in the process of making a career change so after 2 long years, I am finally near the tail end. I’m not going to lie, it scares me knowing what’s next. Even when I do get my dream offer, I wonder if I will suffer from imposter syndrome. Will I ever truly feel confident and not have this lost feeling when a new project is thrown at me? With all the tech lay offs going on, I am feeling even more anxiety, but I won’t let that discourage me and keep on the grind everyday until one day, none of this will bother me anymore. My first degree was Environmental Studies from UCSB, however I admittedly did not explore my options as much as it should. I am glad the stars aligned one day and made me realize there was another path that I was destined to take.
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