I'm not sure where to start but I can summerise this post as a crisis of faith if anything. I just need some advice, because I have no idea what to do.
I am a recent graduate from a UK University with a Games related Degree. I have applied for jobs for the last three months with little or no response. I am a part time employee of a Games Lab, but in the whole of last year, due to hours, I earned £34.89. I have been to two interviews. One for a QA Compliance tester, that I didn't get because I had no experience in Compliance(???). The other is part of the reason I'm writing this post today. I applied for a Mac Junior Games Developer position about a week ago. Not knowing what to expect other than that there will be some technical questions I went to the interview and encountered a problem I couldn't solve.
This is not the same, but It's close to the problem I had to solve (Imagine the c++ version). http://www.ardendertat.com/2011/10/31/programming-interview-questions-12-reverse-words-in-a-string/
The problem is that I had no idea. I have over two years of experience in C++, but I've never worked with something like this, beyond setting up for loops. That all my lecturer said I would need to know to get through. It was devastating. Three years of study and I couldn't even answer a question like this, something I knew was basic, but had no knowledge on how to solve it. The guy was nice, but he and I knew that I wasn't going to get the job. On the bright side I got engaged last weekend to my long term gf. (:D) So every silver lining. Then today happened. I went online to see if any news on my grades had come. During the last year of my course I had to create a project worth twice as much as anything else I had that year. I spent months working late into the night on the game and report. (Oddly the report was worth twice as much as the game.). I didn't come home for three days due to the work. Today I found out I got a D- on the project.
I'm... I don't know how to describe it. It feels like the last three years of my life have been worthless. Programming is something I've always wanted to do, making games has been my dream since I was a kid, yet I don't even think I can do that. I want to know how to move on. I want to know how to change and get better.
I don't know how to end this post. I need some advice any advice. This is life, I know that. I just wish I knew what to do.