Money making and saving tips/ideas

[Elenril]

I'm currently saving up to go to university in England, because game design courses in Australia are really lacking. Obviously, it'll cost heaps, including the course fees, accomodation, food etc.

Right now I only have about 5 grand saved up in the bank, which will probably only be enough to last me half a year of accomodation. I have a pretty good job for my age, and I'm saving desperately from that, but I know it still won't be enough for a 3 year uni course. I still have 2 years before I'd be going over to England, so I plan to save up as much as possible in that time.

I was wondering, do any of you have any tips, ideas or ways of saving or making extra money? Do any of you have any experiences that you'd like to share about going to uni or anything like that?

[xRyokenx]

Ooh, Game Design... something I thought I'd like to do... except keep in mind that you'll have a lot of competition for a job and you might have to take crap pay and hours for your job... if it's something you want to pursue, I say go for it, but just keep in mind the disadvantages, lol... I'd do some research behind it, and actually, after I figure out what I'd possibly like to do I'll have to do some research myself.

Good Luck. :D And don't let me discourage you, lol.

[crenn]

Game design courses are lacking in australia?

[/URL]
[URL="http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/MMD3713.html"]Monash (Don't know if they're still doing it) (http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;FORMQRY=ADV%253DSearch%2526typ%253D0%2526an y%253DGames%252BGraphics%252BDesign%2526all%253D%2 5253F%2526int%253D%25253F%2526all%253D%25253F%2526 Submit.x%253D35%2526Submit.y%253D9;ID=BP214;STATUS =A?QRY=%2B(%2B%3F%20%2B%3F)%20%2B(|Games%20|Graphi cs%20|Design)%20%2BTYPE%3D(|%22PROGRAM%22))

But generally you only need a degree in computer science or art for games design.

Look to see if they're any scholarships for where you wanting to go, for international students.

Also, don't go to coles, goto safeways, it's cheaper.

[simon275]

You an Aussie crenn?
------------
Tips!

Eat at home either eat food your parents have bought or buy food and cook it yourself. Eating out is very expensive especially in the city and around universities and will take up a lot of you budget.

Take lunch with you a meal can cost $7-10 at university instead make sandwiches as they cost very little each and you can make a lot using a loaf of bread, some cheap cuts of ham and lettuce for example.

Be careful with your clothes so you don't have to buy new ones.

Also try and buy textbooks second hand for university.. You can get them from university or look on bulletin boards around campus.

Don't buy DVD or CD's borrow them off your friends.

Use Public transport bit of a no brainer there.

It sounds like you will defiantly have to get a job when you are in england. Try and find one with the best hours to pay ratio.

You probably have a good chance at getting a scholarship as you are a foreign student. I don't know about the UK but scholarships are given in a sexist manner here. More girls get them then guys especially girls wanting to go into the IT or engineering fields as a means of encouragement.

Shop around when ever you have to make big purchases a lot items are negotiable and a store may give it to you cheaper. As when you pay by credit card the banks charge the store a surcharge so the store will usually add it to the shelf price.

I will think of more later.

[crenn]

Yes, I'm 100% Australian...

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!

[Elenril]

ryo: I've been doing a lot of research on game design, and apart from graphic design and fashion photography, it's the only thing I'd really want to do for a career. Graphic design has the most competition, and you have to really really stand out because heaps of people do it, and it's also got really low pay, so that's pretty much out of the question. Game design is the most lucrative of those 3, and probably the most rewarding as well.

crenn: There are a few game design courses in Australia, but they suck, especially the ones in Sydney. There's another one at Charles Sturt University but I would seriously never give up the city life to live in Bathurst. I've never heard of Monash University, plus it's not in Sydney so my theory is, if I'm going to move away from home, I may as well make the most of it. Also, the game development industry in Australia is very limited, although it has started to grow in recent years. England is a much better place to kick off a career in game design, plus the courses are shorter.

Thanks for your tips, any more?

[simon275]

Yes, I'm 100% Australian...

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!

OI OI OI!

[Spawn-Inc]

don't look in computer shops! i can't save money for the life of me. granted i don't make enough to have room for saving but still that 5 grand would be gone in a day in my hands.

[dgrmkrp]

I don't know about university life in england, but after 2 years at uni in my country, there are some things I learned: takes some time to tweak you expenses (you find where in the area there are cheaper stores, or if you are lucky like I was, there is a big store with lots of low prices but still quality merchandise). Eating out is truly expensive and also going out, but you have to do that ;) I skimped on manuals 90% of the time, only really important or difficult subjects made me buy a book (then I may burn it, or give it away if I'm happy about it). But I still have all my electronic materials and they are lots of them: for 7 subjects a semester I gathered about 100megs of documents. And they are several hundreds of pages each. Especially in game design a big hard drive is better than a lot of paper in your room. Which brings me to the living quarters. Now, as I've said, I have no clue how things are done in England, but here the best economical solution is to live in the dorm room you are assigned, if you have a big enough score on your exams. This way you pay only the bed you sleep in, so to speak, as internet, electricity, gas and water are all free (no limit > we run our computers for months at a time). And the room mates are also important: good friends (new or old) are critical to having an easy life: they can help with the subjects you find harder, pitch in for food (and weird stuff), can lend you money and support and are there by your side like a family. Of course, it depends on how you bond with others. Any way, with sharing food and misc costs, we all had spare money to do what ever we wanted with it: buy new stuff for PCs, clothes, even power tools ;) And after you get to know your teachers (the good ones), all kinds of opportunities arise.

One thing you should know is that you can learn mostly everything yourself (and you probably will), but "they" have control on the information itself. Doing it their way only costs a lot and you end up with a paper to show. Doing it for yourself, with lots of alone time and studying a vaster area than they tell you is much better. But don't forget about fun either ;)

Hope I helped a bit.

[Pointy_Stick]

because game design courses in Australia are really lacking.

I'm taking the "Bachelor of Games and Interactive Entertainment" course at QUT in Brisbane next year. I'll let you know how that works out and what it's like.

Course Details @ QUT site (http://www.courses.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Courses.woa/wa/selectMajorFromMain?courseID=3810)

[Elenril]

I'm taking the "Bachelor of Games and Interactive Entertainment" course at QUT in Brisbane next year. I'll let you know how that works out and what it's like.

Course Details @ QUT site (http://www.courses.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Courses.woa/wa/selectMajorFromMain?courseID=3810)

Apparently the games industry is bigger in Queensland and Victoria than anywhere else around here, so a uni course in Brisbane would probably be better than one in Sydney. Let me know how it goes :)

[Pointy_Stick]

Apparently the games industry is bigger in Queensland and Victoria than anywhere else around here, so a uni course in Brisbane would probably be better than one in Sydney. Let me know how it goes :)

Yeah, by all accounts it's really growing fast. I went to a convention the other year, and there were lots of display booths from various universities and developers. Recently I've even seen one or two stories on the news about the rapid growth of the games industry.

As for money saving tips, all I've got is advice from my cousin who recently left home: Learn to absolutely LOVE noodles :D

[crenn]

I thought it was rice....

[Elenril]

Learn to absolutely LOVE noodles :D

Hehe, I've heard that too. I practically live off 2 minute noodles when my mum isn't around to cook me lunch or dinner anyway, so I'd be cool with having it as a normal diet :p

[Pointy_Stick]

You sure about that? I think by week 3 I'd want to burn down the Maggi noodle factory.

[Scotty]

Hehe, I've heard that too. I practically live off 2 minute noodles when my mum isn't around to cook me lunch or dinner anyway, so I'd be cool with having it as a normal diet :p

Same :p
Problem is mum is never around to get lunch so for the past 6+ weeks they have been my lunch...

There are quite a few game courses around in the UK. I know that when i was looking through some books.

[xRyokenx]

Well... I'd recommend talking to somebody that works in the industry also, those are the people that really know what they're talking about, I've just heard things and gotten little snippets of things over the web, not really much more so I don't know how legit my info is, lol. But yeah, if you want to do it I say go for it. :D