5 Year Plan

I have big plans for the future, and most of it will start within these next five years. I will

start by going to college and earning a Bachelor’s Degree. That will take up four out of the five

years. I will be living well, but nothing too outrageous for a college student. Most of this will be

covered by financial aid and scholarships, with little loans needed to be taken out. Afterwards, I

plan to be employed in my field of choice with little debt. I will work hard to make sure I stay on

track and accomplish all my goals.

Right now, looking to the future of college, I really think I will be going to CSU Chico.

I’ve worked hard my entire life to go into higher education and get a well-paying job. It’s

definitely paid off, and I’ve been accepted to multiple universities. I could easily go to a UC,

probably even an Ivy League school, but here I am choosing a CSU. Many might see that as

losing my potential, selling myself short. But I look deeper than just the status reputation. I’m

choosing Chico because its program and overall atmosphere appeal to me the most, and I think

they will be the best option for me in the long run. My goal is to be a video game designer. I

think Chico’s program offers the widest range of skills so that I will be applicable to multiple

fields, both within and outside of video game design. It is also quite cheap for higher education,

and I really like the community. I plan to live on campus for at least my first two years, and then

maybe move into the university-owned off-campus housing. I want to become involved in clubs

and activities, and meet people who are as passionate about their dreams as I am about mine.

While I am nervous and don’t want to make the wrong choice, deep down I know my time at

Chico State will be well-spent.

 In part to pay for college, I will hopefully be doing work-study. This would likely be a

simple job, maybe something for the library or cafeteria. It’s not much but it definitely helps.

Either at the same time or later on, I’d like to get an internship, preferably paid. This will all

depend on my time schedule and of course the money situation. Scholarships will also help

lighten the load, so maybe it won’t be too much of an issue. I hope that I don’t get any bad

roommates, and meet lots of new people who share my interests. It’s always good to have friends

in the world, never know when you might need a helping hand. My main focus will obviously be

my studies, but I still want to have fun with new people as well. Everyone in the community

seems very friendly and welcoming, including the faculty. I am sure Chico will make me feel

right at home in no time. I will hone my skills in game design, with focus on the artistic side

(concept art, modeling, world-building, etc.). I’ve already started building games; two relatively

simple ones are complete and I’m working on a bigger project at the moment. I’ve learned some

of the basics about game design, world/level design, artistic direction, and more. This shows how

passionate I am about this goal, and I know that I’m willing to put in the work to achieve it.

While I want to focus on the visual aspects, I also want to have some knowledge in the computer

science side. Scripting and programming will be very useful assets, not only for finding a job,

but also when I want to start my own game studio myself. That won’t happen in the next five

years, in fact it might take over ten years from now. But these five years will be the foundation

for that dream. I will learn the ins and outs of the game development world, and make my skill

set as expansive as possible. It will be rough, and take a lot of hard work, but this is my dream

and I’m prepared to go through anything to accomplish it.

 After my four years in university, I plan to go straight into my field, either as something

just artistic or a mesh between art and computer science; the technical artist. I have a number of

game companies where I would like to work, such as Bungie, Ubisoft, Infinity Ward, and a few

others that I hold in high status. I want to meet even more people and further develop my skills.

While it will only be my first year in the real field, I am sure my experience in college will have

adequately prepared me for it. I also hope that even in the short span of one year I will be able to

make an impact, both within the company and the world as a whole. I don’t expect to become

CEO or anything, in fact I don’t think I’d want to. Even once I start my own studio, I still want to

work on projects myself as the owner, not just sit at a desk and handle management

responsibilities. But I do want to show my worth to the company and rise up in the ranks, at least

in the minds of my peers if not in terms of actual job positions.

So these next five years will be crucial for me to succeed. I’m taking on a lot with

college, but I have even bigger plans for the far future. I will dive deep into my field, and make

myself as competitive for the job field as possible. I have high hopes and big dreams, and may

they all come to fruition.