Hey guys, looking for some advice/perspective mainly from those in the game industry already, but others feel free to chime in. I recently started at a company (2 weeks ago today in fact) as a software engineer (not game industry related). This job has caused me to think a lot about things that I hadn't given a lot of thought to before. While I really want to be a game programmer, I also want to be there for my family. One of the nice things about my current job is that it is pretty flexible. If I want to work longer hours on Monday to take some time off Friday I can as long as its set up a few days in advance. My current schedule see's me working 7 to 3:30 most days and its nice to be able to get off at that time to come home and play with my son.
I'm starting to wonder if I can do both game programming as a career choice and be the kind of Father/Husband I want to be. I want to be able to go to most of my children's events when their older (sports, plays, etc). Also, from what I've read/spoken to others about is that the game industry can be very unstable. While I could deal with getting let go and having to find another job or having to move for one, I'm not sure that's what I would want for my family. What are your guys thoughts?
I'm starting to wonder if I can do both game programming as a career choice and be the kind of Father/Husband I want to be. I want to be able to go to most of my children's events when their older (sports, plays, etc). Also, from what I've read/spoken to others about is that the game industry can be very unstable. While I could deal with getting let go and having to find another job or having to move for one, I'm not sure that's what I would want for my family. What are your guys thoughts?