Is it worth me doing a placement year for Games Programming?

I'm going in to year 1 of a Computer Games Programming course in September, however I am unsure if it is worth doing a placement year based on various factors.
Some context:
I did a year of sixth form, before switching to college to do level 3 games design for 2 years, so I am already technically a year behind.
I also applied for my course by itself without the placement year, not realising it was a different UCAS course code, however I have been told by the uni this is possible to be changed to the placement year.

Basically, my concern is whether or not it is worth switching to do the placement year, and whether the benefit of doing one is worth the extra year of fees and loans.
I have however compiled a list of pros and cons of doing the placement year, so feel free to weigh in and offer opinions.
Pros:
1. If it is paid, then more money in my account which should help for my final year finances.
2. Potential Job offer out of it, depending on how it goes (to my understanding anyway)
3. Would help me develop skills and learn how I would fit into the larger production.

Cons:
1. Would put me behind another year, so could end up with less to show than others.
2. Another year of loans and interest adding on to my existing amount
3. Would the placement introduce different skills and knowledge compared to if I did it myself in my own time

Sorry if this is worded badly, been going round in my head for a while now and just wanted some opinions on the matter. feel free to ask for clarification on things or ask questions if it helps for context.

tldr: is it worth doing a placement year for computer games programming, a. at all?, and b. given that it lengthens the time before I can go into industry?

Reply 1

martin7

Original post

by CeleryMan

It does happen that people get a job offer on the basis of a placement year -- they know you, how you work, what your skills are. That knowledge of you can make you a much better bet rather than going out to recruitment and having to judge applicants on a CV and interview.

Obviously there's no guarantee that a company will have a vacancy at the time.

Cons:
1. Would put me behind another year, so could end up with less to show than others.
2. Another year of loans and interest adding on to my existing amount
3. Would the placement introduce different skills and knowledge compared to if I did it myself in my own time

It won't put you another year behind. In that extra year of your course you effectively get your first year in the workplace, something that people who didn't do the placement year won't have. You'll graduate having one year of work experience already under your belt -- work experience that will make you more employable in your first graduate role.

Yes, there's another year of loans and interest. But in practice most people aren't ever going to pay them off so effectively it's just a graduate tax.

You won't know what skills and knowledge you'll gain from a placement year until you do it. But you will get "soft" skills from it (team working, working in a professional environment, working to coding standards, use of industry tooling in a real-world environment) that you won't get working on your own.

Sorry if this is worded badly, been going round in my head for a while now and just wanted some opinions on the matter. feel free to ask for clarification on things or ask questions if it helps for context.
tldr: is it worth doing a placement year for computer games programming, a. at all?, and b. given that it lengthens the time before I can go into industry?

A placement means that you'll get your first year in industry before your peers who don't do a placement year.

Reply 2

Uni of Staffs

Official Rep

Original post

by CeleryMan

I'm going in to year 1 of a Computer Games Programming course in September, however I am unsure if it is worth doing a placement year based on various factors.
Some context:
I did a year of sixth form, before switching to college to do level 3 games design for 2 years, so I am already technically a year behind.
I also applied for my course by itself without the placement year, not realising it was a different UCAS course code, however I have been told by the uni this is possible to be changed to the placement year.
Basically, my concern is whether or not it is worth switching to do the placement year, and whether the benefit of doing one is worth the extra year of fees and loans.
I have however compiled a list of pros and cons of doing the placement year, so feel free to weigh in and offer opinions.
Pros:
1. If it is paid, then more money in my account which should help for my final year finances.
2. Potential Job offer out of it, depending on how it goes (to my understanding anyway)
3. Would help me develop skills and learn how I would fit into the larger production.
Cons:
1. Would put me behind another year, so could end up with less to show than others.
2. Another year of loans and interest adding on to my existing amount
3. Would the placement introduce different skills and knowledge compared to if I did it myself in my own time
Sorry if this is worded badly, been going round in my head for a while now and just wanted some opinions on the matter. feel free to ask for clarification on things or ask questions if it helps for context.
tldr: is it worth doing a placement year for computer games programming, a. at all?, and b. given that it lengthens the time before I can go into industry?

Hi @CeleryMan, we realise this is an oldish thread but hopefully this advice from Professor Chris Headleand, Head of the Games Institute at University of Staffordshire, might help you or someone else in the future.

The placement question is one we get asked a lot, and unfortunately the answer isn't simple.

In short, yes, a placement year is almost always worth it, on any course. The experience you gain in a real studio environment is really valuable. You’ll learn production workflows, pipelines, and collaboration practices, and it can make a big difference when applying for graduate roles. Most of our students who do placements end up with job offers, or at the very least, graduate with stronger portfolios, networks, and confidence. However... there is a bit caveat to this. For some context, there are VERY few placements available nationally. While this is improving, there are often less than 40 (games specific) placements in the sector which everyone competes for. Games companies don't hire a lot of placement students typically. Be very sceptical if a course is offering "guaranteed" placements, and read the fine print. Also, while you will absolutely get great experience and exposure on a placement, a good course should be offering you those experiences embedded into their teaching. Including industry guest lectures, and teaching you industry standard practices (and importantly, giving you the opportunity to put those into practice).

So, while useful it’s not essential. Plenty of graduates succeed without a placement year, especially if they take the opportunity to develop personal projects, join game jams, and engage with communities. The key thing is to keep building experience in some form whether that’s through a formal placement or self-directed work. Some universities may even offer internal schemes too. At Staffordshire, we currently run a scheme called 1UP where we hire 30 students each year to run our in-house games studio (which has produced award winning games).

As for your concerns about time and loans, it’s true that a placement adds an extra year, but it’s usually one of the most transformative parts of the degree. Most placements are paid which can offset the cost. I would never encourage people to undertake a voluntary role or unpaid internship

So, the TLDR is, if you want to do a placement, you should. You would undoubtably find it valuable. But if you have concerns, or can't find one that suits you - just make sure you are fully engaged with your course, and taking all the extracurricular opportunities you can.