The video game industry alone is bringing in nearly $50 billion per year, and some experts expect it to be worth more than $90 billion by 2014, the MetroWest Daily News reports.Furthermore, legislators in Massachusetts are currently drafting plans that aim to support video game and interactive digital media development within the state.

Officials from Becker College, which is located in Massachusetts, are working closely with legislators on a plan that will allow companies to hire short-term workers. Moreover, they also attempting to spot economic development zones where video game companies could form. Furthermore, they suggest that grants could be made available for eligible video game design students.

Full Sail University unveil online video and writing degree programs

Some online schools, such a Full Sail University, are debuting new courses that are designed to help students graduate and enter the workforce faster. For instance, the college recently announced the launch of its digital cinematography bachelors degree program.

College officials said that the 32-month online degree program provides students with a focused knowledge and understanding of the field. They added that graduates of the curriculum will obtain the skills that are necessary to gain entry into the digital-video and filmmaking fields.

The school's new program "immerses students in the emerging field of digital cinematography and storytelling through various visual mediums,” said Rick Ramsey, director of visual arts at the school. “We are providing students with the ability to be dynamic visual authors by merging communication and connectivity with technology and creativity.”

Officials added that this online degree program offers a solid artistic and technical foundation to digital video artists who are also interested in becoming entrepreneurs. These classes enable students to shoot and edit films, commercials, documentaries and webcasts. Furthermore, graduates receive the tools required to start their own production company or to join the workforce as editors, digital cinematographers and independent producers.

The college has also launched an online creative writing for entertainment bachelors degree program, which is designed to be completed over the course of 32-months. Courses are geared toward helping students to perfect their story writing abilities.

Officials noted that the program addresses topics such as visual storytelling, narrative structures, character development, scriptwriting and storyboarding elements. Graduates will have the credentials that are required to creatively write for video games, movies, television shows, websites and mobile devices.

They added that students will learn the importance of a well-crafted story as well as the ability to utilize a wide variety of digital tools that are necessary for success in creative writing. A 2008 report from The Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that graduates can earn yearly average salaries of $53,070. Meanwhile, job opportunities for authors and writers are expected to increase by 15 percent over the next eight years.

Full Sail University unveils new degree in media journalism

The online school has also begun to offer a new web-based media journalism masters degree program which can be completed in 12 months. The curriculum combines concepts of traditional journalism with the new opportunities that will become available due to technological advances in the field.

“There is clearly a need in the industry for professionals who understand how to communicate an idea or story through many different outlets,” said Pat Bishop, director of business schools at the university." The courses in the new media journalism are designed to help students understand how to create content that is geared toward those outlets, and prepare them to be current with the new media tools available today."

Officials said that students will explore the advanced reporting skills that are required in the digital era, and learn how to dispatch and distribute news for new media audiences. 

So, let’s see what their educations reveal: head of the class or class clown? This is our Education of Oscar Nominees 2009:

Heath Ledger
Nominated posthumously for his chilling performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, Ledger attended Mary’s Mount Primary School in Perth, Australia and then Guildford Grammar School, where he had his first acting gig at age 10 as Peter Pan. He was very successful at dance choreography and chess, winning the Western Australia junior chess championship.

Kate Winslet
At age 11, this perennial Oscar nominee and winner began studying drama at the Redroofs Theatre School. She was head girl at the co-ed school in Maidenhead, Berkshire, where she received a lot of negative attention as a teenager for being overweight and having overly large feet. As she appears stark naked in most of her films nowadays, it appears Winslet has overcome any insecurities brought on by said bullying.

Robert Downey, Jr.
Brought back to life in 2008 from the celebrity drug addiction graveyard, this Iron Man grew up in a filmmaking household. His father was an actor, producer, writer, and director of underground films. Growing up in Greenwich Village, NY, Downey attended Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in upstate NY. When his parents divorced, he went to CA with his father where he dropped out of Santa Monica High School to, of course, pursue acting full-time. So, he’s obviously not the prodigy inventor he portrays, but he sure loves acting.

Danny Boyle
Before he directed edgy films like Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, Sunlight, and 28 Days Later, this film director actually considered becoming a priest. He was discouraged from pursuing that career path by a priest. He went on to study at Thornleigh Salesian College and University of Wales, Bangor. With a best director Oscar in his grasp, it looks like the film thing worked out pretty well, and he doesn’t have to worry about wearing those uncomfortable-looking robes.

David Fincher
This Benjamin Button director grew up in Marin County, CA, before moving to Ashland, OR, in his teens. From the age of 8, he began shooting films on an 8mm camera. Cool trivial tidbit: before directing Seven, Fight Club, and Zodiac, Fincher worked for the granddaddy of special effects studios, Industrial Light and Magic, working on films like Return of the Jedi and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Caaalllliii maaahhhh!). His first directing gig was Aliens 3. Betcha didn’t know that.

The debate is not a new one. Self-made entrepreneurs thumb their noses at their school-going counterparts, insisting that you can’t learn to be successful in school, that the really important lessons can only be gained through real-world experience. They will even go so far as to claim that education is just an unsubstantial stamp of approval with very little value behind it. To these lucky few, I would say the following…

First, for every self-made millionaire who rejected higher education and hit the big time, there are thousands of other degree-less workers who will be forced to settle for low-paying, unsatisfying jobs for the rest of their careers. You see, the anti-college millionaire is the exception rather than the rule. Meanwhile, those others who decided to skip college find themselves under a very low glass ceiling. They make up the vast majority of those who skip higher education. Those who work while their peers go to school may find themselves making more initially. But the statistics plainly show that their degree-holding peers quickly and uniformly surpass them in pay and promotions.

An old adage says, "Experience is the best teacher." Numerous other adages, however, say, "Learning from others’ experience is best of all." In essence, that is what higher education is, a collection of the experience, successes, and mistakes of the past. It gives students exposure to knowledge, concepts, and people that they would never have known otherwise. Beyond just career success, education imbues individuals with awareness beyond their day-to-day world. I believe this trait is called being well-rounded.

Am I rejecting the value of real-world experience? Absolutely not. Experience is an invaluable companion to education, and it becomes proportionately more important as one’s career progresses. I am opposed, however, to those who would devalue education as a foundation for success. Common sense does not support their claims. The statistics certainly do not support their claims.

Don’t kid yourself! School is the best way to build a foundation for the rest of your career. Of course, ultimate success will depend largely on how the individual chooses to perform after school. But there can be no denying that school is the best way to start.