Back in June of 2024, Connor returned from his 3 month long Game Development internship in California.
Now that he is back, he's here to share what he experienced in those 3 months.
My trip to California was absolutely fantastic!
I flew down from Pearson Airport in Toronto on February 26th, 2024, and returned home from LAX International Airport on June 2nd, 2024. My primary reason for traveling was to pursue two exciting internship opportunities.
The Internships
The first internship was a virtual position at an indie game company named Books of Egu, where I worked as a systems engineer.
My job entailed assisting in the process of porting their mobile game, The Forerunner’s Gospel, from iOS to Android and PC platforms, along with developing an in-game cash shop where players can buy items to help financially support the developers.
This experience was incredible! I had the chance to collaborate with other talented game developers on a retail project. Since returning home, I've continued to work with Books of Egu as we prepare to ship our game for the fall and am thrilled to be doing so.
The second internship was an in-person position at a company called Advantage Video Systems, where I worked as a general coordinator.
In this role, I booked meetings with clients to schedule tours of a studio space that could be rented out for various video production needs. I also made lots of cold calls to people that my employer had met with at various workshop events in the film industry.
This position I didn’t enjoy quite as much as it doesn’t exactly align with my professional goals of working in the games industry. That said however, it still was a unique experience that I’m glad I had.
My time in California was a good mix of both professional growth and the joy of exploring a brand new city and state I’ve never been to.
Living Situation
When it comes to living situations while traveling, I’m willing to bet that my expectations are much different from most people.
For the most part, as long as I have a comfortable place to sleep, a TV, and a desk to get work done, I’m satisfied. What I was most concerned about with my living situation was the cost.
The place I ended up getting was quite cheap for Los Angeles (around $1425 USD per month). It was an Airbnb that was located in the Culver City area of Los Angeles, and it was a shared space with 4 different bedrooms that can be rented out at any given time.
During my 3 month long stay, I had multiple different housemates go in and out - some were absolute pleasures to get to know, and some mostly kept to themselves. Overall I had a great experience with my living situation in California.
Explorations
Since I was only working on the internships throughout the week, I had the weekends all to myself to do all the tourist-y things I would want to do. A majority of my weekends were spend walking around the Hollywood and Beverly Hills area. I would do lots of sightseeing, window shopping, and I enjoyed many good eats.
I also saw multiple movies on their opening weekends in the famous TCL Chinese Theatre right on Hollywood Boulevard.
I had the privilege to enjoy The Fall Guy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on that imposingly large screen. This theatre has the most jaw-dropping IMAX theatre I’ve ever seen!
Differences
The cost of everything down in California is so much worse than here in Canada!
Prices down in California, at first glance, look very similar to the prices up here in Canada, until you realize that the prices you’re seeing are in USD, not CAD.
What that means is, on everything I was buying down there, prices were essentially around 35% more expensive than they would be back home once the conversion rate is taken into account.
While not great, I’m sure for native residents of Los Angeles, those prices are more manageable, but for a Canadian tourist? It makes you second guess every purchase you make.
Buyer’s remorse was a very common feeling for me down there.
Upsides and Downsides
I think my favourite moment of my trip was the hike I took on the trails by the Hollywood sign. I woke up on a random Saturday and just decided on the fly to bus out to the trails and spend the day exploring them.
I don’t think I could’ve picked a better day for it either; the skies were a clear blue, the sun was bright, and the weather was gorgeous! It was one of those unplanned adventures that just went so right.
I would go back just to walk those trails again, they were absolutely beautiful!
I think my least favourite moment of the trip was one of the days I decided to explore Hollywood, specifically because of the bus.
I’m not sure what was going on that day, but every bus I tried taking to my destination ended up being extremely late, leading me to waste most of my day in the hot California sun waiting for a bus.
Thankfully this only happened once, and the busses I took on other days were never that bad again.
Future Plans?
Since being home, I’ve been applying to lots of jobs in the game development field, utilizing all the brand new work experiences I attained while abroad.
It’s now been over a month since arriving back, and I haven’t found anything yet, but I’m not letting that get me down! I’m keeping up with the job hunt while still being able to work remotely at Books of Egu.
Along with this, I’m currently in the brainstorming phase of making my own mobile game to publish to the Google Play Store as a way to make some passive income while looking for work. Look forward to that in the future!
Advice
If you ever get the opportunity to take a trip like mine, you absolutely cannot sit on it! Take the chance, and travel while getting the opportunity to work in your desired field of study.
I'm happy to share that after only 2 month of being home, Connor has landed a job doing the things he enjoys! We wish you the best of luck as your career continues to progress!
If your interested in doing an internship just like Connor, you have to check out the work abroad opportunities that GlobalWorkandTravel have to offer (not sponsored). They may just change your life around in the ways you've been hoping for.
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