We caught up with grad Matt Moldowan, now four years into his games development career, to learn how he pivoted through BCIT Computing Part-time Studies to train for a new sector.
Q: What were you doing before you started studying at BCIT?
Matt: I had previously gone to school for audio engineering and was a musician and audio engineer.
Q: Can you tell us about your career path since you graduated from BCIT?
Matt: During my BTech, I received the IUGO Mobile Achievement Award, which opened the door for me to start work after graduating. After I finished, I started working at IUGO as a client-side Software Engineer, and I’ve been here for four years now. I’m currently a Senior Engineer.
Q: How has your BCIT education prepared you for the role you are in today?
Matt: The hands-on experience at BCIT was invaluable, particularly the team-based project work I did for the Games Development option. Not only did it provide an opportunity to work on communication and teamwork skills, I also graduated from the program with a bunch of games for my portfolio.
“The hands-on experience at BCIT was invaluable, particularly the team-based project work” – Matt Moldowan, Computing grad
Matt Moldowan
Q: What can you tell us about your role, and how it’s making an impact?
Matt: I work on the Walking Dead: Road to Survival, primarily implementing new game features and enhancements. I work closely with game designers and the product owners to bring their ideas to life within the game. The game has been on the mobile market for 6 years now, and we are constantly providing updates for players to keep them engaged after all this time.
I also work on the hiring team, screening and interviewing new candidates and assisting with onboarding. That has been very rewarding, as it has a direct impact on operations – bringing new faces with new ideas into the fold.
Q: What can you tell us about the expansion of careers in your specialty?
Matt: Mobile gaming has seen huge growth over the last 10 years – the market is already larger than either PC or console. Mobile gaming development tends to require smaller teams, which allows smaller studios to compete with larger ones. In the past, I think smaller studios had a reputation for having a lack of stability, but that’s not the case any more. A smaller studio with a successful title can offer stability, and provide you with the opportunity to really feel like you’re making an impact.
Q: What do you love about where you work?
Matt: Definitely my colleagues. Everyone here is passionate about games, and it’s great to be able to geek out at work.
Q: Any advice you’d give to BCIT students/grads to prepare themselves for a career in this complex world”
Matt: Focus on networking, and be nice to people! Opportunities tend to come up through the people you know, and this is especially useful when you are trying to get your foot in the door.
