I got a chance to catch up on some reading over Thanksgiving. There was one particular headline that jumped out at me, “No playing around: Video game sales jump 18 percent.” The article by Troy Wolverton of the San Jose Mercury News explained that “retail sales for the month of October tallied $1.31 billion, up 18%” from the same period a year ago.

Of course, this got me thinking. If sales are up, it signals more demand for video games, consoles, etc. And if there is more demand, it should generally translate into good news for gaming publishers, developers, etc. And if the publishers and developers are doing well, that means they’ll be able to hire those lucrative graphic arts, software development, marketing, and other positions.

It feels good to know that iD Tech Camps and the iD Gaming Academy teach real-world game development skills including Maya® Unlimited, Unreal® Engine and other industry-standard tools. We’re teaching skills that will be useful in college–and in a possible future career in the gaming industry. At our summer video game camps, students get a real taste for what it means to work in the gaming industry–and its not all glitz and glamour. Working at a gaming studio means long hours, lots of teamwork and collaboration, the ability to multitask and hit deadlines…and the acknowledgement that one must constantly improve his/her own skills. The industry is filled with amazing talent and is very competitive. So, how do you break in to the industry?

Get started early! Practice makes perfect! Tiger Woods is not the best golfer on the planet by chance. He got an early start. He had great mentors. He is fiercely competitive. And he knows that he has to work hard day in and day out to stay competitive.

The good news is that the video game industry is growing. It is a sweet spot in our economy. Long term, the industry is poised to continue its phenomenal growth. The question is, will there be enough talent to continue the innovation in the gaming industry? The answer to this question rests with the new generation of gamers. Good luck!