Crippling student debt, meet the job market. Yes, it’s the dilemma that strikes plenty of us at the end of college: “What am I going to do? I can’t actually get a job in my field!” With uber competitive internships, jobs that pay next to nothing and even being stuck in your same burger joint job that you’ve had for years just because you can’t find anything else, it’s easy to lose hope.
But, before you give up, it makes sense to do your education full justice first.
We’re kind of stuck in that mindset where we only know the hottest jobs, the biggest companies, the most interesting startups or government work. Surveying the job landscape with a different sort of perspective is where you’ll have the best chance of finding a career.
New jobs are popping up all the time and one that’s caught many people’s eyes is the role of online slots developer. Yes, it’s really a thing.
Wait, what? What does an online slots developer actually do?
Well obviously, they make online slots.
Perhaps you’re wondering what’s involved in that process. Well, it really depends on the specialty of the online slot developer. There are more than a few different fields that go into developing online slots.
Usually if the role is specifically for a “developer” that means programmer or software developer.
But there are plenty more skills needed to create online slots than just coding. The technologies needed are those that you would traditionally find in other vocations such as animation, 3D design, full stack development and UX design.
Does your field of study match these areas?
Let’s break down some of the roles involved in developing online slots and see how they might fit your background area of study.
Web Developer
Most online slots games are available via the web, hence companies will need web developers to program gameplay.
App Developer
Slots apps are a growing field. Now that Apple and Google have relaxed the rules about gambling apps in the app stores, if you have an app development background, then slots could be the way to go.
Back-End Developer
Back-end developers are necessary to handle near real-time operations, including financial transactions, database administration, server provisioning, etc.
Digital Artistry
Slot games might not be what comes to mind when you’re thinking about ways to put your artistry to use, but don’t forget that slot games can have some pretty amazing graphics, and you get to work with a wide color range. Think original Disney-style graphics and you’ll have the right idea.
Graphic Design
It’s not just digital artists who are needed for art design. Games need to be appealing with typography, site element layout, etc.
UX Designer
If user experience is your field, you’ll know that where psychology and design meet is where the magic happens. Naturally, online slots houses want gamblers to keep playing, so UX is a major part of the design process.
Animators and 3D Designers
We’ll lump these together even though we know they’re different fields. There’s plenty of both 2D and 3D animation in online slots games, so both roles are necessary for teamwork to make the dream work.
Math
Did you think that as a math major, you’d be stuck working for a finance firm or staying in academia? Mathematicians are in hot demand in the gaming industry. Those odds don’t just calculate themselves.
Legal Studies / Law
Gambling is super illegal in some countries — and not in others. And in some countries, there are different rules … and so on and so on. The legalities of providing online slots are quite complex and compliance in various jurisdictions is critical, so if you have a legal background, this could be very handy.
Online slots development could be your foot in the door
Sure, it might not sound like the most glamorous job, or where you imagined you’d be when you thought of your dream role. But plenty of people get their start somewhere on their way to other bigger and better things. As a first job, online slots development is a pretty good way to get your foot in the door.
The other benefit of working as an online slots developer is that lots of the jobs are remote roles, meaning you can work from anywhere in the world. If you’ve been dreaming of that digital nomad or Instagram influencer lifestyle but didn’t know how exactly to make it happen, then a job as a slots developer could be just the right fit for you.
Check out the roles available at NetEnt (one of the biggest online slots development houses) to see if there are any open positions that sound like they’d work for you — plus the company has teams all over the world, and you can relocate in case you’ve always dreamed of working in Kyiv, Malta, London or Stockholm.
