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QANTM lecturer

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I currently work for

Submitted by souri on

quote:Just got a casual gig tutoring at QANTM.
If anyone on Sumea is currently studying there drop us a line.
Looking forward to getting to know the new batch of students.

Also congratulations to Hydro for the position in production, you rock buddy.

Malus! How did you get that job?!! What stuff will you be teaching? [:)]

Submitted by Malus on Wed, 19/03/03 - 9:29 AM Permalink

Not actually lecturing, just working as a lab supervisor.

I will be helping students with questions they have on during labs, mainly game dev and multimedia students so they'll be using max, photoshop, maya, flash, director etc.
I just sorta fell into it, I studied at QANTM and know most of the staff, when the previous tutor got work in production I was contacted about filling his role.
Its not permanent just yet as the previous tutor is on a trial but I'm totally sure he will work out in production, hes damn good at CG, taught me heaps. I'm really looking forward to starting.
Came at a great time too I just moved out!!

Submitted by Brain on Thu, 20/03/03 - 4:17 AM Permalink

Congrats dude! Will hafta drop into QANTM and see how the ol' place is doin' @:-)

Submitted by Dilphinus on Thu, 20/03/03 - 7:37 AM Permalink

Hi~

How's QANTM like? I would like to do a course at QANTM. Is the degree course still on hold?

Submitted by shiptu shaboo on Thu, 20/03/03 - 11:29 AM Permalink

times have changed @ qantm i recieved my scholership after the games course was divided into two streams programming and animation,
ive had many friends go through the previous diploma and from what they have told me it was not good.
i think this in part is due to the fact that most people were good at animation or programming not both.
the animation diploma i did was very rewarding for me, i learnt a lot.
but there were students who did not have a grasp of technology and they did suffer because of this.
my advice would be to get a fundamental knowledge of max, maya and flash before entering.

Submitted by Malus on Thu, 20/03/03 - 11:48 AM Permalink

From what I can tell the split into 2 streams has really helped the course structures, alot of talented students there now who have really got there act together.

I actually think alot of the reason the earlier groups had trouble was because they sat around playing games instead of learning, these new guys seem to have more motivation.

Submitted by Sorceror Bob on Thu, 20/03/03 - 12:00 PM Permalink

Wow qantm has finally split the programming and art apart.. Bout time they got their act together in that regard...

I apologise for the cynicism, but many ex students I've talked to have had very little positive things to say about the curriculum.

Malus'll turn it around!!

Submitted by Malus on Thu, 20/03/03 - 12:06 PM Permalink

lol god dont put that on my shoulders jesus!!

Submitted by Sorceror Bob on Thu, 20/03/03 - 12:24 PM Permalink

hahah too late, the burden is yours.

carry it like some.. load.. bearing.. monkey of sorts!

Submitted by GooberMan on Fri, 21/03/03 - 1:04 AM Permalink

Yes, QANTM split the Animation and Code streams in to two separate courses. I was a part of the first group to undertake the new Code course. It was good last year, but now that they've gotten rid of Christian Schladetsch I'm not sure how good it would be (Christian went against QANTM's idea of teaching JET and tried to teach people how to do things from scratch - which worked for me at least :) )

Submitted by Pointy on Fri, 21/03/03 - 1:21 AM Permalink

"Mr Fergason, You have a telephone call, line one. Donna is wondering if you picked up the standard uniform youll be wearing, t-shirt, pants, pitch fork and pointy tail."

[:p]

Submitted by Dilphinus on Fri, 21/03/03 - 1:53 PM Permalink

Hmmm...seems like Qantm is getting better reviews. I'm still very tempted to go there. How's the industry in Brisbane? I've left Brisbane 3 years ago (I'm in Singapore now). And I'm not very much updated. I've got background in 3D Studio Max and Softimage and traditional animation. But lost touch a little. Thinking of AIE or Qantm. Please advise! Thanks!

Submitted by Malus on Fri, 21/03/03 - 10:45 PM Permalink

The industry is growing here in Brisbane but unfortunately not much work, Ive been applying constantly for the last 6-8 months and nothing. I don't think Im that bad, lol, so it has to be a lack of positions.

Submitted by misty on Tue, 03/06/03 - 8:32 PM Permalink

Hey everyone at QANTM, I'm the sister of Christian Schladetsch, I believe he lectured there last year...I've currently lost track of him, and I'm hoping one of you might be able to give me an idea of where he is, a contact address even? Cheers, thanks for your help guys!

Submitted by Moose on Wed, 04/06/03 - 3:36 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Dilphinus

Hmmm...seems like Qantm is getting better reviews. I'm still very tempted to go there. How's the industry in Brisbane? I've left Brisbane 3 years ago (I'm in Singapore now). And I'm not very much updated. I've got background in 3D Studio Max and Softimage and traditional animation. But lost touch a little. Thinking of AIE or Qantm. Please advise! Thanks!

I'm from Singapore and thinking of applying for the animation course at QANTM.I've got programming experience and i'm a self taught 3D amatuer artist.But i prefer the artistic side of game development hence the decision to go into animation.

Submitted by fuzzmeister on Sun, 15/06/03 - 11:11 PM Permalink

Hi Misty,

Christian is currentley working at www.sydac.com.au in Sydney i think according to one of his posts at a qantm ex-students forums.

good luck :)

Submitted by souri on Mon, 23/06/03 - 3:56 AM Permalink

I think Christian registered on this forum shortly after that message, and I'm sure he would have contacted her through with the forum email by then, so happy ending for all. [:)]

Submitted by inglis (not verified) on Mon, 15/09/03 - 9:33 AM Permalink

Dilphinus- don't waste your time. Qantm's promises are nothing more than a pack of lies. It's one place which definitely does NOT deliver. Even nearly a year later they're still ripping off students... a project I was involved with some friends that we displayed at Qantm's "industry" night (what a joke that night was) has been used by Qantm in advertisements for their course without any credit to us, despite the fact that-

a) it was not developed at Qantm
b) nothing was learnt at Qantm that went towards it
c) the game was developed completely from scratch, despite Qantm's implications that it was developed with Auran's "Jet" engine

They have no right to use it in their advertisements at all, let alone claim credit in it's creation. This is irrespective of the fact that both myself and the main programmer DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER COMPLETING THE COURSE, so they can't even honestly claim that it was the work of Qantm graduates. Ask nearly anyone who has studied at Qantm- it is a complete scam. The main strength of the course last year, in the eyes of the few people that actually feel it was worth the money, was a lecturer Christian Schladetch who wasn't even teaching the course Qantm wanted him to teach and was fired as a result. Before you go throwing money away on a place which admittedly looks like a dream course at first, ask around. Don't bother asking current students though. At least not until after the course because no-one appreciates just how badly the course fails to live up to it's promises until it's over. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to help you out if it means one less person getting ripped off to the tune of over $6,000

Submitted by shiva on Mon, 15/09/03 - 5:34 PM Permalink

in regards to them using your game, you might want to check the student contract
it pretty specifically states that qantm has the right to use any student work for promotion

Submitted by Malus on Mon, 15/09/03 - 7:41 PM Permalink

Exactly what I was going to say Shiva.

I signed it and they used my work.

I'll admit during my time studying there I had no great love for qantm, due to many reasons, from lecturers leaving to the course structure but I'm a big enough man to realise I played a part in my time there and if I didn't gain anything from it then in the end its partially my fault.

I look at that time as a year with like minded people, access to tools I wouldn't have and teachers who tried everything they could to help during a rough time. I also networked my butt off.

I also worked as a tutor at qantm after my studies there and am now in the games industry and even though I credit myself for alot of the progress to get there I will say qantm helped me a great deal, yeah we had issues when we studied there but I can tell you that most of these have been delt with and the courses are much better.

I've found alot of people winging about how qantm ruined there chances, thats ridiculous, you are in control of your own destiny and if you didn't find anything from your time there then its just as much your fault.

One thing I have noticed that I'd like to put across is this, why is it only after they leave that people suddenly become vocal about there issues? Thats not helping anyone, you have a problem then you deal with it, not go sulk and then become bitter after the fact.

As for qantm taking credit for your work well I have no comment on that other than its something you need to take up with them, in private, your only going to get a bucket load of lawyers knocking on your door defaming them on here.

If you have issues with qantm bring it up with them.

Submitted by ironikart (not verified) on Mon, 15/09/03 - 10:32 PM Permalink

Shiva- the key factor here is the definition of "student work". As I understand it, it is to mean work completed by Qantm students, in time spent at Qantm or as part of the course itself. The game Caelestis was developed completely outside of Qantm with no direct relation to the course. They cannot claim the right to use ANY work produced by it's students at any time throughout the duration of their studies. Caelestis was produced purely for fun outside of the course, with the only relation being that it was approved for display at the "industry" night. Even then it was displayed on an Xbox which Qantm doesn't even remotely teach anything about. To claim any credit in it's creation, especially in a promotional context such as their advertisement in PC Powerplay, is nothing short of false and misleading advertisement.

As for Malus...

I haven't once said Qantm "ruined my chances". They just didn't offer any new chances. They promise a lot but don't deliver. I did gain a lot from my time last year. I moved from Sydney to Brisbane to do that course, I met a lot of new people, made some good friends, woke up to the "real world" of paying bills and shit like that, got to experience living in a different city, and I learnt a lot programming-wise in my own time. Just nothing from Qantm, and I am not about to assume blame for that.

I think the reason people only become vocal about their issues after they leave is that they're worried about getting kicked out of the course or simply don't want to make a target of themselves. I voiced my concerns countless times while I was at the course. From as early as the first major assignment (an Asteroids clone), I argued the value in forcing people to work with Christian's proprietary scripting engine "Pi" for the assignment. Most people I spoke to agreed with me, but when I called for names to the student mailing list everyone's demeanor changed to "...you're crazy Ferret, don't make a fuss. I don't want to get into shit". That's pretty much the tone for the entire year. Once it's over and they realise they've gotten nothing out of it anyway, there's nothing holding people back from complaining. So firstly I'm not just complaining after leaving. I made my points throughout the year, and the only person that seemed to listen (surprisingly enough) was Christian, who has since been fired. If you think it's not helping anyone then by all means don't listen, but for those that are considering studying there, I believe it is helpful for them to hear what the course is like from someone who has actually BEEN THERE and been ripped off. I know I wish I'd had the opportunity to speak to people who had already studied at Qantm and listen to their perspective before I made the mistake of going there based on their marketing alone.

Before you sit their on your high horse judging me because I don't sing praise through my arse or blame myself for Qantm's shortcomings, try thinking about your arguments. I have a problem with places like Qantm being able to treat people like shit, get away with it, then suck more people into their grasps. This IS dealing with it, albiet in a far lesser faction than what I'd like to. I have countless issues with Qantm, and I have tried bringing it up with them many times in the past. The bottom line is as long as they're churning over big dollars from what they're doing, they'll keep doing it. If they wish to challenge me legally over defamation, they are more than entitled to do so. Perhaps you should look up the legal definition of defamation before making such claims. To establish a claim of defamation, Qantm would have to prove the following-

1) That the publication was made by me to one other than the defamed (Qantm)

2) That the publication pertains to intentionally false statement(s) or fact(s)

3) That the publication is understood to be intended to harm the reputation of the plaintiff.

While a side-effect may be that Qantm's reputation is harmed, the intention of my posts is for the benefit of those considering studying at Qantm. No matter how they argued the point, they wouldn't be able to prove anything. In the extremely unlikely event that they COULD convince a judge/jury that my posts are purely spiteful, they can in no possible way prove that any of my statements have been intentionally false. Qantm wouldn't even be able to get the case to trial. Thankyou for your concern however. [;)] On the other hand, before now I had no secure grounds for legal action against Qantm. This advertisement just might be enough to tip the scales in my favour. Time will tell I guess.

Submitted by Leviron on Mon, 15/09/03 - 10:48 PM Permalink

I see why my friend asked for a refund right away last year.

Submitted by Malus on Mon, 15/09/03 - 11:43 PM Permalink

Let me start by stating, I understand my post came across as a personal attack which I apologise for, it was never meant to be directed soley at you.

Secondly, I have no invested interests in Qantm.

Yes I worked there for a few months and enjoyed my time there but my loyalty was and always will be to the students and staff, not management, I was paid to help people not to be a marketing spokesman.

Im glad you tried to do something about your problems and I hope that you are not being ripped off because that is just plain wrong.

My problem is I constantly read/hear alot of meaningless whinging from past qantm students who I watched sit around doing nothing when they studied there then have the nerve to complain that they were ripped off.

BTW yes I studied at qantm, during one of its worst years, we had countless teachers leaving and alot of course structure changes, if it wasn't for the helpfulness of the other students and the teachers, especially Christian and Steve I probably would have left along with most of the year.

The thing is during the time I was employed as a tutor there I saw alot of this change, it was really good to see qantm had listened and learnt from there mistakes, I try to be open minded about things (although alot will probably disagree no doubt) and seeing a company actively try and change was a great thing and restored alot of my faith in not just qantm but business in general.

I was attempting to say that you should feel free to voice concern but please try and do it with less venom, you will in the end look more like some bitter, immature kid than someone who has actually been wronged.

As for me being wrong about the definition of defaming well I was actually just worried that you may cause yourself some grief.

One last thing, Qantm made mistakes, there is no doubting that.
Some very bad ones, some not so bad, but in the end I believe they have learnt alot from these troubles and in my opinion have redeemed alot (not all) of there past discrepancies, they still have along way to go to fix there reputation and I believe they need to actively do that.

This of course doesn't help those who went through the bad times I know but thats something each person needs to take up with Qantm and probably should if they feel wronged.

In the end I think Qantm is now a good place to learn if and only if you are willing to put in the effort. Most courses are 1 year long or shorter so it is primarily a place to learn the basic to intermediate skills you need, advancing those skills in a year is really up to the individual.

It may not get you that job straight after you graduate but really anyone who believes they will be handed a golden certificate at the end of any course is fooling themselves.

A word to Qantm's management department.
I know alot of you read Sumea posts, please reply to some of these students, there is obviously some bad feelings out there and it doesn't help them, yourselves, your current students or future students if you ignore them, this issue doesn't look like going away fast, if anything I have noticed it growing.

Lets put this to rest hey guys.

Dean

Submitted by Red 5 on Tue, 16/09/03 - 2:01 AM Permalink

FerretallicA, unfortunately you'll find that practically any game dev studio you end up working for will have a clause in it's employee contract stating that any personal game development undertaken while under their employment will automatically belong to them, even if it's done in your own time at home... Qantm obviously have a similar stipulation.

It's interesting to read your greviences about Qantm, I don't know much about the place other than the odd (sorry to say) negative comment I've heard from time to time including one that my former employer made after returning from a graduation day there... "guy's, don't worry, your jobs are safe" and it wasn't because of any lack of student talent, he just thought a lot more should have been achieved from a graduating class.

So what's the problem... are they teaching stuff that's relivent to getting a job in the industry?

Submitted by Blitz on Tue, 16/09/03 - 5:34 AM Permalink

"unfortunately you'll find that practically any game dev studio you end up working for will have a clause in it's employee contract stating that any personal game development undertaken while under their employment will automatically belong to them"
Are you serious? That is insane. Thats like a mechanic having to sign a contract saying if you do any work on you car at home the car becomes property of the garage...well not quite.
I personally wouldn't be comfortable signing a contract that included a clause like that.
CYer, Blitz

Submitted by Happy Camper on Tue, 16/09/03 - 5:55 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Malus

My problem is I constantly read/hear alot of meaningless whinging from past qantm students who I watched sit around doing nothing when they studied there then have the nerve to complain that they were ripped off.

Yup, thats pretty true, I'll even admit to being one of them[xx(].

To start with i was very enthusiastic, when the teachers had to repeat excersises for the slower students i would try and get a head of the class and add something extra to my work or try to learn something new. For a little while I was one of the top students until my enthusiasm ran out. Thats when i started playing games, it started with net games, then moved to normal single player games and then I played LAN (which I had never done before and found very addictive). About that time Jedi Outcast, GTA3, Battlefield 1942 and Mafia were released which made matters worse and the fact that they were easy to get because of Network drives and other students dumping them there didn't help.

There were several reasons for my loss of enthusiasm, but both QANTM and I are to blame. QANTM tried to squeze a 1 year course into 9 months and as such had to cut modules, however we complained and QANTM fixed it, but it cost us our holidays they got cut down to 2 weeks (should have been approx 6-8 weeks). Certain modules cut into our major project time by 2 weeks, definetly QANTMs fault. On a presention day the Head teacher liked to take my computer for the presention (which was in a different room), which meant the next day i had to set up my computer all over again and then find any missing hardware (headphones usually, some i never found). Ofcourse at the end of the day I only have myself to blame, I was Lazy, I played games and I listened to the negative comments of other students. I could go on but i think i've gone to far already.

I should add that the Course i attended was actually in Sydney and that it was a multimedia diploma. Also that QANTM were given a few rooms and offices in a TAFE, not their own facilities. And only one QANTM representative (for 3-4 classes), the rest were industry experts or TAFE teachers.

Submitted by Red 5 on Tue, 16/09/03 - 7:01 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Blitz

"unfortunately you'll find that practically any game dev studio you end up working for will have a clause in it's employee contract stating that any personal game development undertaken while under their employment will automatically belong to them"
Are you serious? That is insane. Thats like a mechanic having to sign a contract saying if you do any work on you car at home the car becomes property of the garage...well not quite.
I personally wouldn't be comfortable signing a contract that included a clause like that.
CYer, Blitz

It's true alright, if you don't sign you don't work, it's as simple as that. The argument is that you're using technology you've learned at your job.
In fact several years ago a number of staff left their jobs at one of the major Australian game dev studios for this reason... they all had their own little projects going on outside of work and refused to sign a revised employee contract that would effectively give the legal rights to everything they developed over to their employer, even if it's simply an idea.

Submitted by Ninja (not verified) on Tue, 16/09/03 - 9:33 PM Permalink

Red5

There's one major difference above all others between a game development studio and a place like Qantm- you are an EMPLOYEE, and they are paying you to do what they want. In an employer/employee relationship, the employer pretty much has the right to demand whatever they want (within the boundaries of any applicable government regulation, union guidelines etc). If you don't like it, they find someone else. At a place like Qantm, the relationship is more one where you are a client instead of an employee, and you are paying THEM to provide a good or service. If you don't like what they are offering, you find someone else. Unfortunately it is nigh on impossible to judge the capacity for a place like Qantm to deliver without having been there already or spoken to past students. It's similar in a way to advertisements claiming you can earn $3,000/month working hours you choose from home infront of your computer just by visiting www.successbyhappyparadise4u.biz (insert random cheesy URL of your choice). For a few people it just might offer that, but for the majority of people it offers nothing of real value at all other than the experience not to trust that kind of thing again. It also leaves out other requirements for it to work in the one-off cases that it genuinely works.

Anyway I digress. The point is it can't be accepted just because there are employees that impose a similar contractual requirement. It's not to say that they can't have a contract like that, but you can't justify it by saying employees require the same thing. Even in the event that they have such a contract, there are limitations to the extent to which they can excercise their rights to ownership and use material by the (employee || student). I have a lot to say on the matter (obviously) but I will wait until I have obtained a copy of Qantm's student contract as of February 2002 before going off on specific tangents to be sure they apply to the contract.

Submitted by Ninja (not verified) on Tue, 16/09/03 - 9:40 PM Permalink

That should be-

"...to ownership and use of material..."

My apologies to the Grammar Nazis that may be patrolling this forums.

Posted by souri on

quote:Just got a casual gig tutoring at QANTM.
If anyone on Sumea is currently studying there drop us a line.
Looking forward to getting to know the new batch of students.

Also congratulations to Hydro for the position in production, you rock buddy.

Malus! How did you get that job?!! What stuff will you be teaching? [:)]


Submitted by Malus on Wed, 19/03/03 - 9:29 AM Permalink

Not actually lecturing, just working as a lab supervisor.

I will be helping students with questions they have on during labs, mainly game dev and multimedia students so they'll be using max, photoshop, maya, flash, director etc.
I just sorta fell into it, I studied at QANTM and know most of the staff, when the previous tutor got work in production I was contacted about filling his role.
Its not permanent just yet as the previous tutor is on a trial but I'm totally sure he will work out in production, hes damn good at CG, taught me heaps. I'm really looking forward to starting.
Came at a great time too I just moved out!!

Submitted by Brain on Thu, 20/03/03 - 4:17 AM Permalink

Congrats dude! Will hafta drop into QANTM and see how the ol' place is doin' @:-)

Submitted by Dilphinus on Thu, 20/03/03 - 7:37 AM Permalink

Hi~

How's QANTM like? I would like to do a course at QANTM. Is the degree course still on hold?

Submitted by shiptu shaboo on Thu, 20/03/03 - 11:29 AM Permalink

times have changed @ qantm i recieved my scholership after the games course was divided into two streams programming and animation,
ive had many friends go through the previous diploma and from what they have told me it was not good.
i think this in part is due to the fact that most people were good at animation or programming not both.
the animation diploma i did was very rewarding for me, i learnt a lot.
but there were students who did not have a grasp of technology and they did suffer because of this.
my advice would be to get a fundamental knowledge of max, maya and flash before entering.

Submitted by Malus on Thu, 20/03/03 - 11:48 AM Permalink

From what I can tell the split into 2 streams has really helped the course structures, alot of talented students there now who have really got there act together.

I actually think alot of the reason the earlier groups had trouble was because they sat around playing games instead of learning, these new guys seem to have more motivation.

Submitted by Sorceror Bob on Thu, 20/03/03 - 12:00 PM Permalink

Wow qantm has finally split the programming and art apart.. Bout time they got their act together in that regard...

I apologise for the cynicism, but many ex students I've talked to have had very little positive things to say about the curriculum.

Malus'll turn it around!!

Submitted by Malus on Thu, 20/03/03 - 12:06 PM Permalink

lol god dont put that on my shoulders jesus!!

Submitted by Sorceror Bob on Thu, 20/03/03 - 12:24 PM Permalink

hahah too late, the burden is yours.

carry it like some.. load.. bearing.. monkey of sorts!

Submitted by GooberMan on Fri, 21/03/03 - 1:04 AM Permalink

Yes, QANTM split the Animation and Code streams in to two separate courses. I was a part of the first group to undertake the new Code course. It was good last year, but now that they've gotten rid of Christian Schladetsch I'm not sure how good it would be (Christian went against QANTM's idea of teaching JET and tried to teach people how to do things from scratch - which worked for me at least :) )

Submitted by Pointy on Fri, 21/03/03 - 1:21 AM Permalink

"Mr Fergason, You have a telephone call, line one. Donna is wondering if you picked up the standard uniform youll be wearing, t-shirt, pants, pitch fork and pointy tail."

[:p]

Submitted by Dilphinus on Fri, 21/03/03 - 1:53 PM Permalink

Hmmm...seems like Qantm is getting better reviews. I'm still very tempted to go there. How's the industry in Brisbane? I've left Brisbane 3 years ago (I'm in Singapore now). And I'm not very much updated. I've got background in 3D Studio Max and Softimage and traditional animation. But lost touch a little. Thinking of AIE or Qantm. Please advise! Thanks!

Submitted by Malus on Fri, 21/03/03 - 10:45 PM Permalink

The industry is growing here in Brisbane but unfortunately not much work, Ive been applying constantly for the last 6-8 months and nothing. I don't think Im that bad, lol, so it has to be a lack of positions.

Submitted by misty on Tue, 03/06/03 - 8:32 PM Permalink

Hey everyone at QANTM, I'm the sister of Christian Schladetsch, I believe he lectured there last year...I've currently lost track of him, and I'm hoping one of you might be able to give me an idea of where he is, a contact address even? Cheers, thanks for your help guys!

Submitted by Moose on Wed, 04/06/03 - 3:36 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Dilphinus

Hmmm...seems like Qantm is getting better reviews. I'm still very tempted to go there. How's the industry in Brisbane? I've left Brisbane 3 years ago (I'm in Singapore now). And I'm not very much updated. I've got background in 3D Studio Max and Softimage and traditional animation. But lost touch a little. Thinking of AIE or Qantm. Please advise! Thanks!

I'm from Singapore and thinking of applying for the animation course at QANTM.I've got programming experience and i'm a self taught 3D amatuer artist.But i prefer the artistic side of game development hence the decision to go into animation.

Submitted by fuzzmeister on Sun, 15/06/03 - 11:11 PM Permalink

Hi Misty,

Christian is currentley working at www.sydac.com.au in Sydney i think according to one of his posts at a qantm ex-students forums.

good luck :)

Submitted by souri on Mon, 23/06/03 - 3:56 AM Permalink

I think Christian registered on this forum shortly after that message, and I'm sure he would have contacted her through with the forum email by then, so happy ending for all. [:)]

Submitted by inglis (not verified) on Mon, 15/09/03 - 9:33 AM Permalink

Dilphinus- don't waste your time. Qantm's promises are nothing more than a pack of lies. It's one place which definitely does NOT deliver. Even nearly a year later they're still ripping off students... a project I was involved with some friends that we displayed at Qantm's "industry" night (what a joke that night was) has been used by Qantm in advertisements for their course without any credit to us, despite the fact that-

a) it was not developed at Qantm
b) nothing was learnt at Qantm that went towards it
c) the game was developed completely from scratch, despite Qantm's implications that it was developed with Auran's "Jet" engine

They have no right to use it in their advertisements at all, let alone claim credit in it's creation. This is irrespective of the fact that both myself and the main programmer DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER COMPLETING THE COURSE, so they can't even honestly claim that it was the work of Qantm graduates. Ask nearly anyone who has studied at Qantm- it is a complete scam. The main strength of the course last year, in the eyes of the few people that actually feel it was worth the money, was a lecturer Christian Schladetch who wasn't even teaching the course Qantm wanted him to teach and was fired as a result. Before you go throwing money away on a place which admittedly looks like a dream course at first, ask around. Don't bother asking current students though. At least not until after the course because no-one appreciates just how badly the course fails to live up to it's promises until it's over. If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to help you out if it means one less person getting ripped off to the tune of over $6,000

Submitted by shiva on Mon, 15/09/03 - 5:34 PM Permalink

in regards to them using your game, you might want to check the student contract
it pretty specifically states that qantm has the right to use any student work for promotion

Submitted by Malus on Mon, 15/09/03 - 7:41 PM Permalink

Exactly what I was going to say Shiva.

I signed it and they used my work.

I'll admit during my time studying there I had no great love for qantm, due to many reasons, from lecturers leaving to the course structure but I'm a big enough man to realise I played a part in my time there and if I didn't gain anything from it then in the end its partially my fault.

I look at that time as a year with like minded people, access to tools I wouldn't have and teachers who tried everything they could to help during a rough time. I also networked my butt off.

I also worked as a tutor at qantm after my studies there and am now in the games industry and even though I credit myself for alot of the progress to get there I will say qantm helped me a great deal, yeah we had issues when we studied there but I can tell you that most of these have been delt with and the courses are much better.

I've found alot of people winging about how qantm ruined there chances, thats ridiculous, you are in control of your own destiny and if you didn't find anything from your time there then its just as much your fault.

One thing I have noticed that I'd like to put across is this, why is it only after they leave that people suddenly become vocal about there issues? Thats not helping anyone, you have a problem then you deal with it, not go sulk and then become bitter after the fact.

As for qantm taking credit for your work well I have no comment on that other than its something you need to take up with them, in private, your only going to get a bucket load of lawyers knocking on your door defaming them on here.

If you have issues with qantm bring it up with them.

Submitted by ironikart (not verified) on Mon, 15/09/03 - 10:32 PM Permalink

Shiva- the key factor here is the definition of "student work". As I understand it, it is to mean work completed by Qantm students, in time spent at Qantm or as part of the course itself. The game Caelestis was developed completely outside of Qantm with no direct relation to the course. They cannot claim the right to use ANY work produced by it's students at any time throughout the duration of their studies. Caelestis was produced purely for fun outside of the course, with the only relation being that it was approved for display at the "industry" night. Even then it was displayed on an Xbox which Qantm doesn't even remotely teach anything about. To claim any credit in it's creation, especially in a promotional context such as their advertisement in PC Powerplay, is nothing short of false and misleading advertisement.

As for Malus...

I haven't once said Qantm "ruined my chances". They just didn't offer any new chances. They promise a lot but don't deliver. I did gain a lot from my time last year. I moved from Sydney to Brisbane to do that course, I met a lot of new people, made some good friends, woke up to the "real world" of paying bills and shit like that, got to experience living in a different city, and I learnt a lot programming-wise in my own time. Just nothing from Qantm, and I am not about to assume blame for that.

I think the reason people only become vocal about their issues after they leave is that they're worried about getting kicked out of the course or simply don't want to make a target of themselves. I voiced my concerns countless times while I was at the course. From as early as the first major assignment (an Asteroids clone), I argued the value in forcing people to work with Christian's proprietary scripting engine "Pi" for the assignment. Most people I spoke to agreed with me, but when I called for names to the student mailing list everyone's demeanor changed to "...you're crazy Ferret, don't make a fuss. I don't want to get into shit". That's pretty much the tone for the entire year. Once it's over and they realise they've gotten nothing out of it anyway, there's nothing holding people back from complaining. So firstly I'm not just complaining after leaving. I made my points throughout the year, and the only person that seemed to listen (surprisingly enough) was Christian, who has since been fired. If you think it's not helping anyone then by all means don't listen, but for those that are considering studying there, I believe it is helpful for them to hear what the course is like from someone who has actually BEEN THERE and been ripped off. I know I wish I'd had the opportunity to speak to people who had already studied at Qantm and listen to their perspective before I made the mistake of going there based on their marketing alone.

Before you sit their on your high horse judging me because I don't sing praise through my arse or blame myself for Qantm's shortcomings, try thinking about your arguments. I have a problem with places like Qantm being able to treat people like shit, get away with it, then suck more people into their grasps. This IS dealing with it, albiet in a far lesser faction than what I'd like to. I have countless issues with Qantm, and I have tried bringing it up with them many times in the past. The bottom line is as long as they're churning over big dollars from what they're doing, they'll keep doing it. If they wish to challenge me legally over defamation, they are more than entitled to do so. Perhaps you should look up the legal definition of defamation before making such claims. To establish a claim of defamation, Qantm would have to prove the following-

1) That the publication was made by me to one other than the defamed (Qantm)

2) That the publication pertains to intentionally false statement(s) or fact(s)

3) That the publication is understood to be intended to harm the reputation of the plaintiff.

While a side-effect may be that Qantm's reputation is harmed, the intention of my posts is for the benefit of those considering studying at Qantm. No matter how they argued the point, they wouldn't be able to prove anything. In the extremely unlikely event that they COULD convince a judge/jury that my posts are purely spiteful, they can in no possible way prove that any of my statements have been intentionally false. Qantm wouldn't even be able to get the case to trial. Thankyou for your concern however. [;)] On the other hand, before now I had no secure grounds for legal action against Qantm. This advertisement just might be enough to tip the scales in my favour. Time will tell I guess.

Submitted by Leviron on Mon, 15/09/03 - 10:48 PM Permalink

I see why my friend asked for a refund right away last year.

Submitted by Malus on Mon, 15/09/03 - 11:43 PM Permalink

Let me start by stating, I understand my post came across as a personal attack which I apologise for, it was never meant to be directed soley at you.

Secondly, I have no invested interests in Qantm.

Yes I worked there for a few months and enjoyed my time there but my loyalty was and always will be to the students and staff, not management, I was paid to help people not to be a marketing spokesman.

Im glad you tried to do something about your problems and I hope that you are not being ripped off because that is just plain wrong.

My problem is I constantly read/hear alot of meaningless whinging from past qantm students who I watched sit around doing nothing when they studied there then have the nerve to complain that they were ripped off.

BTW yes I studied at qantm, during one of its worst years, we had countless teachers leaving and alot of course structure changes, if it wasn't for the helpfulness of the other students and the teachers, especially Christian and Steve I probably would have left along with most of the year.

The thing is during the time I was employed as a tutor there I saw alot of this change, it was really good to see qantm had listened and learnt from there mistakes, I try to be open minded about things (although alot will probably disagree no doubt) and seeing a company actively try and change was a great thing and restored alot of my faith in not just qantm but business in general.

I was attempting to say that you should feel free to voice concern but please try and do it with less venom, you will in the end look more like some bitter, immature kid than someone who has actually been wronged.

As for me being wrong about the definition of defaming well I was actually just worried that you may cause yourself some grief.

One last thing, Qantm made mistakes, there is no doubting that.
Some very bad ones, some not so bad, but in the end I believe they have learnt alot from these troubles and in my opinion have redeemed alot (not all) of there past discrepancies, they still have along way to go to fix there reputation and I believe they need to actively do that.

This of course doesn't help those who went through the bad times I know but thats something each person needs to take up with Qantm and probably should if they feel wronged.

In the end I think Qantm is now a good place to learn if and only if you are willing to put in the effort. Most courses are 1 year long or shorter so it is primarily a place to learn the basic to intermediate skills you need, advancing those skills in a year is really up to the individual.

It may not get you that job straight after you graduate but really anyone who believes they will be handed a golden certificate at the end of any course is fooling themselves.

A word to Qantm's management department.
I know alot of you read Sumea posts, please reply to some of these students, there is obviously some bad feelings out there and it doesn't help them, yourselves, your current students or future students if you ignore them, this issue doesn't look like going away fast, if anything I have noticed it growing.

Lets put this to rest hey guys.

Dean

Submitted by Red 5 on Tue, 16/09/03 - 2:01 AM Permalink

FerretallicA, unfortunately you'll find that practically any game dev studio you end up working for will have a clause in it's employee contract stating that any personal game development undertaken while under their employment will automatically belong to them, even if it's done in your own time at home... Qantm obviously have a similar stipulation.

It's interesting to read your greviences about Qantm, I don't know much about the place other than the odd (sorry to say) negative comment I've heard from time to time including one that my former employer made after returning from a graduation day there... "guy's, don't worry, your jobs are safe" and it wasn't because of any lack of student talent, he just thought a lot more should have been achieved from a graduating class.

So what's the problem... are they teaching stuff that's relivent to getting a job in the industry?

Submitted by Blitz on Tue, 16/09/03 - 5:34 AM Permalink

"unfortunately you'll find that practically any game dev studio you end up working for will have a clause in it's employee contract stating that any personal game development undertaken while under their employment will automatically belong to them"
Are you serious? That is insane. Thats like a mechanic having to sign a contract saying if you do any work on you car at home the car becomes property of the garage...well not quite.
I personally wouldn't be comfortable signing a contract that included a clause like that.
CYer, Blitz

Submitted by Happy Camper on Tue, 16/09/03 - 5:55 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Malus

My problem is I constantly read/hear alot of meaningless whinging from past qantm students who I watched sit around doing nothing when they studied there then have the nerve to complain that they were ripped off.

Yup, thats pretty true, I'll even admit to being one of them[xx(].

To start with i was very enthusiastic, when the teachers had to repeat excersises for the slower students i would try and get a head of the class and add something extra to my work or try to learn something new. For a little while I was one of the top students until my enthusiasm ran out. Thats when i started playing games, it started with net games, then moved to normal single player games and then I played LAN (which I had never done before and found very addictive). About that time Jedi Outcast, GTA3, Battlefield 1942 and Mafia were released which made matters worse and the fact that they were easy to get because of Network drives and other students dumping them there didn't help.

There were several reasons for my loss of enthusiasm, but both QANTM and I are to blame. QANTM tried to squeze a 1 year course into 9 months and as such had to cut modules, however we complained and QANTM fixed it, but it cost us our holidays they got cut down to 2 weeks (should have been approx 6-8 weeks). Certain modules cut into our major project time by 2 weeks, definetly QANTMs fault. On a presention day the Head teacher liked to take my computer for the presention (which was in a different room), which meant the next day i had to set up my computer all over again and then find any missing hardware (headphones usually, some i never found). Ofcourse at the end of the day I only have myself to blame, I was Lazy, I played games and I listened to the negative comments of other students. I could go on but i think i've gone to far already.

I should add that the Course i attended was actually in Sydney and that it was a multimedia diploma. Also that QANTM were given a few rooms and offices in a TAFE, not their own facilities. And only one QANTM representative (for 3-4 classes), the rest were industry experts or TAFE teachers.

Submitted by Red 5 on Tue, 16/09/03 - 7:01 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Blitz

"unfortunately you'll find that practically any game dev studio you end up working for will have a clause in it's employee contract stating that any personal game development undertaken while under their employment will automatically belong to them"
Are you serious? That is insane. Thats like a mechanic having to sign a contract saying if you do any work on you car at home the car becomes property of the garage...well not quite.
I personally wouldn't be comfortable signing a contract that included a clause like that.
CYer, Blitz

It's true alright, if you don't sign you don't work, it's as simple as that. The argument is that you're using technology you've learned at your job.
In fact several years ago a number of staff left their jobs at one of the major Australian game dev studios for this reason... they all had their own little projects going on outside of work and refused to sign a revised employee contract that would effectively give the legal rights to everything they developed over to their employer, even if it's simply an idea.

Submitted by Ninja (not verified) on Tue, 16/09/03 - 9:33 PM Permalink

Red5

There's one major difference above all others between a game development studio and a place like Qantm- you are an EMPLOYEE, and they are paying you to do what they want. In an employer/employee relationship, the employer pretty much has the right to demand whatever they want (within the boundaries of any applicable government regulation, union guidelines etc). If you don't like it, they find someone else. At a place like Qantm, the relationship is more one where you are a client instead of an employee, and you are paying THEM to provide a good or service. If you don't like what they are offering, you find someone else. Unfortunately it is nigh on impossible to judge the capacity for a place like Qantm to deliver without having been there already or spoken to past students. It's similar in a way to advertisements claiming you can earn $3,000/month working hours you choose from home infront of your computer just by visiting www.successbyhappyparadise4u.biz (insert random cheesy URL of your choice). For a few people it just might offer that, but for the majority of people it offers nothing of real value at all other than the experience not to trust that kind of thing again. It also leaves out other requirements for it to work in the one-off cases that it genuinely works.

Anyway I digress. The point is it can't be accepted just because there are employees that impose a similar contractual requirement. It's not to say that they can't have a contract like that, but you can't justify it by saying employees require the same thing. Even in the event that they have such a contract, there are limitations to the extent to which they can excercise their rights to ownership and use material by the (employee || student). I have a lot to say on the matter (obviously) but I will wait until I have obtained a copy of Qantm's student contract as of February 2002 before going off on specific tangents to be sure they apply to the contract.

Submitted by Ninja (not verified) on Tue, 16/09/03 - 9:40 PM Permalink

That should be-

"...to ownership and use of material..."

My apologies to the Grammar Nazis that may be patrolling this forums.