Relatively new to programming. I have worked with c++ for about 7 months, worked with c# in unity to make games, created lots of different scripts and other programs using bash, python, racket and Java for class.

I am looking to become a video game developer, I work with unity and do lots of coding challenges on hackerrank.com and some other stuff. But I am wondering what I should do to really improve and am wondering what some of the vets out there would tell me to do, what kinds of projects to create, how to get better at programming as and whole andnd knowing more about the subject in general. Any help is appreciated, I'm looking to start 2017 on the right track to success!

To get better in general, take a look at functional programming (much of ot can be used in any language).

But specifically for games I do not have enoght expreience to say.

@Voxera thanks for the advice! I used racket and am pretty good with it which is a functional language, I'm not sure exactly how far to go with them, but yes I found it very helpful really just because I was not all that great at recursion beforehand.

@albizgil thanks a lot for the advice, I did a pong one at some point and that was fun, but that's a good idea to revisit, I should look at some old games and try to recreate them as best I can! Also getting into shaders is probably a good idea, and I have never worked with them before, thanks for the advice!

@albizgil also! I love linear algebra, I took the class last term and earned an a, now I am signed up for the second class just for fun, I think it is the most interesting math class I have ever taken :D

If you're interested in Unity maybe hit up Blizzard? Hearthstone is Unity and I heard rumors they're hiring

@stisch Haha thanks for the input, but I don't think that I am quite good enough for blizzard yet :p

@surrealgaming No harm in applying for an entry level position! Seriously, you have nothing to lose :)

Just a suggestion though, no pressure. When I got into games I thought of the big studios as 'too cool' for me, then I realized that was just fear driving me. Worst case scenario they'll tell you no, and you can ask something like, "alright, what could I focus on to have a better chance in the future?" Then you'll have some direction and free advice.

@stisch that is some great advice! Thanks for that, maybe I will apply and see what they have to tell me.

@stisch I don't have much working experience but shouldn't it be easier to get hired in "big cool studios", because it's way safer for them to hire and teach juniors than for some smaller companies fighting for survival?

Either way, if you want to get a job, just send applications left and right, because 90% of them are going to be dismissed right away unless you're already a leader in your field, and only the rest 10% will get back to you. That's all you'll have left to pick from 😅 I'm sure you'll be fine though, you already learned so much stuff in just 7 months, well done in that!

Also here are two really really good links:
http://www.redblobgames.com - some often used in games algorithms, well explained and demoed, and
http://gameprogrammingpatterns.com - an awesome book on, well, game programming patterns.

@AlmightyBaka thanks for the links, I'll be sure to check them out. I just got a book on unity that I'm pretty excited about as well as "don't make me think revisited" about web design.