Abstraction in object-oriented programming

Inheritance and polymorphism in object-oriented programming

Encapsulation in object-oriented programming

Profile code to identify issues

Job preparation: Junior Programmer

Quiz: Apply object-oriented principles

Submission: Programming theory in action

Deep-dive into the pillars of object-oriented programming and their application, then learn how to profile and optimize code.

In this mission, you’ll refactor the inventory project you completed in the previous mission using the pillars of object-oriented programming as a guide. You’ll deep dive into the inner workings of each pillar individually, so you can better understand its value in developing applications. Next, you’ll learn how to profile your code to identify any optimization bottlenecks that would slow down the final build of your application. To close out this mission, you’ll develop a small application for your portfolio that uses fully optimized code built on OOP principles. 

When you complete this mission you will complete the Junior Programmer pathway - CONGRATULATIONS!

Apply Object-Oriented Principles

Unity Junior Programmer

Kickstart your programming career with Unity's Junior Programmer Pathway. Learn coding fundamentals, C#, and game development to create your first interactive projects. Start learning for free!

Junior Programmer Pathway - Learn Coding & Game Development | Unity Learn

We recommend that you have basic knowledge of Unity or complete 

Ready to code? This guided learning Pathway will take you from zero to job-ready!

Welcome to Junior Programmer! Designed for anyone interested in learning to code or obtaining an entry-level Unity role, this pathway assumes a basic knowledge of Unity and has no math prerequisites. Junior Programmer prepares you to get Unity Certified so that you can demonstrate your job-readiness to employers.

Junior Programmer

Course Introduction

Install Unity Software

Unit 1 - Introduction

Lesson 1.1 - Start your 3D Engines 

Lesson 1.2 - Pedal to the Metal

Lesson 1.3 - High Speed Chase

Lesson 1.4 - Step into the Driver's Seat

Challenge 1 - Plane Programming

Lab 1 - Project Design Document

Introduction to project management and teamwork

Quiz 1

Learn how to create new C# scripts, call basic functions, and use variables to modify the results of those functions.

In this first mission in the Junior Programmer pathway, you will program a car moving side-to-side on a floating road, trying to avoid (or hit) obstacles in the way. In addition to becoming familiar with the Unity editor and workflow, you will learn how to create new C# scripts and do some simple programming. By the end of the Unit, you will be able to call basic functions, then declare and tweak new variables to modify the results of those functions.

Player Control

Unit 2 - Introduction

Lesson 2.1 - Player Positioning

Lesson 2.2 - Food Flight

Lesson 2.3 - Random Animal Stampede

Lesson 2.4 - Collision Decisions

Challenge 2 - Play Fetch

Lab 2 - New Project with Primitives

Quiz 2

Mod the Cube

Quiz: Create with Code 1

Gain familiarity with some of the most important programming and Unity concepts, including if-then statements, random value generation, arrays, collision detection, prefabs, and instantiation.

In this Mission, you will program a top-down game with the objective of throwing food to hungry animals - who are stampeding towards you - before they can run past you. In order to do this, you will become much more familiar with some of the most important programming and Unity concepts, including if-then statements, random value generation, arrays, collision detection, prefabs, and instantiation. In completing this Unit, you will learn how to program a basic game with the ability to launch projectiles and maneuver the player to keep the game alive.

Basic Gameplay

Unit 3 - Introduction

Lesson 3.1 - Jump Force

Lesson 3.2 - Make the World Whiz By

Lesson 3.3 - Don't Just Stand There

Lesson 3.4 - Particles and Sound Effects

Challenge 3 - Balloons, Bombs, & Booleans

Lab 3 - Player Control

Quiz 3

Learn how to add music, sound effects, and visual particle effects to transform the experience of your project.

In this Mission, you will program a fast-paced endless side-scrolling runner game where the player needs to time jumps over oncoming obstacles to avoid crashing. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to add music and sound effects, completely transforming the experience of your projects. You will also learn how to create dynamic endless repeating backgrounds, which are critical for any side-scrolling games. Finally, you will learn to incorporate particle effects like splatters and explosions, which make your games so much more satisfying to play.

Sound and Effects

Unit 4 - Introduction

Lesson 4.1 - Watch Where You’re Going

Lesson 4.2 - Follow the Player

Lesson 4.3 - PowerUp and CountDown

Lesson 4.4 - For-Loops For Waves

Challenge 4 - Soccer Scripting

Lab 4 - Basic Gameplay

Quiz 4

Learn how to implement new gameplay mechanics including powerups and increasing difficulty.

In this Mission, you will program an arcade-style Sumo battle with the objective of knocking increasingly difficult waves of enemies off of a floating island, using power ups to help defeat them. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to implement new gameplay mechanics into your projects, which are new rules or systems that make the game more interesting to play. On one hand, you will learn to program a powerup, which give the player a temporary advantage. On the other hand, you will learn to program increasingly difficult enemy waves, which make survival more challenging for the player. A good balance of powerups and increasing difficulty make for a much more interesting gameplay experience.

Gameplay Mechanics

Unit 5 - Introduction

Lesson 5.1 - Clicky Mouse

Lesson 5.2 - Keeping Score

Lesson 5.3 - Game Over

Lesson 5.4 - What’s the Difficulty?

Challenge 5 - Whack-a-Food

Lab 5 - Swap out your Assets

Quiz 5

Introduction to user feedback and testing

Learn how to implement a User Interface - or UI - into your projects, such as a title screen and score display.

In this Mission, you will program a game to test the player’s reflexes, where the goal is to click and destroy objects randomly tossed in the air before they can fall off the screen. In creating this prototype, you will learn how to implement a User Interface - or UI - into your projects. You will add a title screen with a difficulty select menu that will control how challenging the gameplay is, you will add a score display that will track how many points the player has earned, and you will add a Game Over screen, which will allow the player to restart and try again. In learning these skills, you will be able to create a fully “playable” experience that the user can enjoy from start to finish without having to restart the application to try it again.

User Interface

Next Steps - Introduction

Lesson 6.1 - Project Optimization

Lesson 6.2 - Research and Troubleshooting

Lesson 6.3 - Sharing your Projects

ECS Survival Guide

Career research and preparation

Introduction to portfolios

Debug the App

Counting Prototype

Quiz: Create with Code 2

Prepare to continue developing your Unity and C# skills independently, including learning how to complete your personal project.

In this Mission, you'll prepare to continue developing your Unity and C# skills independently, including learning how to complete your personal project and how to prepare for the Unity Certified User: Programming exam, which you can take through your school program, if available.

Publishing Your Project

Introduction to real-time 3D experience design

Set up version control

Explore the sample project

Principles of object-oriented programming

Create a scene flow

Implement data persistence between scenes

Implement data persistence between sessions

Quiz: Manage scene flow and data

Submission: Data persistence in a new repo

Learn about data persistence and an introduction to the core pillars of object-oriented programming.

In this mission, you’ll learn about data persistence, or how to manage the loading and unloading of data between both scenes and sessions. Along the way, you will be introduced to the core pillars of object-oriented programming, which will help you structure your code throughout the mission. There will only be one practical example throughout the mission, which will build on the new functionality you create with each tutorial. At the end of this mission, you’ll take everything you learned and apply it to a new project by building a persistent score system for a small game.

Manage Scene Flow and Data

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Overview

Consider certification

Review your resume and portfolio

Preparing for an interview

Get an established creator perspective

Summary and next steps

In this tutorial, you’ll review guidance on:

Games

Film

Automotive

Junior Programmer: Apply object-oriented principles

Congratulations for reaching the end of the Junior Programmer Pathway! This is the final Mission of this phase of your learning journey.

This is a great opportunity to consider the progress you’ve made so far in your professional development, even if you don’t intend to apply for roles at this time.

As you explored in Career research and preparation, certifications are something you may want to consider to evidence your skills and showcase your readiness to hiring managers.

When you complete this Learning Pathway, you will have had the opportunity to develop:

All the skills and competencies validated by the Certified Associate: Programmer certification

Most of the skills and competencies validated by the Certified Associate: Game Developer certification

If you decide that getting Unity certified is right for you, then you may want to consider:

Completing the certification courseware to make sure that you are exam-ready

Reviewing previous learning materials and associated exercises, to consolidate your understanding of key concepts, processes and activities  

Even if you don’t plan to apply for new jobs now, this is an excellent opportunity to assess the progress you’ve made and update these documents.

First, return to your career research document you started in Career research and preparation. Review your research, and use it to search for the roles that feel are the best fit for you right now. Common job titles that align to this Pathway include:

Tip: When searching for job listings, try using keywords like “Unity” and “C# “to help you find appropriate roles. 

As you explore different job listings, update your career research document with the following information for each job role you are interested in: 

Specific job descriptions with required qualifications

Necessary training and/or qualifications required

Next, reflect on both the job requirements you explored in the previous step and the progress you’ve made during this Pathway. Take some time to:

Update and review your portfolio — make sure it’s up to date and that it showcases the skills you need for the jobs you are applying for. 

Create a new resume, or update your existing one, to reflect the skills you’ve learned in this Pathway. There are a number of resume templates available online as well as best practice guidance for writing a resume. You can also embed your resume within your portfolio, like Joy Horvath did in her Artstation portfolio. 

Using your research, determine which jobs you want to apply for. When preparing to apply for a role:

Write a cover letter tailored to the role and company, if this is requested. There are many great resources online to help you write a focused and engaging cover letter. 

Proofread your resume, portfolio, and cover letter. This is an important time to catch any typos and spelling errors! 

Ask friends, family members, colleagues, or others you trust to review your application materials and the job description. Try to leave enough time before the deadline that they can do this without rushing, and you can make revisions based on their feedback (if necessary).

Identify possible additional ways to market your skills and approach jobs or programs of interest — this could include social media presence, game jams, and hack-a-thons. 

When you’re successful in the first stages of a job application, you will progress to the interview(s). An interview could be conducted in-person or remotely. The key to approaching interviews is preparation.

Before your interview, take time to deepen your knowledge of the company. This could include:

Getting to know their core products — try out anything you can access yourself. If the cost is too great, why not review a Let’s Play or recording of others using the products?

Spend time on the company website, researching its mission and values.

Use LinkedIn to see if you have any connections at the company — if you do, try reaching out for advice and to learn more about the company from an actual employee. 

Review your job role research, particularly the key skills and knowledge required. Consider what your potential employer needs to know before hiring you. As part of this preparation:

Create a list of potential interview questions for the job based on the skills and competencies required. For example, an interviewer might say, “Tell me about a time when you met a deadline under time pressure,” to find out about your ability to deliver under pressure and manage your time effectively.

Identify times when you demonstrated each key skill, whether in a previous role, in school, or in this Pathway.

Draft an answer to the question using your experience. There’s lots of excellent advice available online about how to structure answers clearly.

Draft a list of questions you want to ask the company in turn — you will usually have an opportunity to do this.

Some roles, particularly programming roles, will require a test. Take some time to research the kinds of tests typically given to junior programmers, and practice and prepare as much as possible. 

Note:  This guidance is still relevant if you are looking for freelance contracts rather than staff roles. You’ll still need to update your portfolio and resume, do your research, and prepare for the interview process.

For some inspiration, here’s James Turnage-Lannan, a Content Producer on the Unity Social Impact team, on how he prepared for his very first QA Testing role:

About 2-3 years after High School and a handful of retail jobs I coasted between, I found a job posting for a QA Games Tester position. The job posting listed requirements like:

   - Must love playing video games

   - Must have an attention to detail

   - Must have good writing and communication skills

   - Must work well with others

I filled out the application and about two weeks later I received a call back with an interest to interview me. I was excited yet terrified. This was a huge step in the direction towards my dream job in the video game industry but I had absolutely no training or idea on what it really meant to be a QA Tester. 

Leading up to the interview, I did my research and found articles and videos that helped paint a picture of what the job would be like, and that only made me even more terrified. A majority of the research led me to believe that being a QA Tester was a nightmare. The research told me that I’d be working long hours, forced to play the same level of a game every single day for months on end, and I would eventually be laid off after the game went gold (ready for release) and not be asked to return. Despite learning all of that, I knew I still wanted the job.

The day of the interview came around and I made the effort to look presentable and arrived 30 minutes early. I was nervous as ever and was already fearing the worst due to my lack of experience or training. I had to quickly push the nerves out of my system as interview time quickly approached.

I met with the interviewer and we walked into a small enclosed room for the interview. Questions I was asked:

   - Introduction (he lead with his role, who the company was/what they did)

   - Could you talk to me about your job experience?

   - What makes you interested in this role?

   - Tell me about your gaming experience. How invested are you in them?

   - Tell me about a time you've encountered a bug in a game

   - Can you write down the steps you took to experience that bug? (on a piece of paper)

   - Logistics (working hours, expectations, pay, etc.)

After what seemed like a lifetime of questions, the interview was over and I was thanked for my time and walked out of the building for what I thought would be the first and last time. About 3 days later I received a call back with a job offer as a contract QA Tester!

Headshot portrait of James Turnage-Lannan

James Turnage-Lannan

As you start your job search and placement journey, please return here and help those who are starting this journey after you. 

Use our commenting features or post in the Unity Learners Connect Group to:

Share your job search and interviewing experiences.

Help the next cohort of Junior Programmer jobseekers as they get started! 

A great next step in your learning journey is using what you learned in the Introduction to real-time experience design tutorial and take the Design and Publish Your Original Game: Unity USC Games Unlocked course to create your next real-time creation. This course introduces the Agile Design process and guides you through creating a game. While this course is game-centric you can still use the design process to produce any real-time project. We recommend taking this course to build an additional project to showcase in your portfolio. 

Job preparation: Junior Programmer

1. Overview

2. Consider certification

3. Review your resume and portfolio

4. Preparing for an interview

5. Get an established creator perspective

6. Summary and next steps

Complete this tutorial