Hey I'm new to this site so if I'm breaking any forum rules let me know.
A little bit about me:
I'm an Irish student currently studying an extended degree in Computer Science, and currently on placement in Switzerland working on a game development project. I've always dreamed of working in a AAA studio like any student who wants to make games, but the industry is almost non-existent in Ireland. I had always planned to apply for internships at North American studios between my 3rd and 4th year of uni (i.e. apply at the end of the year) with a dozen or so smaller projects and a handful of larger, more complex projects displaying my competency in both C# and C++. I'm currently working on that in addition to soaking up as much knowledge as I can about game development (lifecycle, design patterns and principles etc.). Thing is, I occasionally hear about the difficulty in getting a job in NA, be it an internship, associate or even senior level role in a company if you don't have the right to work there.
If anyone can shine some light on the subject for me (and possibly give me some advice), that would be great. If my chances are slim or nonexistent in getting a junior role at a North American studio, and there isn't any industry in Ireland to apply to when I graduate, then what options do I have? I know that there are studios in England and Scotland but even there I'd imagine they would give preference to local candidates.
Cheers
Adam