Valve sounds like an incredible place to work, if its "Handbook for New Employees" is any indication, but the game developer responsible for Half-Life, Team Fortress, and Portal typically hires extremely experienced, talented individuals. Where does that leave you if you're a student who dreams of working at game development grandeur, but don't know where to start? You might be able to try Pipeline, an experimental Valve project designed to introduce high school students to the video game industry and impart some of Valve's knowledge.

"Pipeline is an experiment to see if we can take a group of high school students with minimal work experience and train them in the skills and methods necessary to be successful at a company like Valve," reads the company's FAQ. Valve says it hopes to connect with "the world of teenagers," and answer questions like where they should study, and how they might get a job in the videogame space.

It's not yet clear what's in it for Valve: the site doesn't suggest that said teens might be able to apply for internships or contribute to the company's projects. This isn't the first time that Valve has tried to engage students, though: last year, the company embarked on an educational initiative with Teach for Portals and Steam for Schools, hoping to use games like Portal 2 to promote science, technology, math, and engineering skills. Pipeline might be the next step to bring those students into the fold.