About my future...

[centip3de]

So I'm getting to that point in life where I must decide about scholorships, colleges, jobs, all that good stuff. I'm also at that point where I need to decide what computer field I want to go into. Anywho, So here's my current plan;

1. Get my Associates degree and finish highschool (I'm attending a community college on the side atm (special program run via the highschool) , 30 more credits and I have my degree )
2. Possibly get it in Computer Programming (Associates) My family keeps telling me that it will "pigeon hole me" so if I decide "To hell with computers! I'm gonna go save the world from man-eating fruit fly's" I'll only have a very specific degree not a more broad one...
3. Send in college applications to M.I.T and Cal Tech for the LAWLZ
4. Pray that I get in
5. Go to a 4 year school (suggestions? Thinking about U of O (university of Oregon) or O.I.T (Oregon institute of technology) (I live in the Pacific NW )
6. Get a degree (Batchlors) Again, suggestions? Was thinking maybe Comp Science
7. Get an internship (Suggestions? I'd love to get it with Google (Google ftw!))
8. Get a job
9. Commit suicide from stress.
Possible jobs;
Pen Tester
Software Engineer


Sorry for all that I'm asking, I know it's an aweful lot. I've been Googleing and talking and looking and meh brain went spload. So I thought I would take some advice from people who have been here before.

[fashizzlepop]

UofO is the top CompSci school in Oregon. I'm probably going to PSU though (I live close to Portland). If you live in Washington, go for UW. They are one of the top CompSci schools in the country. I'm probably going to transfer there in a few years. Also, go for a double major, like Math + CompSci because a simple BA in CompSci isn't really preferred. Don't worry about internships yet. Too far ahead of ya.

To be a Pen Tester you will need to be extremely passionate as it is very competitive.

[centip3de]

UofO is the top CompSci school in Oregon. I'm probably going to PSU though (I live close to Portland). If you live in Washington, go for UW. They are one of the top CompSci schools in the country. I'm probably going to transfer there in a few years. Also, go for a double major, like Math + CompSci because a simple BA in CompSci isn't really preferred. Don't worry about internships yet. Too far ahead of ya.

To be a Pen Tester you will need to be extremely passionate as it is very competitive.

Like whoa bro! I live in Olympia :3

Anywho, Thanks! Hmmmmm Maybe CompSci + Programming? Well, I am thinking about pen testing more in depth because today I was goofing off in my class and happen to get cmd.exe running and from my schools lack of security I was able to view all Administrative files and shut down ever computer selectively or as a whole in the entire school..... It was kinda really fun

[sanddbox]

Anywho, Thanks! Hmmmmm Maybe CompSci + Programming? Well, I am thinking about pen testing more in depth because today I was goofing off in my class and happen to get cmd.exe running and from my schools lack of security I was able to view all Administrative files and shut down ever computer selectively or as a whole in the entire school..... It was kinda really fun

I'm sure you'll do great in the biz...just keep usin' dem codes.

Anyway:

3. Send in college applications to M.I.T and Cal Tech for the LAWLZ

How good are your stats?

[insomaniacal]

From what I hear, MIT doesn't care so much about your highschool GPA, it needs to be fairly high, but not 4.0. They take standardized tests pretty seriously, and on top of that, they love to see creativity.

[Vulpine]

Make sure that the university of your choice will accept your 2-year degree. I made the mistake of not doing this and now the majority of my credits have amounted to a pile of dog shit. It sucks having to start over, so plan ahead. Now.

Keep in mind that the market is currently flooded with CS majors, so find a way to make yourself stand out. A double major, like fashizzlepop recommended, could be a good start. If you can, I'd highly recommend squeezing in a business or IS minor. Don't underestimate the value of certifications, either. A lot of people consider them a waste of time and money but potential employers don't, and their opinions matter more than yours.

Also, document any projects that you work on. Having something that shows what you've learned and how you've tackled problems could be highly advantageous down the road.

[thetan]

Keep in mind that the market is currently flooded with CS majors, so find a way to make yourself stand out. A double major, like fashizzlepop recommended, could be a good start. If you can, I'd highly recommend squeezing in a business or IS minor. Don't underestimate the value of certifications, either. A lot of people consider them a waste of time and money but potential employers don't, and their opinions matter more than yours.

I feel like i say this all to much.

A college degree don't mean shit, and certifications are even more worthless.

If you're going to get turned down by some HR dept worker because your resume don't say your a CS major, then odds are that company wasn't worth working for in the first place. Real software engineers don't really give a fuck what school you went to, how well you did in it or what degree you got from it. All a real software engineering team cares about is that you know how to do your fucking job and this will all be made apparent in the interview process.

If you go to an interview for a software engineering position, and they don't grill your ass with engineering and programming questions, run out the doors as fast as you can and never look back for your own good. Otherwise you'll be walking into a big cluster fuck.

You wan't respect in the software engineering, make cool shit. Make tons of cool shit, and learn all you can in the process.

I've interviewed countless CS majors, most of which have statistically been complete morons who have been working the industry since the 90's.

I'm a 22 yr old college drop out (dropped out my first year because military training got in the way of classes and i never went back because i was too bored) and i work in the software industry making more money then everyone i know that's graduated college and is just getting out in the real world.

I got to where i am in life because i learned my fucking shit. I didn't settle for some lowest common denominator watered down education in life. It shows too, i've aced the shit out of every software interview i've been in. Most people bitch about it being so hard to get jobs with the economy the way it is, but i've witnessed no shortness of demand for my work.

[fashizzlepop]

My problem is thinking of cool shit to make... :/

[kujinR]

My problem is thinking of cool shit to make... :/

Truth.

A college degree don't mean shit, and certifications are even more worthless.

Also, truth. But, not for everyone.

In some countries, employers wouldn't even interview you if you didn't have a college degree. No, they wouldn't even finish reading your resume. Some people just think that way. And these are the same people who are doing the interviews for almost all major technology related businesses here.

It's effin' sad.

[neuromanta]

Yes. I'd also add, that having a college degree is not a must because it means that you know anything. No. It's just a proof that you can learn what you need to do your job.