Tech Scholarships for College/University?

Mirkon asks: "I'm a potential high school graduate, and have been accepted to a four-year school for furthering my rather biased educational interests. The problem is that while I'm cheap, the school (predictably) isn't. It's still getting itself off the ground, and thus only offers the legal minimum of scholarships - for racial minorities and those with intense financial need, neither of which I qualify for. Tedious searching for third-party scholarships has revealed that there are very, very few that cater to the interests of a technologically-inclined student, and even fewer that don't give a paltry one-time prize of $500 or less. While there's certainly no shortage of 'write an essay about us/you and we might give you a scholarship' offerings, I find it hard to swallow that there aren't more and more valuable scholarships to encourage growth in the tech sector. Are there?"

Comments

Why so married to 'tech'?

[glomph]

I've worked for over 20 years in various tech roles, after getting advanced degrees in Physics from the biggest name skoolz in the US. The ability to solve problems quickly and efficiently is what matters, not how much acronymic crap you can pack into your resume. My general experience is that good people are those who can adapt, not ones who learned old-tech from profs in some academic environment. Direct academic training for entering the IT world is a total waste, and always has been so, even when the economy did not suck.

Re:Why so married to 'tech'?

[endeitzslash]

I'm a little hesitant when I see the "school doesn't matter because you don't learn problem solving and those academics don't know their arses from a hole in the ground" attitude. The fact that this person has been working for 20 years means that he (or she) went into the workforce long before a college education was an absolute requirement (as it is now) for most well-salaried jobs.

While it may be true that some people don't learn many applied skills in college, many companies simply won't take a chance on a non-college graduate, college dropout, or someone who got straight D's.

You can bleat and complain as much as you want about the effectiveness of academic training, but the power of the diploma is well-established in job hunting.

Besides, college is fun and is often a good place to mature and improve other important social skills.

How about a job?

[andawyr]

Have you thought about doing what most other people do, and get a job? Sure, you'll have to work your butt off, but if you do it this way, you'll certainly have more self esteem than had you paid for tuition and what-have-you with scholarships. Free money ain't, really. If you work for the cash, you'll know what it really cost you to get an education. You'll also realize that you're going to college to *work*, and not to screw around. I saw way too many people party away $1000s of scholarship dollars simply because it wasn't really their money.

Student loans are another way to go - there's nothing wrong with getting one either. I did it, and I paid it off too. Yes, it took a few years, but it was finally paid off.

It may even be the case that you'll have to put off going to college for a year or so until you have enough money. So be it.

Good luck!

Re:How about a job?

[hyrdra]

Please mod the parent up. This is what college and being out on your own are all about, and this way only serves to better prepare you for life ahead. There is a lot more to life than having a good education, and doing it this way (I am doing it now) teaches you things your scholarship/daddy money peers probably won't learn about until out of school.

Don't always take the easy way; the other path may be more interesting and rewarding -- true success isn't without its struggle.

Re:How about a job?

[cubicledrone]

Have you thought about doing what most other people do, and get a job?

Having a work schedule in addition to a full-time class schedule is not always a good idea. It's a little difficult to do great work in school if you are always sitting down to Advanced Linguistic Anthropology after eight hours of waiting tables or restocking the paper towels at Wal-Mart.

Student loans are another way to go - there's nothing wrong with getting one either.

Except the ridiculous interest and the fact that it takes years and years and years to pay it off.
Item one in college: DO NOT BORROW EVEN ONE DOLLAR UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

This is especially important with credit cards. Fuck that up and you'll realize right fucking now how un-free money is.

Do what I did - GET A PART-TIME JOB

[Anonymous Coward]

i was a busboy/waiter all through high school and college and i can tell you that it teaches you valuable life skills like:
* how to manage your time and prioritize obligations
* how to make and save money; how to spend money wisely
* how to deal with work conditions, including low pay, long hours, bad bosses, evil customers, etc.
* eventually, how to appreciate a "better" job, having tasted first hand what some people have to do to earn a living

army

[Anonymous Coward]

Though the current climate is a bit unusual in terms of action in the middle east, I recommend joining the Army, Navy, etc if you are inclined. After serving your country you can get about $8k a year (scholarship - ie not a loan that you have to pay back) towards a schoo of your choice. Granted you have to maintain a certain GPA, but it is still better than having $32k in debt after graduating.

PS Flamers: This is not for everyone, just a suggestion to those of us that don't want to pay an unreasonable amount for a college education.

Re:army

[Kymermosst]

you'll also start with a higher rank then if you just enlisted

You start out with a rank you won't ever attain if you "just enlisted"... you will be an officer.

and if you're tech inclined you'd most likely not see the front lines as your skills would make you more valuable elsewhere.

If you believe that, you're a fool. There are lots of room for tech jobs up at the front line, near the front line, and in our own set of high-value targets. There is no such thing as "most likely."

I was someone "tech inclined" in the Army, and yes, it got me put with counterfire radar instead of with an infantry unit (I was a 13F - Field Artillery Fire Support A.K.A. Forward Observer)... but the TOC I worked in also had M.I., communications, and lots of other high-value targets. We were right on top of the list of things an enemy would be looking for should we have been deployed. (Thankfully, we just did humanitarian stuff while I was in.)

People at the front lines are using high-tech equipment that needs to be serviced, and if you are "tech inclined" you just might be the guy who has to jump into a foxhole at the front lines and fix it.

DO NOT JOIN THE MILITARY THINKING YOU WILL NOT SEE COMBAT. You are doing a disservice to yourself, your fellow soldiers, and your country.

That is all.

Re:OT but can someone fill me in...

[Wingchild]

In the US, standard procedure is to get a loan for the cost of your education; this loan is often sizeable, usually with a low rate of interest accrual, and is to be paid back after your graduation from the learning institution you've chosen to attend.

The author of this entry to "Please help me, Slashdot" has noted early on that he is cheap: The author does not want a loan. He is looking for a scholarship offer -- that is, he would like very much for someone else to pay for his expenses and send him to school for free. (Wouldn't we all have loved that?)

Unfortunately I have nothing useful to add on that front, as the only scholarship I ever took advantage of was a strictly academic one, and only that for going to a tiny, two-year state school. This hasn't prevented me from being in a computer-related field for the last eight years, nor has it prevented me from working as a senior network engineer, or as a field consultant, or down at the Pentagon, or etc.

The person who submitted the story noted that he is a potential high school graduate ... my advice would really be to work on converting that "potential" into "actual", and then worry about college as you go. If you have to eat the cost of a loan, so be it -- you're no worse off than everybody else. Get into tech and make it pay for itself in a few years; you wouldn't be the first, and sure wouldn't be the last. :)

they shouldn't be any encouragement for tech

[esj at harvee]

I understand that you probably have your heart set on a technology career but I would strongly encourage you to look elsewhere for your life's work. the technology career in the United States is fading. There is significant age discrimination and it is effectively a ten to fifteen year career.

Try some informational interviews at technology companies and just look around and see how the people in the technology staff and first couple levels of management are above the age of 45. If the companies say they have a "dual career ladder", ask how many directors they have on the managerial side. Then ask how many they have on the technical side. if they give you a nonzero number, ask to be introduced to some of them. Another question on the same line is to ask what does it take to become a director for managerial and then ask for the technical. You'll frequently find that the technical rungs have significantly higher hurdles than the managerial side.

Don't be fooled by the typical /.comments of "I'm over X, and I still have a job by being technically hot shit" because they are exceptions that prove the rule. For the most part, your typical your career will be over by the time you are 35-40.

A technology career is also bad for you physically and mentally. Most companies use subtle or not so subtle psychological pressure to encourage staff to work all sorts of hours, usually in the name of teambuilding. It will cost you sleep, health by being increasingly sedentary and obese, and even possibly repetitive motion damages which leaves you with lifelong pain.

The psychological pressure to work long hours will reduce your ability to take time off to take vacations.

The hyper focus mindset it takes to get work done in a cube environment also will impact your ability to form healthy relationships with a partner. Important time off together (see above) will be impaired and nibbled away at by the inability to leave work at work.

So, leave the technology career for others. The smart move into something where you can have a long career and make good money without putting your physical and mental health at risk. take care of yourself. Because not only will nobody else do it, everybody else wants to eat you alive and not in a good way.

Why limit your scholarship possibilities

[i_r_sensitive]

I went to University looking to get a $DISCIPLINE degree, prior to even registering for classes I started hunting through the scholarships. What I found is that any shcolarship offered to students who intend to major in $DISCIPLINE has some pretty tough competition. I found that out by using the best resource I ever found for the poor student:

The University Student Panhandling Advisor

Seriously, a lot of schools will have staff whose sole professional purpose is to keep track of scholarships which students of that institution could compete for. Makes sense, the U doesn't care who pays the bills, just so long as they get paid, so helping economically disadvantaged students to find funding is a win-win.

My personal experience was that there were literally hundreds of scholarships available to me, once I stopped focusing on $DISCIPLINE.

So stop worrying about tech scholarships, start worrying about scholarships, period. If that youth-tap-dance-zealot scholarship pays the bills, put on those shoes baby, just put on those shoes...