I have a few thoughts:
1) I got a CS degree through the engineering school at Cornell; graduated 4 years ago. I picked engineering over arts & sciences because I was good at math and physics, and screw taking a foreign language! Later in my career there, I found myself taking more and more liberal arts classes because I enjoyed them. Don't pigeonhole yourself into taking only engineering classes, even if you decide to go tech school route.
2) The CS program at Cornell is VERY theory-centric. On the one hand, part of me feels a little shafted on the practical application side of things; I have had to learn languages and technologies mostly on my own. On the other hand, it taught me how to learn languages and technologies mostly on my own. Theory also has made me a much better developer, I think, because I'm better able to look at a problem and come up with many different solutions, and determine which is best. When I interview developers, I usually prefer excellent problem solving skills and mediocre language/technology skills to knowing Java and Struts inside and out but not being able to come up with a creative algorithm or a smart domain model. It drives me nuts to see the course catalog at other schools and see courses like "C++ 201". I think a good developer should be able to develop in any language, once they learn the syntax.
3) Now that I participate in the interviewing/hiring process, I can also tell you that I don't really care about where you went to school, if you can demonstrate skills. Yes, a CS degree from MIT is more impressive than a CS degree from UC-Santa Cruz on paper, but if you can impress me in the interview, then you've impressed me in the interview.
4) Look at the bigger picture. Which school do you like more? How are the other kids? Is there a social life? I loved Cornell and I am very happy with the education I received, but I do sometimes wonder if I would have been happier if I had gone to the University of Florida with all of my friends. Cornell, even for the liberal arts kids, can be a pretty intense place sometimes. And the girls... this is not to say that there aren't beautiful girls at Cornell, but they are few and far between. There is a time and place to party and cut loose and experiment with who you are, and it's called college. I honestly think it's also part of a well-rounded education. Study when you need to, party when you need to.
Regardless of which you decide, I recommend taking advantage of as much as you can. If you go tech, take lots of liberal arts classes. If you go liberal arts, take lots of engineering classes. Make friends with everyone. Go to parties. Learn how to drink and do drugs responsibly. Learn how to cram. Learn what you didn't know you enjoyed.
Interesting article. I worked at QA at two different places: one was a large publishing house, and one was a smaller dev house / self-publisher. My take on it is that QA really, really sucks to be in, no matter where you are, but it's way worse to be at a publisher. As mentioned in the article, testers there are temps, and completely removed from the development process. They are treated with little respect, and paid poorly. There is little to no chance of moving into a more substantive role, other than up the QA ladder. However, it will give you some experience to put on your resume to get to QA in a smaller dev house, where lateral movement is possible IF you are talented in a different field, AND can show it. I know someone who became friends with the art department, demonstrated that he was a competent 3d artist, started doing small art assignments, and eventually moved full time into the department. It's up to you to go meet those people and make them aware of your skills. It's still difficult to do. The job sucks balls, but it's a decent gig if you're a) straight out of school and simply just need some scratch to get by, or b) have recently had a lobotomy. With all the available tools out there, your best bet is to go make some games yourself.
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I have a few thoughts: 1) I got a CS degree through the engineering school at Cornell; graduated 4 years ago. I picked engineering over arts & sciences because I was good at math and physics, and screw taking a foreign language! Later in my career there, I found myself taking more and more liberal arts classes because I enjoyed them. Don't pigeonhole yourself into taking only engineering classes, even if you decide to go tech school route. 2) The CS program at Cornell is VERY theory-centric. On the one hand, part of me feels a little shafted on the practical application side of things; I have had to learn languages and technologies mostly on my own. On the other hand, it taught me how to learn languages and technologies mostly on my own. Theory also has made me a much better developer, I think, because I'm better able to look at a problem and come up with many different solutions, and determine which is best. When I interview developers, I usually prefer excellent problem solving skills and mediocre language/technology skills to knowing Java and Struts inside and out but not being able to come up with a creative algorithm or a smart domain model. It drives me nuts to see the course catalog at other schools and see courses like "C++ 201". I think a good developer should be able to develop in any language, once they learn the syntax. 3) Now that I participate in the interviewing/hiring process, I can also tell you that I don't really care about where you went to school, if you can demonstrate skills. Yes, a CS degree from MIT is more impressive than a CS degree from UC-Santa Cruz on paper, but if you can impress me in the interview, then you've impressed me in the interview. 4) Look at the bigger picture. Which school do you like more? How are the other kids? Is there a social life? I loved Cornell and I am very happy with the education I received, but I do sometimes wonder if I would have been happier if I had gone to the University of Florida with all of my friends. Cornell, even for the liberal arts kids, can be a pretty intense place sometimes. And the girls... this is not to say that there aren't beautiful girls at Cornell, but they are few and far between. There is a time and place to party and cut loose and experiment with who you are, and it's called college. I honestly think it's also part of a well-rounded education. Study when you need to, party when you need to. Regardless of which you decide, I recommend taking advantage of as much as you can. If you go tech, take lots of liberal arts classes. If you go liberal arts, take lots of engineering classes. Make friends with everyone. Go to parties. Learn how to drink and do drugs responsibly. Learn how to cram. Learn what you didn't know you enjoyed.
Interesting article. I worked at QA at two different places: one was a large publishing house, and one was a smaller dev house / self-publisher. My take on it is that QA really, really sucks to be in, no matter where you are, but it's way worse to be at a publisher. As mentioned in the article, testers there are temps, and completely removed from the development process. They are treated with little respect, and paid poorly. There is little to no chance of moving into a more substantive role, other than up the QA ladder. However, it will give you some experience to put on your resume to get to QA in a smaller dev house, where lateral movement is possible IF you are talented in a different field, AND can show it. I know someone who became friends with the art department, demonstrated that he was a competent 3d artist, started doing small art assignments, and eventually moved full time into the department. It's up to you to go meet those people and make them aware of your skills. It's still difficult to do. The job sucks balls, but it's a decent gig if you're a) straight out of school and simply just need some scratch to get by, or b) have recently had a lobotomy. With all the available tools out there, your best bet is to go make some games yourself.