But that won't work, either. An AS degree at most institutions is predicated on the notion that the institution granting it is offering the first two years of college, with some light specialization--the kind you would take to "try on" a degree field in those first two years (so just the sophomore-level area-of-specialization introductory courses, really). In other words, this is also a liberal arts model at most schools, so all those gen ed requirements are included (and more of what you take, by percentage, is gen ed than in a four-year degree because there are fewer specialized courses under the 300-level numbers).
A tech school would be the answer, but of course those certificates are not valued in the business world the same way degrees are--there's a reason for that. Another solution might be an AAS -- Associate of Applied Science -- from a community college or two-year college branch of a university. But most businesses will want to see that you know how to communicate effectively, so you'll want to take both first-year writing at the college and a professional/technical writing course (that second option is usually not required in an Associate-level degree but frequently is in a Bachelor-level degree, so it's a good idea to get it even if you choose not to take that four-year degree). And most businesses want to know that they're hiring someone who can get along with other employees. Businesses have to conduct training on diversity issues and legal issues through their HR departments all the time, and they want to know that the person they hire for any position is well-rounded enough to understand that training--in other words, they want to know that they're hiring someone who gets why it's not ok to discriminate, harass, or entirely avoid certain groups of people at work.
The university system we have in the US is based upon a classical Western model. So even though folks in the EU keep saying they don't have this "trouble," they do. They just get this trouble in HS and Gymnasium prior to going to college. We give all teenagers the opportunity to learn the same things, without too many trades programs in the HS. If you look at most European models, they have a true college-prep + first-two years of college or you can choose something that is more like job-prep. So when European kids graduate and go to college, it's like they already have an AA or AS degree in hand. Of course, having attended a British university, their classes were vastly different than ours, as well. One day, I was the only one who showed up--not even the professor came. We had books and articles to read and "figure it out" and a paper to write and exam to take--why bother going to class? I wanted to hear what the professor had to say, wanted a lecture on the finer points. I had to get that all on my own. In the US, colleges spoon-feed it to you if you don't get it, or don't want to get it, or just want to pass the exam. And instructors are pressured to stop lecturing and get the new generation of learners "involved" in the classroom--I hear this from my grad profs all the time. I'm sorry--I thought I was involved when I was asking questions, posing problems, taking notes, and joining in the discussion. How is that not involved?
My point is this: if you want a job that isn't going to advance (i.e., you're happy with a basically day-to-day programming job that you'll sit in the same cubicle for the next 30 years), get an AAS in your target area of computer engineering. You'll be fine with that, I'm sure. You'll have to take some writing, and probably a little history (and you should take some psychology and learning courses since computers should "work" for the human mind--getting that kind of theory under your belt would make you highly marketable, I would think). But don't plan on advancement--no promotions for folks without higher degrees. They want well-rounded folks for their leadership positions, and that means having a four-year liberal arts-based degree.
I worked in the auto industry for years, and I never saw
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But that won't work, either. An AS degree at most institutions is predicated on the notion that the institution granting it is offering the first two years of college, with some light specialization--the kind you would take to "try on" a degree field in those first two years (so just the sophomore-level area-of-specialization introductory courses, really). In other words, this is also a liberal arts model at most schools, so all those gen ed requirements are included (and more of what you take, by percentage, is gen ed than in a four-year degree because there are fewer specialized courses under the 300-level numbers). A tech school would be the answer, but of course those certificates are not valued in the business world the same way degrees are--there's a reason for that. Another solution might be an AAS -- Associate of Applied Science -- from a community college or two-year college branch of a university. But most businesses will want to see that you know how to communicate effectively, so you'll want to take both first-year writing at the college and a professional/technical writing course (that second option is usually not required in an Associate-level degree but frequently is in a Bachelor-level degree, so it's a good idea to get it even if you choose not to take that four-year degree). And most businesses want to know that they're hiring someone who can get along with other employees. Businesses have to conduct training on diversity issues and legal issues through their HR departments all the time, and they want to know that the person they hire for any position is well-rounded enough to understand that training--in other words, they want to know that they're hiring someone who gets why it's not ok to discriminate, harass, or entirely avoid certain groups of people at work. The university system we have in the US is based upon a classical Western model. So even though folks in the EU keep saying they don't have this "trouble," they do. They just get this trouble in HS and Gymnasium prior to going to college. We give all teenagers the opportunity to learn the same things, without too many trades programs in the HS. If you look at most European models, they have a true college-prep + first-two years of college or you can choose something that is more like job-prep. So when European kids graduate and go to college, it's like they already have an AA or AS degree in hand. Of course, having attended a British university, their classes were vastly different than ours, as well. One day, I was the only one who showed up--not even the professor came. We had books and articles to read and "figure it out" and a paper to write and exam to take--why bother going to class? I wanted to hear what the professor had to say, wanted a lecture on the finer points. I had to get that all on my own. In the US, colleges spoon-feed it to you if you don't get it, or don't want to get it, or just want to pass the exam. And instructors are pressured to stop lecturing and get the new generation of learners "involved" in the classroom--I hear this from my grad profs all the time. I'm sorry--I thought I was involved when I was asking questions, posing problems, taking notes, and joining in the discussion. How is that not involved? My point is this: if you want a job that isn't going to advance (i.e., you're happy with a basically day-to-day programming job that you'll sit in the same cubicle for the next 30 years), get an AAS in your target area of computer engineering. You'll be fine with that, I'm sure. You'll have to take some writing, and probably a little history (and you should take some psychology and learning courses since computers should "work" for the human mind--getting that kind of theory under your belt would make you highly marketable, I would think). But don't plan on advancement--no promotions for folks without higher degrees. They want well-rounded folks for their leadership positions, and that means having a four-year liberal arts-based degree. I worked in the auto industry for years, and I never saw