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User: bjforshaw

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  1. Re:Quit and go to a real University on Ask Slashdot: Is Going To a Technical College Worth It? · · Score: 1

    From what you write it sounds, as enigma32 commented, like CS would be a better fit for the knowledge you seek. You need to consider your reasons for undertaking a particular course of study. Is it to simply further your own knowledge or is it primarily to meet hiring criteria for a job in the field? If it's the latter, then you need to be aware that many recruiters don't even look at resumes if you've not got a university degree, not to mention "relevant experience".

    Lack of commercial experience can be a real obstacle, more so than lack of a degree. I know - it took me a lot of perseverance to get my first programming job (it was the first one where the interview was technically-oriented, which gave me a chance to demonstrate what I knew). That first step will be the hardest, but once you're on the ladder it gets easier. Eventually, if you've got in-demand skills, you get to the point where they come to you rather than the other way around. A qualification is of most use as a means of lowering the barrier to entry. It makes it more likely that your resume will even be considered. As long as you've got an aptitude for programming you'll gain far more depth of knowledge by working in the industry. Degrees like CS give you an appreciation of the underlying principles of computer hardware and the concepts and mathematics underpinning software. It's a big, wide subject and no course or degree is going to set you up to go into a job and hit the ground running. It's almost a cliche - that is the point at which you really start learning.

    You're at an early stage right now and from the concerns you raise here I'd say you need to think carefully about whether the course you are on fits your needs.

  2. Re:ACCU.org on Mike and Phani's Essential C++ Techniques · · Score: 1

    Link to ACCU.