College and Learning

Attending the University of Montana I barely have any time to learn things on my own. I really want to learn networking in linux, posix threads, and opengl better but I can't motivate myself when I have so little free time.

In school I am learning mips assembly and computer architecture, C/C++ (its a bit of a rehash for me), Calculus (fun but....), Technical Writing, (good pain in the...),
Thats it just 12 credits.

The problem is I am 36 and was learning more on my own before I decided to go back to school. It is a bit frustrating. It seems the idea of graduating has become very important to me for financial reasons. While I am learning, I am also very tired .

Do you think it's worth the effort? In MT it will be very difficult to find a decent job at my age and level of experience. Ultimately I want to work on open source projects. :confused:

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Ultimately I want to work on open source projects.

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If only they paid...

It might be a better idea to do some certification programs. While they could never replace a college degree, they still give you credit from the point of view of a prospective employer, and leave you with time to develop other skills.

Keep in mind that this is coming from a 17-year old who cuts pizza 10 hours a week - but it's an idea.

I actually have an associates degree in Computer Networking and am A+ certified which isn't saying much. With that you are very lucky to get a job here.

Thanks for the idea of certification. For instance it would be cool to be Red Hat certified or some Linux certification. Of course most of these certifications end up costing bucks to get.

In the end it all spells hardwork. I think I just need to keep a studious mindset and not worry about the financial aspects so much.

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Originally Posted by sean_mackrory

If only they paid...

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I get paid quite well to work on open source projects.

I feel the same way as you. By the time I'm done work for Physics, Calculus, and my ECE 101 course (electrical eng) I barely have the time or energy left to work on my own complex projects.

My strategy? I've gone in to talk with professors, and they realize what I can do. Subsequently, I've got a date to show a physics modeling program to some physics professors. The fact that I've got a 'semi official date' setup motivates me to do the extra work when I have the time.

I've also been taken under the wing of the chairman of my ECE program, and he wants to work one on one with me over the summer with neural networks so that I can write voice recognition software. Note that this is a graduate course!

So, I've got all of this because I went in to talk with professors.

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Originally Posted by Perspective

I get paid quite well to work on open source projects.

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may i ask what projects?

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Originally Posted by viaxd

may i ask what projects?

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I work a free open source platform for building development environments called Eclipse. (best known for its Java Develpment Tools)
http://www.eclipse.org

Perhaps I can use this thread to ask a few questions about your school system:
How old are you when you leave high school?
How many years does it take to get a bachelor's degree?
Does grad school mean any studies beyond bachelor's degree?
What's the difference between a university and a college?

well, for Canada...
>>How old are you when you leave high school?
18.

>>How many years does it take to get a bachelor's degree?
4

>>Does grad school mean any studies beyond bachelor's degree?
yes. A masters or phd.

>>What's the difference between a university and a college?
You go to university for a degree (4 years and/or grad degrees). You go to college to get a diploma (usually 1.5 to 2 years, not equivalent to a degree). I think this is different in the US.

Of course these are answers in the general case. Some people can do a Bachelors in less than 4 years, some take longer. Some colleges do offer degree programs as well, usually supervised by a university.

In US
University offers more diversified degrees from science to art
College offers concentrated/specialized degree, e.g college of law, of business
Junior/community/2-year college offers associate degrees, certificates, or just a jumping-stone to 4-year university.

college, i really gotta get around to that,

slackpts++;

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Perhaps I can use this thread to ask a few questions about your school system:
How old are you when you leave high school?
How many years does it take to get a bachelor's degree?
Does grad school mean any studies beyond bachelor's degree?
What's the difference between a university and a college?

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Generally 18.
Generally speaking a bachelors is a 4 year degree but for some of the harder majors (ie engineering) most opt for 5 years.
Grade school is for graduate studies. This differs from "professional" schools like law schools and medical schools. In the professional schools you skip the masters degree and go stright for the doctorate.
The big difference between college and university is this: Universities do research. This might just be a california thing I don't know for sure. And from what I've observed here colleges generally stop at the masters level and universities will go on to doctorates. Also since the universities are more into research their classes tend to focus more on the theories instead of their applications. Again this is just from observation here in Cally and we aren't the most sane state.

The difference between college and university is that universities are generally broken up into different colleges.

Universities have to provide a broader base of degrees, such as a mixture of B.A's, B.S's, B.B.A's, engineering degrees, graduate degrees, etc. (but not necessarily all of those).

This is coming from someone who went to a college that got just got switched to a University.

And to the person getting the degree. You're right, you may actually be able to learn more about computers on your own. But an undergraduate education is about receiving a general (liberal arts) education in addition to some technical/work-related classes. Liberal arts classes are meant to enhance your critical thinking skills, and teach you to understand the world around you.

In the short run, a college degree may take away from your technical training. But in the long run, it will open doors for you that weren't otherwise open.

My only suggestion for you (if you don't like the college you're going to) is to find a technical school in your area that offers bachelor's degree. Plus, when you do have a bachelors, it will allow you to go to grad school, where you won't have to put up with as many general education courses.

Thanks for the input. I was trying to decide if I should register today. I think I may wait a week before I decide.

I must confess I fear failing. This anxiety is part of the reason I want to quit. Next semester I would be taking Calc 2 and Linear Algebra. I would like to learn linear algebra for the graphics applications.

If I can make it through the next test in Architecture on Wednesday I'll probably have a clearer insight as to my possibilities.

OK, thanks.
It seems that a Master's degree is equivalent to the Swedish Licentiate.

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Students in Belgian universities usually take more than 30 hours a week

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ewwww. My professors have told me that for every hour of lecture an equal number of hours is suppose to be used (at a min) to study for that class. Most student really require more then that so given 30 hours a week in class 40 hours a week out of class probably wouldn't be that far fetched.
While it might seem like its being "intense" I wonder how much harm its really doing.

I'm studying mathematics here in Sweden and I have 28 hours/week scheduled. This is mostly lectures, but also some laborations etc.

Do Swedish have a job while attending college? Most do in US.
What's considered full-time student over there? How many hours to get a bachelor degree?

Hmm... it appears that my school's system is a bit different. The 'units' for a class are given as a triple (x, y, z) where x is the number of hours in class, y is the theoretical number of hours spent in labs, and z is the "fudge factor" (that is, a number of hours that they anticipate will be spent on course work outside of class/lab such that x+y+z is a multiple of 3 -- hence, z bears no relation to reality).

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Originally Posted by Sang-drax

I'm studying mathematics here in Sweden and I have 28 hours/week scheduled. This is mostly lectures, but also some laborations etc.

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What mathematics topics are you studying currently? I am also studying mathematics.

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I must confess I fear failing. This anxiety is part of the reason I want to quit. Next semester I would be taking Calc 2 and Linear Algebra. I would like to learn linear algebra for the graphics applications.

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You should not fear failing, if the professors can take the exams and score perfect scores you can also. How are your grades now? You should be getting all A's! Do you work also or are you able to devote all your free-time to your studies? My suggestion to you is to stay in school as long as possible and get all A's and everything will work itself out in the end.

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Originally Posted by SourceCode

You should not fear failing, if the professors can take the exams and score perfect scores you can also. How are your grades now? You should be getting all A's! Do you work also or are you able to devote all your free-time to your studies? My suggestion to you is to stay in school as long as possible and get all A's and everything will work itself out in the end.

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:rolleyes: Dude, most people are not as genius as you are

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Originally Posted by SourceCode

What mathematics topics are you studying currently? I am also studying mathematics.

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One-dimensional calculus
Geometry (Bezier curves and surfaces)
"Mathematical Communication" (more basic math like prime numbers etc.)
Modelling (LaTeX and Matlab)

I'm in my first year, first semester. I'll be studying full-time (~40 hrs./week) for 4½ years.

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Do Swedish have a job while attending college? Most do in US.

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We don't need jobs as much as you do, because all universities (even the best) are free.

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Originally Posted by Sang-drax

One-dimensional calculus
Geometry (Bezier curves and surfaces)
"Mathematical Communication" (more basic math like prime numbers etc.)
Modelling (LaTeX and Matlab)

I'm in my first year, first semester. I'll be studying full-time (~40 hrs./week) for 4½ years.

We don't need jobs as much as you do, because all universities (even the best) are free.

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Are free !!! that's paradise :D

Hmm wonder how much it costs to move to Sweden

Well I feel better about the test coming Wednesday. Today we reviewed and me and one other girl where the only people who knew what the professor was talking
about.

I am not an A student, more like a B student. I tend to make stupid mistakes.
I'll be taking Theory of Programming Langages, Computer Architecture 2, Software Science, Calc 2 and Linear Algebra next semester.