Educational std for software developers?

[camelCase]

Hello CProgrammers,

I am 17 and am getting quite serious with C++. I think it might be the career for me, though I'll admit i've also said that with networking security, ethical hacking, etc. I'm sort of questioning whether its normal to jump threw these phases, of liking one thing - devoting time to learn it, then actualize that I don't want to have a career and switch to another topic...

Anyways. I live in Illinois. I am a Junior in High School (starting this school year) and college is becoming a priority. I have thought about ITT Tech college in Burr Ridge, Illinois - Chicago. They have two degrees that satisfy my fancy, though they seem to be the same thing... Software Development Technology and Software Applications Development are the same thing, no? I requested information on the college, but since I haven't graduated yet their slow to respond. How much would attending said college cost to get an associates degree? How long is an associates degree (1 year?)?

I'd like to speak with a software engineer who is educated in the field with a degree appropriate for the matter.

Thank you very much in advance, you're helping me find my career of happiness.

-camelCase

[cyberfish]

Certainly nothing wrong with jumping around.

I went from musician to physicist to programmer and ended up with electrical engineering.

Even better, if you have some knowledge of several related fields, your value goes up tremendously.

If your grades are good, consider getting at least a bachelor's degree, too. Don't let the few extra years stop you. They will give you a very solid background.

[zacs7]

I'd like to speak with a software engineer who is educated in the field with a degree appropriate for the matter.

Thank you very much in advance, you're helping me find my career of happiness.

-camelCase

That's me (almost). I'm almost a 4th year Bachelor of Software Engineering student. I would suggest the degree. Although, programming is a very small subject of Software Engineering (certainly not the primary focus). Do you enjoy other areas? If not, then I perhaps wouldn't suggest SE, how is your maths? Do you enjoy it?

Of course, I'm doing my degree in Australia. So it may be a little different "over there" .

[camelCase]

That's me (almost). I'm almost a 4th year Bachelor of Software Engineering student. I would suggest the degree. Although, programming is a very small subject of Software Engineering (certainly not the primary focus). Do you enjoy other areas? If not, then I perhaps wouldn't suggest SE, how is your maths? Do you enjoy it?

Of course, I'm doing my degree in Australia. So it may be a little different "over there" .

A little bit off topic but my ex girlfriend is an exchange student in Australia

Anyways, I really do enjoy math but i'm not real great at it. I'm a junior and just now taking Algebra. I'm also interested in Computer Science (CS) to get a more fundamental understanding of how everything works (AI, Encryption, NN, etc...)

I understand its not the primary focus (coding) as I've looked at some of the studies, fortunately due to my jumpy background in interests, I've covered fundamentals of a lot of the focus.

[Elysia]

Oh, maths are fundamental for any type of IT. You had better get good at it o_O
But it sounds like you would be happy with some college education. They can be very broad.

[zacs7]

Oh, maths are fundamental for any type of IT. You had better get good at it o_O
But it sounds like you would be happy with some college education. They can be very broad.

Not some Mickey-Mouse IT degrees...

[Cat]

An associate's degree is decent, but a bachelor's would probably be better. Associate's degrees (which tend to be 2-year degrees) aren't as widely appreciated -- though this can vary. I know there are some technical colleges that go for 3 years or so, much of which is spent in an internship kind of role, and these would look better on a resume than just an associate's degree, because they combine a degree with actual work experience.

Also, if you get an associate's degree, much of the credits can typically be applied towards a bachelor's degree -- I have known more than one person that's gotten an associate's degree at a cheap college, then did 2.5 years to get a bachelor's at a much more expensive (and prestigious) college, and saved a lot of money for themselves by not having to pay for a full 4 years at the higher rates.

On the scale of degrees (Associate, Bachelor, Master, Ph.D.) you probably want to stick to the middle two for the best chance of employment -- but really, that's a recommendation, not an absolute. There are certainly people with all four degrees that get the jobs they want too, and I got a job I'm very happy with in spite of a few less-than-perfect spots on my resume.

If you do go for the associate's degree, I'd definitely recommend something like an internship if you can find it to supplement your education with practical work experience. Degrees are nice but experience is even better.