Quitting work and going back to college

[Ferral_Imp]

Lancer,
If you haven't already applied and been accepted to a college than you should do that asap cuz the longer you wait the less a chance you have to get into a school as the available space starts filling up and some places have cut offs for registration. Also you should be filling out any financial aid forms now if you haven't already and you intend to look for any aid (and there are grants/scholarships out there specifically tailored to ppl in your shoes. You just have to look for them on the web ).


Good luck

 

[NetRyder]

Go for it. Would do something else besides computer science though, the courses are not that good anymore, and most of the people don't get a job unless they have another major to back it up so to say.

That's not true at all. It all depends on the individual and how motivated he or she is. If you go through your four years just doing the bare minimum, you're most definitely going to have a hard time finding a job. It's an extremely competitive field. You have to go above and beyond basic curricular requirements to get an edge over everyone else. It's hard work, and you do end up making sacrifices, but it's worth it in the end.

I can give you more than a handful of examples of people who graduated last year and this year, from UCLA (where I go) as well as from other universities on the east coast, and they've all got fantastic jobs in top-notch companies like Google, Microsoft, IBM etc. as well as big international investment banking firms in NYC.

The key is building a solid foundation - get your core concepts absolutely clear, get involved in student groups on campus (like ACM, for example) and work on projects that go beyond the classroom, look for research work with professors who are doing stuff that interests you, look for internships during summers etc. There are so many things you can do that make you stand out from the crowd.

I'm going to be completely direct and honest here - if you graduate with a CS degree from a good institution and you can't find a job, you're just not good enough. There's nothing more to it. There are thousands of companies out there looking for bright, young individuals. It's your job to make sure you stand out. There's no such thing as a free lunch. The people that got jobs weren't lucky. They just went one step further.

 

[lancer]

Well said NetRyder, or should i say Dr Phil! haha