teen considering colleges

My dear friend's son is considering his future (he is in 10th grade) and is interested in "computers" as a field. While he probably won't go the distance learning route, I am posting here because I know so many of you are in the field and have excellent information about educational choices and the pros/cons of various types of computer degrees.

Also, he loves video games. His mom doesn't ) Is there a field that works together - like maybe software engineer- where he could have the skill to work in one area but not be limited (stuck) there once the trends change?

I want to add that they homeschool, so the mom has total freedom at designing his class schedule.

So, here is my question-

If you knew then what you know now, and you had time in high school to plan out your courses, what would be some of the "not to miss" classes or facts about the field that would be most helpful?

Thank you for any help you have to offer!!

 

For what it's worth, my introduction to programming (at 14) was trying to write Space Invaders, Defender and various other video games.

I think it's a great introduction to programming...and a good 'game programming' book may be of interest:

e.g.

http://www.amazon.com/Game-Programming-Teens/dp/1592000681/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5/002-1782478-0141623?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190645835&sr=8-5

While the written games are not commercial quality - you learn a lot of programming fundementals that are applicable in other IT fields/languages.

This approach exposes the teen to computer programming - to see if it's of interest later (e.g. does he even like programming? Or just playing games?) without a substantial investment of time or money.

And for what it's worth, if a person can program video games - he's likely able to program anything.

Just my 2 cents.

Greg

 

To add to the discussion, video games are one of the few programming specialties that is relatively resistant to offshore labor competition. Many games are inherently tied to culture, and it's difficult to imbue sufficient cultural knowlege in workers from a foreign market.

Just consider the difficulty of getting Indian or Chinese workers up to speed on all the American turn-of-the-millenium pop culture references in a game series like GTA*.





*I suspect a homeschooling parent wouldn't see GTA as a shining example of morally proper game programming.

 

I am sorry, I have no idea what GTA is, but I will pass along your comments! I haven't played much video games since I beat Super Mario Bros in the 90's (oh yes, those were the days!...and days....and days....)

Do any of you design video games for a living? What about computer engineering or IT? In my state (IL) the University of Illinois is listed on the Newsweek site for having one of the good Software Engineering degree programs. When I checked it out, the degree is computer science, but they have a cert in software engineering. Can someone help explain the basics of how computer education is broken down? To confuse things further, I noticed BA and BS degrees in computer science! Help!

 

For what it's worth, there do exist schools which have majors or concentrations in Video Game Software Engineering.

 

However, a degree in computer science with an emphasis on software engineering would be a better investment if someone wants to develop software. Locking oneself into a video gaming specific degree or diploma without a broader background can leave you on a dead-end road should video game development turn out not to be the ideal career.

I also recommend communicating with current computer game developers to gain a realistic picture of the working conditions and burn-in and burn-out rates in that industry. I am just tossing out an idea here - perhaps combine their interest in computer games (animation, simulation, reconstruction, etc.) with a growth segment within computer science and information technology, namely security (forensics, incident response and investigation, etc.). Alternatively, bio-informatics is another growth area which utilizes computer graphics, simulations, modeling, etc.

The person to whom the original posting referred should keep in mind is the right decision to make or path to follow is uniquely their own.

 

Sentinel,

Can you explain to me about the math component of the degree? If the student is average in math, would it be reasonable that he could still do this field? The student will probably finish pre-cal in 12th grade, but he certainly doesn't love math at this point. His mom and I chatted last night about this and she is worried. Is it reasonable that this is enough math to build on? Thanks for you thoughts.

 

Jennifer,

In the off-topic discussions I have posted Dr. Randy Pausch's final lecture. Although there are a lot of life lessons there, Dr. Pausch is in charge of the ALICE project as Carnegie Mellon, which is V.R. programming. He spends a good deal of the lecture talking about ALICE. I think it would be a good idea to have this young man and his mom watch the lecture.

Shawn

 

The mathematics component for most computer science degrees consists of algebra and two terms of calculus. A person can earn a "computer science" degree and avoid the hard mathematics courses such as calculus, though first term calculus or introductory calculus are relatively easy, by enrolling in say a BA in Natural Sciences and Mathematics degree. Do not let the name scare you off since that particular degree at TESC has NO calculus requirement at all, only a certain number of credits in mathematics.

My professional experience has taught me that to be a successful computer programmer there is no requirement to be a mathematical genius, although I took calculus at university and was no slouch grade-wise. In fact, I use quantitative logic symbols from a philosophy course, more frequently than any advanced mathematical concepts. I would highly recommend the student take at least an introductory calculus course since it is largely formula manipulation through arithmetic and algebraic operations with a few special rules tossed in for flavor.

Students all too commonly develop a fear or distaste for mathematics because of the poor teaching of their elementary and secondary courses. The same can be said of many of the sciences.

 

At my high school we did not have any calculus courses in the curriculum, yet I went to university and passed both introductory calculus and first-year calculus with A+ and A, respectively. My only mathematics preparation came in the form of arithmetic, algebra and geometry courses in the public school system. That said, I practiced every problem set, the night before the weekly tests and semester exams, in the textbook for those sections covered the prior week.

So, the student mentioned in your question can succeed with mathematics courses at the college or university level if s(he) has the motivation. Pre-calculus mathematics is all most students ever had before entering a post-secondary institution of higher learning. Tutoring services are offered by the schools and there are private services such as Sylvan Learning Centers and Oxford Learning Centers among others to help students.

 

There are several facets of game development and not all of them require programming expertise. For instance, there is design (art, animation, psychology, human factors, script/creative writing), there are business/marketing aspects, there is the engineering of the various hardware platforms and of course there is the software engineering. Understand, that much of game development has nothing to do with developing 3D graphics engines and their use. There are also the "mundane" aspects of game software such as installation, communications, artificial intelligence, architecture, web design, software engineering and may other aspects that have cross-disciplinary applications. Several Computer Science programs, in an effort to increase enrollment, are offering game development specializations. If he is serious about the programming aspect of game development, this is where he should concentrate. Also, he should also be preparing himself now for graduate studies. There is a lot of competition for these jobs at some of the bigger game shops. Many (or at least more than I would have thought) of these "programmers" have PhDs in CS.

Also, don't worry about this degree limiting your son's opportunities any more than any other CS degree. He just needs to find a school with the biggest name in CS that you can afford and don't look back. However, as I'm sure you well know -- don't be surprised if your soon changes his mind before all is said and done.

Good luck to your son.