Comp Programming, local vs online, requesting guidance

Hi All,

Here's my quick back story. Gone to college for Pre-Med at MCPHS. Took a leave of absence in middle of second year. About a year and a half since then. Want to switch majors to Computer Programming, mainly with a emphasis in gaming. I could specialize in gaming at a later point, right now I just want to focus on a degree in Programming.

I am pretty set on my decision for changing majors. It's too bad about the time lost but no use in crying over it. I have a great interest in programming and computers but I do not relatively have any experience in programming.

I'm trying to figure out where I should apply to continue/begin my education in Computer Programming. I would really appreciate any recommendations. Cost is a factor. The more affordable the better, although I do not want to sacrifice education quality for a cheaper course. Distance is also a factor. Cannot afford other housing. Preferably located within a commutable distance from Sayreville, NJ (08859).

I was also considering just taking an online degree but I don't really know what to think of online learning. Is the quality of online education just as effective as learning at a campus? What would be some reputable online colleges, with respectable Computer Programming courses?

I also stumbled onto http://www.tesc.edu/. It seems to be a really cheap adult online college. What do you guys think?

I appreciate your time, advice and willingness to help.

Thanks in advance

-Pat

 

Hi Pat - Welcome to degreeinfo. If you look at our index page you'll see that we have an entire forum devoted to IT and Computer-related programs. I'll bet you can find your answer just by sprinting through some of the old threads. As for TESC, we've been saying good things about them for years. There are a bunch of current students/graduates here at degreeinfo and I'm sure they'd be happy to answer any specific questions that you might have.
Good luck.

 

Since you say you have very little previous programming experience, I'd suggest that you try to take your first few programming courses in person at a local college ... or maybe just take a course or two at a local school to help bring you up to speed, then apply to an online school like TESC.

The reason is this ... my (on-campus) university experience re programming was that the people who had previous programming experience (like me, I basically taught myself) had a pretty easy time in their first year programming classes, while those without experience had a pretty tough time.