Topic: University question

[Lumi Kløvstad]

Okay. So, I need a word from the more university-savvy folks around here.

I want to go to a school on the Pacific coast that I can study computer tech and/or game design (but mostly computer tech). Right now, there's the obvious advertised schools like DeVry and ITT Tech, but there's also Coleman University, and UAT if I don't mind a little Arizona heat.

Obviously there are other options in the area I may be missing, so does anyone have any similar schools to throw my way for consideration?

[uzo]

Game design? You're looking for Full Sail in Florida then.

Not that I believe you need specific education to become a game designer.

[Gunlord]

I would recommend looking around at US news' college rankings:

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges

I looked up "computer science" and set the region as West (united states), so you can look around and set more specific search parameters if you like.

[beingthehero]

Right now, there's the obvious advertised schools like DeVry and ITT Tech,

For-profit colleges shell out useless degrees and will leave you saddled with a mind-boggling amount of debt. You're better off going to a public university and taking classes there.

[Ratty]

Do what you love but be careful, don't wind up like this guy http://finance.yahoo.com/news/this-bright-eyed-young-man-was-utterly-demolished-by-student-loans.html

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

There's nothing in your own state?  I guess you must have college money saved.  Awesome!
I'm not sure why but I've been told to avoid DeVry and ITT.  They're 'throwaway schools' that give you a cheapo degree and are more for vocational stuff (again it's what I heard).
Then there are game design oriented schools that advertise in game magazines, like DigiPen and a few others.  They've been around for at least 10 years.

As UZO said, you don't need any specific education to be a game programmer/designer.  Though I'm not a programmer, I am quite helpful in game design and I studied Computer & Information Science (a programming degree, I know) at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJ).  I value what I learned there because it gives me a programmer's mindset even though I'm more of an art-oriented person.

[uzo]

Careful now, I didn't say anything about programming. In fact if programming is your goal, I highly recommend doing a bit of learning. You want to take high level programming courses for sure, otherwise you'll miss out on some important information. Alternatively, if you're self disciplined enough, teaching yourself through a book.

I took low level programming classes, which from my own studies was 'nothing new' for the most part. I never got the chance to take higher level classes, having gone to Activision right out of my brief two years of college. Once that job tanked, due to downsizing from the economy, I ended up in Law Enforcement.

Now I'm aiming to build my own game studio, as the lead programmer. However, over those years I've been teaching myself new things. I still need to call in my 'expert reference' now and then for some of the stuff they'd teach in high level classes such as the efficiency of different methods, nuances in the windows API, and small details I missed out on never having taken those classes, or researching in certain specific areas.

I will say that your skill as a conceptual programmer, meaning your ability to work with the tools you have to create a program to solve the problem at hand, seems to be entirely detached from these higher level classes. They simply add more tools to your box. Problem solving is a whole other thing entirely. I suppose I just have a naturally high level for it.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

There's nothing in your own state?

University of Alaska is the spiderhole of American Universities. It serves its purpose, but does no more, and is usually the LAST PLACE a person would be expected to finish their education.

The course list is terribly generic, although they do seem to do a lot of cutting edge genetics research these days. But that's not me.

Computers and games is where I'm headed.

And

Do what you love but be careful, don't wind up like this guy http://finance.yahoo.com/news/this-bright-eyed-young-man-was-utterly-demolished-by-student-loans.html

my sister was destroyed by student loans before it was cool. Still is.