[CS-FSLUG] Seeking opinions

[Nathan T.]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, the replies were much better than
I had hoped for.

I'd just like to add two things to this, the first being that while my
parents seem to insist I get a car, I have never prioritized that and
I could easily wait on getting one until after I graduate or until I
absolutely need one. The second thing is that I'm glad to have gotten
the advice on the difference between a school that's going to try and
get me certificates, and a school that will focus more on theory. I
realized while reading this that I'm going to post secondary for me,
I'd love for it to lead to a well paying job, but in truth my passion
has been programming and that is what I want to become good at. For
this reason I think I will be looking more at a CIS type course, and I
will want to attend a school with a good focus on the theory.

I can relate some of the theory vs. certification with an event from
my own life, I was trying to figure out how telnet worked a while ago
and using Ruby and the Microsoft telnet client I managed to get
something working, but assuming the Microsoft telnet client was
working properly, I really didn't understand telnet enough to make a
good server. I know a lot about how to work with code, and I love
programming, it's like a complicated puzzle to me and I find it very
satisfying, but my books teach me the application and now how things
work. I do want to get into a school which teaches the theory as well
as the techniques, and I want to aim for what is mainly a programming
course.

If I haven't said this already, I would like to know about other
schools. Alternatives in Canada and the United States that would suit
what I'm looking for. I do prefer smaller towns but I won't limit
myself to only those. I am not adverse to going to a Bible college;
however, I would like to attend a school which will have a good return
(ie: job with a good wage) for the tuition cost. Very importantly
though, I am 19 and only now finishing high school, I definitely want
to to attend a good school, but I must admit shorter courses have some
appeal.

Right now I'm going with the flow, but I've learned that passively
taking what you get isn't always the best course of action (it tends
to lead to a couch, video games, and life wasted). I'd like to feel at
least somewhat involved in this instead of simply waiting and counting
on God to act upon my inaction.