[CS-FSLUG] Seeking opinions

[Ed Hurst]

Nathan T. wrote:

> - The cost of living; If I'm not mistaken Alberta is having an
> economic boom, and Calgary is huge, so wages may be high, but the cost
> of living may still be too high for me.

Not an issue if God is leading. However, that's not to say it won't
worry you, and you won't have some tough scrapes. Frankly, doing crazy
things on the edge of poverty is what college years of life are for.
You'll never know God's provision until there's nothing else to save you
from disaster. You'll learn to be comfortable on a lot less.

> - Being alone; I'll have services available at school, but what I need
> are a few close friends I can trust. I don't have much in the way of
> skill when it comes to making them in school, in two and half years in
> Prince Albert I had several acquaintances, but only one friend I would
> see outside of those four walls.

College is a winnowing place. Just getting in requires some measure of
maturity. You'll always meet people out to victimize you, but I honestly
believe you'll find folks far less petty and spiteful in college. The
ones who are petty will be fewer in number.

> - Getting lost; OK, so it won't impress anyone living on Montreal,
> Ontario, Ottawa or any big cities in the states, but the place really
> is big for my standards. Even with a map I'd be worried about getting
> lost. I grew up in small towns for the most part, one fair sized city,
> and now I'm in Yellowknife which is somewhere in the middle. I've
> never done more than pass through a town close to the size of Calgary
> and that was in a car or truck being driven by someone else.

You'll have to develop your map skills, or learn how to ask directions.
Once you've taken a route a couple of times, it'll stick in your mind.
Unlike those other cities, with a more European layout which follows the
landscape, Calgary is a grid. Aside from the river running through town,
the layout is mostly on a square grid system. Once you know the major
thoroughfares, the rest is pretty easy.

> I will say this, I'm currently undecided on whether to take courses
> around Computer Information Systems (mostly business class
> programming), or Computer Engineering Technology (less programming,
> more electronics, hopefully some material on writing device drivers).
> The DeVry Representative has hinted that they may be getting courses
> on game programming, I have two books on that already, one using Qt
> and the other using Allegro, it is an interest of mine but not one I
> think would be a good source of income. What I fear the most is
> getting in just to find out that CET is done with the Visual Basic
> language.

Write letters to the folks there. Ask their opinion; let them sound you
out on what you do best. That's a very important part of their job.


-- 
Ed Hurst
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