[CS-FSLUG] Seeking opinions

[Legatus]

Nathan T. wrote:
> Out of the three groups to have come by my school, the DeVry
> representatives definitely reached out the most, they stuck around
> during lunch, answered my questions, and invited me to a presentation
> they were holding in the evening in which they were able to tell me a
> lot. As it happens I'm going to be receiving some study books from
> them soon so I can write placement exams. This all happened so quickly
> I think things must have fallen into place very much on their own, and
> just as icing on the cake, someone from the church we went to on
> Easter who is familiar to the family has offered to set me up with
> some connections in Calgary Alberta where the nearest DeVry is
> located. I do have many concerns though, these include but are not
> limited to:

DeVry is a fine school, but keep in mind, that do not teach as much 
theory as a traditional college. This may sound attractive, but the 
theory doesn't change like the technology does. This makes the seemingly 
constantly changing technology world seem to change a lot less.

> - 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.

Can't offer much on the COL in Alberta. If you were coming to Kansas 
City, I could tell you it isn't bad.

> - 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.

You are not alone in that. Most students going to college have these 
feelings to one degree or another. Why do you think fraternities have a 
constant flow of people.

> - 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.

Getting lost isn't so bad. That is how I have learned my way around most 
cities I have been in. Have a map, and learn the key landmarks of where 
you live, and you should be able to get back without starving to death 
in your car.

> 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.

I'm a geek, so go for the geeky stuff. CET