Finally going to tech college.

[Pirate King Atomsk]

So I applied and was accepted for a Pell grant, I finished the majority of my paperwork, and my orientation is next Wednesday. I'm going for an Associates Degree in Applied Sciences for Information Communication Technology. Is anyone else in that particular field? I'm stoked to be going back to school, especially for computers. I took a look at the lab today and it looks real nice. Any advice from people in the computer troubleshooting/repair business would be greatly helpful.

[EvB]

GO PIRATE!

I stared with an AS in Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology - and have worked in IT.  These days technical communication is more what I do (instructions, presentations etc . . .) and I'm getting an M Ed to specialize in Education Tech.

They all kind of blur into each other - and the skills from one apply to the other.

One thing I will say: GOOD FOR YOU for going the associate's route!  When you get an associate's first - you get your hands dirty right away - and learn theory from the practice.  If you want more theory, or specialization, later - you can always get it - full or part time.  In fact - I have the job I have now because of my "hands on" background. 

I work with a bunch of PhD computer scientists turning academic jargon into plain English for the general public - and putting up websites for them that people can actually navigate, read and USE.

Don't get me wrong - I have nothing but respect for these people.  Sometimes even braincell envy - but Universities are often long on theory and short on practice.  I LOVE being the go-to girl when some brainiac has all the pieces of something truly innovative - and no idea how to pull it together to show it to anyone other than their colleagues.

An OH!  BTW - When I was in IT, I worked at a college - and once in a great while some asshole would pull some snob attitude with a comment like "But you didn't even have to do advanced calculus!"  My reply was usually "No, but I have a soldering iron and know how to use it - would you like a demo?"

But most people I work with respect what I do - and I am in awe of them.

[Pirate King Atomsk]

Thank you!

Yeah, the associate's degree is only like 5 extra courses versus the technical diploma, and 3 of them are a breeze. I figured, hey, if the state's paying, why not? We'll see how it all works out though. I still haven't gotten a quote on my Pell funding yet, but I expect it to be generous enough to cover most of the costs for a technical college. I'm just happy things are finally starting to come to fruition for my secondary education.