Pinball Wizard's Journal: Back to School

Well, I've been admitted into computer science at UNM and am back on track to get my degree. If you read my Religion journal entry, you'll recall that my future looked uncertain(to me at least). I did have to take time off work and go talk to several people, but other than the time it took to make the appointments and see the advisors/professors necessary to let me back in it wasn't too painful. I know its nothing to a lot of you but I was a bit worried there. I didn't want to face the prospect of not being able to continue my education.

The downside is, since I am switching from computer engineering to computer science I've got 2.5 to 3 years to go still because the requirements are quite different. I need a minor now, plus I need a foreign language, a fine art, and either public speaking, technical writing or creative writing. I could do either a comp engineering minor or a math minor which would give me a leg up on completing the minor. Not sure I want to though - I'm thinking I would like something significantly different, perhaps a business minor to round out the degree.

At any rate, thanks for everyone who was supportive when I wrote that last journal. Moral of the story: stay in school(if you're in school) and don't let life get in the way of acheiving your dreams. It's much easier to slog through than it is to go back after you've given up and dropped out.

Go for the Math Minor

[FortKnox]

Math Minor + CompSci looks good. Only take a compE minor if you plan on working on hardware.

And TAKE TECHNICAL WRITING!!!

It was the best class I ever took. Especially, if you'd ever like to take a managment-type role. It really shows you exactly how to write business and professional documents (from memos to writing letters to lay people off).

Re:Go for the Math Minor

[Pinball Wizard]

Thanks for the tips. In fact I signed up for public speaking, but I'm gonna switch based on your recommendation.

Good luck

[s20451]

You might want to take the CompEng minor if you're interested in software engineering. I can't speak for your school, but in my experience the CompSci's turn up their nose at project management, and prefer to concentrate on theoretical computing. My further suggestion would be to think about what you want to take, not just what would look good on a resume. This is for two reasons: firstly, you need all the motivation you can get when you're up at 3 AM doing a project or studying for an exam; and secondly, university should be about broadening your horizons, not just about getting a job. That is perhaps a quaint notion, though. Best of luck.