Questions, questions, questions galore!

[RhettLAN]

Greetings and salutations, my name is Rhett. I'm 15 years old, a sophmore in highschool, and i'm wanting to get into the technology line of work. I have tinkered around quite a bit and these tinkerings have resulted in: A one level game, a Web Browser, a CD player made from an old CD ROM drive and an old power supply, a few fake websites, and various other things. But its rather hard to get a job when you don't have an education in that field. I'm interested mostly in these things: Software Design, Game Design, Electrical engineer, and Technology design(not sure if thats an actual thing, i'm talking about the people who design things like the Surface and such. maybe that falls under Electrical Engineering). So my questions are: What sort of degree/education should i get before pursuing a career in these fields? What is the workplace like in each of these jobs? What exactly do you do? And what would you advise a student like myself to start doing right now? Thank you for your input in advance, i really appreciate it.

~RL

 

[jaeusm]

What sort of degree/education should i get before pursuing a career in these fields?

You should pursue a bachelor's degree in the field that interests you most. It's a mistake to think that a particular college major locks you into a particular career path.

For software development, a bachelor's degree in computer science is the most commonly pursued. However, you may also be interested in studying computer engineering, electrical engineering, or software engineering. None of those would prevent you from obtaining a job as a software developer.

What is the workplace like in each of these jobs?

There is no standard. Workplaces vary from employer to employer.

What exactly do you do?

I develop software for a living.

And what would you advise a student like myself to start doing right now?

Learn the fundamentals as best you can. I would recommend a structured approach so that you don't develop "holes" in your knowledge that could potentially cause you problems later. There is so much information available online that it can be difficult to know where to start, where to go next, or what to start with in the first place.

Choose a language, and get a good introductory book. Take your time, and work through the book. Do the projects and exercises, and study consistently.

 

[RhettLAN]

You should pursue a bachelor's degree in the field that interests you most. It's a mistake to think that a particular college major locks you into a particular career path.

For software development, a bachelor's degree in computer science is the most commonly pursued. However, you may also be interested in studying computer engineering, electrical engineering, or software engineering. None of those would prevent you from obtaining a job as a software developer.


There is no standard. Workplaces vary from employer to employer.


I develop software for a living.


Learn the fundamentals as best you can. I would recommend a structured approach so that you don't develop "holes" in your knowledge that could potentially cause you problems later. There is so much information available online that it can be difficult to know where to start, where to go next, or what to start with in the first place.

Choose a language, and get a good introductory book. Take your time, and work through the book. Do the projects and exercises, and study consistently.

Thanks a lot for your advice!