Should I go hardware or software?

[jad1097]

I am looking into going to school soon and I would like some opinons on this. I am undecided weather to go the software path or hardware path. this is what my Brother-IN-Law said.
"Classes - I took pretty much everything I could. What you have to
decide is whether you want to take the hardware path or the software path.

For hardware you need to take everything you can find for Novell, NT,
Cicso, etc...

For software you need to take C++, VB, Java. From there you can pick up
VBScript, JavaScript, ActiveServerPages (ASP) and JavaServerPages (JSP). If
you can learn COM and ActiveX that's a huge plus."

I know it will take a couple of years of school. I like doing webpages and such so I kind of want the software path. But I also like to work with my hands, building computers and such. Some of you have seen some of my pages and I would like to think they are well done but are they close to being professional. I don't think so.
Well how can I get my "foot in the door". How to I prep myself. I am not sure what to expect at an interveiw or such. TIA



[This message has been edited by jad1097 (edited 01-13-2000).]

[RobFM]

I'm personally going to the software side because i want to make games. If that falls through though, i would go into making PC's. It was a hard decision for me at the time, but there weren't many degree courses that tailored to hardware.

[Donkey]

Both are something you can do as a hobby but i think it is easier to become a hardware expert in your free time (just look at all the people on this board who do it all for fun) than it is to become a software expert.
Yes you can learn a lot of languages on your own but you also have the problem of teaching your self bad habits so a little instructiona dn guidance it always good. I would (and eventually am) go on the software route but still tinker and keep my hand in on the hardware side of things as a hobby.
you can always go back and do the hardware stuff after. You are never forced to keep going in software if you decide that you really want to built huge networks by yourself to take over the world!!!!

[tonym]

jad1097,

In order to decide what you'd like to do I suggest you take a hardware course (e.g. "Introductory Electonics/Computer, etc.") and a software course "Introductory Visual Basic/C/HTML/etc." at you local community college and see what you like. Sometimes you never know how much you'll like something until you actually try it!

And if you're reluctant to do it for "credit", audit the courses...it's your future and you'd like to get the most from your money.

But beyond all this...HAVE FUN and don't be afraid to take the classes that *you* want to take (colleges *are* flexible about reasonable curriculums no matter what they say in their catalogs!!!).

Good luck...


Tony

[jad1097]

Tonym, sounds like a very good sugestion. I have learned a little HTML. As for college I am not sure if I can get in.I have been looking into tech schools.
I downloaded Python 1.52 last night to try to get a better idea of programming. Is this a good place to start? It was free.I don't think I will able to start school until this summer or fall. I am also going to look into HTML today.

[deep_sky]

i am enrolled in a program that is on the software side because there were no other computer related degrees at my school. i am not the best programmer, especially at C++. I like dealing with databases better. But it is harder to become an expert in the software developer side because languages can be very obscure, and there is always several ways to solve a problem. with hardware, if a computer does not work, it is much easier to determine what is the bad component, and when it is broke, the only way to solve the problem is to replace it. simple. now i am not saying that hardware is simple. my computer drives me nuts on a regular basis because something or other does not feel like working on any given day. but look at all the people here who are experts by experience by dealing with their own systems and fixing others'. computers are my hobby and one day it will become my profession. if you are interested in all the hardware questions and solutions that are on this board, then you are more likely to like hardware. but one can never tell.
take tonym's suggestion and audit a couple classes at your local junior college and see what you would like to study for the next 4 years. i wish i could have done hardware, but i feel that i am more well-rounded because i am close to getting a degree on the software side and my hobby is hardware.
good luck in your decision!!

[tonym]

Hardare or software chooses you...you don't choose them! I got my BSEE 20+ years ago, my MSEE 15+ years ago and currently working on my PhD -- and still can't fully decide hardware or software. When I was undergrad, we still had IBM mainframes, teletype input devices and *&^%$#@*$$! punchcards, and the 4004 was the uP du jour! As for software, took assembly, Pascal and some Cobol, but never warmed up to programming. So, I gravitated to semiconductors/physics. i became a "hardware guy".

Designed high-reliability microelectronics for the military/space/avionics marketplace for many years -- all the major aircraft and weapons programs, then went into the computer industry. I've always been a "hardware guy" who does some software. This can be good or bad, depending upon the climate at the company you work for! And any software knowledge I gained was self-taught from my bookshelf and trusty PC!!

If you want to start learning ASAP...go to your local big-chain bookstore (touchy-feely IS important, stay away from .com booksellers unless you want the big suprise via UPS) and get the shrink-wrapped Microsoft or SAMS book/software combos like "Learning Visual Basic 6.0" or "Mastering C++". These are a great starting point.

Then ***** around* with the software and build your personal knowledge base. You'll be suprised how much you can learn self-paced, and I'm sure you'll be chomping at the bit to register for the next semester!

Good luck...

Tony

[mattheadfat]

all you need is q-basic, it's good for everything, and soon it will solve world hunger

[jad1097]

is'nt q-basic olddos?