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My step-son, who is 18, is doing a make-up year (Geometry in the Fall, followed by Algebra and Pre-Cal in the Winter) after finishing high school with generally great marks, with hopes of getting accepted into Computer Science or Computer Engineering next year.

I'm going to be brutually honest: I don't think he has a good shot at it, unless things have changed drastically since I went to school. (University of Waterloo, Ontario -- admitted in 1991). Computer Science and Computer Engineering are hard programs to get into; or were 15 years ago.

Frankly, your son doesn't have "great marks" by University standards if he's forced to repeat courses. Computer Engineering might have loosened it's requirements, but it used to require a high school average somewhere in the 95-97% range: and repeated courses would definately count less than regular ones.

Waterloo might not be typical of CS programs, but since it places it's Computer Science department in the Faculty of Mathematics, high marks in all 3 Grade 13 math courses (or whatever the grade 12 equivalents are now) were the key to admissions: I "only" had marks in the high 80s, and I just squeaked into the program (and just squeaked out, too, but that's another story...)

A CS or Comp. Eng. degree isn't required to be a programmer. On the other hand, if he isn't showing signs of interest by now (like writing his own code on his own inititive), is he really that interested, or is he just trying to please his Dad? I started designing my first computer games at age 13, before I even had access to a computer. I even taught myself some rudimentary assembly language by age 16; because I was interested. By age 18, I wasn't considering learning C; I had already written my first 3D graphics game in it. Your son just doesn't sound that interested in programmming.

What are his plans for the future? In a year from now, when you send him out in the world to make his fortune (at school or elsewhere), how does he plan to support himself? How does he plan to manage the finances that he's saved for this point in his life, and what are his contingency plans? At this point in his life, as he's about to join the adult world and be held accountable as an adult: what steps has he taken to ensure that he's ready? He's not a kid anymore...

I think those questions are more important to ask, and be answered, than any sort of idealized "career plan" that may or may not be valid in the next ten years...

Just my $0.02.

--
Ytrew


In reply to Re: How do I get my teenager interested in software development? by Anonymous Monk
in thread How do I get my teenager interested in software development? by talexb

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