Congratulations BUU, not just on finishing high school, but on taking the first big step towards starting a career.

Most of the responses here have been from people who appear to have a solid computer background. So here is one from somebody who has NO training in computers at all.

Academic qualifications and training of any sort only tells us, as employers, one thing. You can sit in a class room and write the necessary exams to pass. FACT - over 85% of college or university graduates never make a full-time living out of what they are "qualified" for. FACT - ask an HR person and they will tell you that qualifications older than 7 years are no longer relevant on your CV. At least that is what they tell me.

The solutions are simple. You need academic qualificantions - to show that you are prepared to go beyond high school level study. You need to remember that approximately 20% of American high school graduates are illiterate - so being able to succeed at beyond high school level is an indication that you are at least literate! College or Univsersity does not actually teach you anything - it teaches you how to learn. If you can learn and continually prove that then you will succeed.

To get an early job be prepared to do anything for nothing (at least in the US or such places where that is legal!). Find a local non-profit or volunteer organisation that needs some help with a web-site or programme of some sort and volunteer to do it. But make sure you complete it and document it! Don't just pursue computing knowledge, find other areas of interest to you and study them as well. Look for example, at Lincoln Stein of CGI.pm fame, is he a computer person? Nope! He is a medical researcher and genetic scientist.

Good luck, don't worry, with an attitude like yours I feel sure you will make it!

jdtoronto