Studying Computer Programming

[Oddball]

Computer Systems, Electronic/Electrical and Software, all describe what you've asked, make a time with one of their staff to sit down for a yarn.
 

 wait till you're 20, then you get UE for free.

if that's still a year or so away, work, have fun, earn some money and buy things/save for things that will make studying more comfortable



I also agree with Rii, you will get some seriously terrible lecturers, guess what? no one gives a shit, you still have to pass.

I'm 25 It's not the fact that I don't have entrance, it's the fact I don't know the contents of what was in those classes.

I'll go talk to them about the bachelor of engineering (hons) with computer systems specialization and see what they say. I'm sure they will have papers I can do.


Edit: I'm going to go in in the next 30 mins to talk with them, I'll write down what questions I should ask; anything anyone can think of in particular I might forget?

So far I've got
1: Pre-entry catch up papers
2: My background and what I want to do, interests etc and what they can recommend
3: Can they show me examples of what I'd be doing in the course, if possible, such as previous student work

Anything else is just talking to them in general.

[Retardobot]

Why do you want to study the course?

[Oddball]

Why do you want to study the course?

Because it's something that's always interested me, and because I know if I get through it I'll come out with a decent job in an area that I'd enjoy, presumably.

[Growler]

WHERERERE ARE DA TROLOLOLOLS AT?

[Growler]

Not even any YOUR MOMMA jokes yet

[Oddball]

WHERERERE ARE DA TROLOLOLOLS AT?

People have tried.

[Growler]

Hey OB, do you have a student loan from your 3D course?

[Oddball]

Hey OB, do you have a student loan from your 3D course?

Sure do unfortunately. Thing to consider is the debt from doing this, + the debt from my last course, will be paid off faster on the income from this course than only my old debt on the income from 3d

[Retardobot]

Because it's something that's always interested me, and because I know if I get through it I'll come out with a decent job in an area that I'd enjoy, presumably.

Not good enough.

A programme coordinator is not going to accept that as a valid reason for wanting admission.

[Oddball]

Not good enough.

A programme coordinator is not going to accept that as a valid reason for wanting admission.

Well you aren't a programme coordinator, and I mean that as in I wasn't saying that to one as well

[Retardobot]

Sure, whatever.

You're going into this pissing into the wind. Your lack of quals and school work don't paint a pretty picture so a programme coordinator isn't going to be able to distinguish that you're passionate about the subject and know what you want by just looking at your academic record. You're going to basically have to interview for your acceptance. Simply saying "because I like it" isn't going to wash. you have to convince them that you're up to it and will be seeing it through.

Be thankful you don't have to write a 2000 word essay, spend 2hrs filling out applications and provide character/work references as well as applying for scholarships, it's what I've been doing and am currently doing and have had Skype meetings, countless emails and phone conversations with programme coordinators across various unis, and they always asked the same thing - "why do you want to study this"?.

If you can't properly convince yourself why you want it, you're not going to be able to convince anyone else.

[Oddball]

Sure, whatever.

You're going into this pissing into the wind. Your lack of quals and school work don't paint a pretty picture so a programme coordinator isn't going to be able to distinguish that you're passionate about the subject and know what you want by just looking at your academic record. You're going to basically have to interview for your acceptance. Simply saying "because I like it" isn't going to wash. you have to convince them that you're up to it and will be seeing it through.

Be thankful you don't have to write a 2000 word essay, spend 2hrs filling out applications and provide character/work references as well as applying for scholarships, it's what I've been doing and am currently doing and have had Skype meetings, countless emails and phone conversations with programme coordinators across various unis, and they always asked the same thing - "why do you want to study this"?.

Don't get me wrong, I'm only implying that by the time I actually apply I'll have an appropriate answer, at this point I'm not even 100% sure I want to study that, and I'm not going in to interview just to enquire. Part of the point of this is to find out, in a way, the answer to the question you asked but in reverse, I'm figuring out what I want to study.

Anyway, I'm off to have a talk with them

[Retardobot]

It's tough figuring out what exactly you want to study. Talking to those who deliver the content can be an amazing resource.

It's made easier by figuring out what you want to do with the qualification you end up gaining. What sort of job you hope to gain from it. Is it for a better pay check, to take up employment outside of NZ, or just to put off entering the work force (professional student)?

[mattnz]

Where do you get the idea of this programme coordinator jealously guarding the entrance to the first-year of undergraduate degrees?

[Retardobot]

Where do you get the idea of this programme coordinator jealously guarding the entrance to the first-year of undergraduate degrees?

I've really just pulled it out of my arse.

No actually, it was in a Terry Pratchet book I read once.

But seriously, if you order a no.9 from the BK menu and ask them to hold the pickle they'll lay it out straight for you.

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

If you're 25, it's pretty easy to get into study.

They see you as a big dollar sign.

[Oddball]

Well I just got back and things are looking up. In a way.


I went to the faculty of engineering and had a talk with someone there. The first thing she said was 'what do you want to do' as I believe someone already mentioned she would. The next thing she said was to do a bachelor of science with a computer science major, like her first reaction is to get rid of anyone trying to get in - she later mentioned a lot of people want in there - so I told her the points bounty had mentioned about the extra year being worth it and she conceded.

TLDR is that I have to go to summer school, do MATHS 102 and PHYSICS 103 (or may have to do 102 instead she said) which apparently will be very hard having 4 hours of lecture a day but is doable. I convinced her I work hard and can do it. Then following that I have to be enrolled in a bachelor of science and not engineering to do math 108 and physics 120 as well as two other papers. Apparently SCIGEN 101G is strongly recommended[/u] (printed just like that). The fourth paper she recommended for me is COMPSCI 101 which is 'principles of programming'.

Their requirements are quite strict all along the way, so of course I have to work hard but I see no reason I can't do it - if, as said, I work hard.

Following that, I can then transfer from a bachelor of science into engineering, assuming they allow it.

The good thing here is that failing the transfer into engineering I can continue on with doing comp sci.

Thoughts?

[Bounty Hunter]

Well I just got back and things are looking up. In a way.


I went to the faculty of engineering and had a talk with someone there. The first thing she said was 'what do you want to do' as I believe someone already mentioned she would. The next thing she said was to do a bachelor of science with a computer science major, like her first reaction is to get rid of anyone trying to get in - she later mentioned a lot of people want in there - so I told her the points bounty had mentioned about the extra year being worth it and she conceded.

TLDR is that I have to go to summer school, do MATHS 102 and PHYSICS 103 (or may have to do 102 instead she said) which apparently will be very hard having 4 hours of lecture a day but is doable. I convinced her I work hard and can do it. Then following that I have to be enrolled in a bachelor of science and not engineering to do math 108 and physics 120 as well as two other papers. Apparently SCIGEN 101G is strongly recommended (printed just like that). The fourth paper she recommended for me is COMPSCI 101 which is 'principles of programming'.

Their requirements are quite strict all along the way, so of course I have to work hard but I see no reason I can't do it - if, as said, I work hard.

Following that, I can then transfer from a bachelor of science into engineering, assuming they allow it.

The good thing here is that failing the transfer into engineering I can continue on with doing comp sci.

Thoughts?

Math 102: http://www.math.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/home/about/our-courses/stage-1-courses#s2c2
Physics 102: http://www.calendar.auckland.ac.nz/courses/prescriptions/science/physics.html (Couldnt find 103? maybe it isn't offered anymore/may have been merged with another paper)

Good work!

I do an average of 4.6 hours a day including lectures, labs and tutorials, then on top of that there's hours and hours of study and homework.

Over summer it'll blow cause it'll be a nice day and you'll be stuck inside studying (even when you're not in lectures), I did it one summer and my old employer hated me up and leaving half way through the day for an hour or 2 "awwe but daaaave it's just uniiii....." I knew right then to get out asap.

But that seems a pretty legit way to go about it.

Give it a think for a few days, check out what other people have suggested, Massey etc, do the same thing with those places as you did with AUT (or ring and talk to someone, they'll usually send out an information pack)

Rii is about right with his gatekeeper person, I had to do a take home test to get into the cup course maths paper I did, fuuuuck I could ace it these days, it asked you to like draw a graph of 2sin(x) or something cool

[private_hell]

just remember if you want to transfer from the BSc into the BEng, Auckland will require a B+ or A (i forget which one auckland is) average across your papers in first year - passing the papers isnt good enough

[Oddball]

Are you getting AUT confused with University of Auckland?

I'm wondering if the math and physics courses are even too advanced for me, I really got no education in the area. I can add multiply subtract and divide, little more.

Only thing is there's really nothing more basic than that, asides from math 101, and if I do that then it'll mess up the whole plan.

I wouldn't mind ending up in computer science, the extra year coming off would be a relief, but I'll still push for it as it sets me up better for the future.

Gah, decisions. I don't even know what 2sin(x) is

[Oddball]

just remember if you want to transfer from the BSc into the BEng, Auckland will require a B+ or A (i forget which one auckland is) average across your papers in first year - passing the papers isnt good enough

I think it was a B average with B+ in math and physics.

[Bounty Hunter]

Are you getting AUT confused with University of Auckland?

I'm wondering if the math and physics courses are even too advanced for me, I really got no education in the area. I can add multiply subtract and divide, little more.

Only thing is there's really nothing more basic than that, asides from math 101, and if I do that then it'll mess up the whole plan.

I wouldn't mind ending up in computer science, the extra year coming off would be a relief, but I'll still push for it as it sets me up better for the future.

Gah, decisions. I don't even know what 2sin(x) is

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2sin%28x%29

Yeah you'll be fine in that maths paper, tbh all the maths I do is just add, subtract, multiply and divide except we call it other things like Gaussian elimination and laplace transforms.

ironically the more advanced maths you do, the easier it gets, cause more advanced maths makes easier things easier to do.....yeah I need to get back to this dumb code.

I think it was a B average with B+ in math and physics.

Canterbury requires a B average to be guaranteed a spot in whatever school of ninjaneering you want.

I didn't get the B average, but I did get enough to get one of the spots left over once everyone else had decided on what they wanted to do, plus generally mechanical is the hardest to get in to.

This year though I'm going hard and sitting waaaaaaaaay further up

[toofast]

The level of skill needed for first year engineering is being fairly competent with everything covered in L3 NCEA Calculus and Physics. I would say coming in with that level of knowledge would give you a fair chance, otherwise you will struggle. Most of the first year engineering papers (at UoA) are pretty maths based, so i would say you would have to hone up with maths skills a lot. Having decent maths skills (and the basic to remember basic knowledge), will easily give you an A- average in first year eng. I would say  

I think doing summer school is a good idea, since it gives you a easy chance to see what level of skills you need. Just reading that intro to those papers, they sound like they are at the same level of L3.

[Tiwaking!]

Diploma would probably be a good place to start. It'll teach you the basics.

Once you have the underlying knowledge, API's become your friend and learning just becomes a thing you do without realising it.

I mentioned .NET, and I'm going to get shot by Tiwa for doing so. BUT, it's a very corporate framework, and it's easy to learn with plenty of examples. C# is my preference, but I learnt VB.NET in 2 days (after knowing C#.NET for ~ year) There is a huge amount of jobs for .NET developers and our universities seem to be churning out Java developers, which leaves an area that is in demand at the moment. If you choose this route, do it quickly because I foresee in a year or two it will be much harder to get a .NET job

Once you learn one language, you can read and interpret almost every other language there is.


EDIT: I concur with the Monkey

One of the reasons why I havent waded into this thread with links to useful information and encouragement is the use of C#, which is a language I hate because:
C# is an authoritarian and strict language - This is one of the things I hate hate, a Lawful Neutral programming language which clashes with my Chaotic Neutral beliefs.
However: Xeno is correct: There are TONS of jobs for C# and .NET and, especially, XNA, but it seems that Oddball has run into the first hurdle of C#

There must be more to life than cut/paste/import!
In C#: No. No there is not. Here is an example of a video game in development by some 13 year olds written in C#:
http://www.moddb.com/games/rathguarde


The other reason I havent added to this thread is Retardobots spot on observation of the seeming aimlessness of Oddballs goals.
Universities do not exist to let you 'find' yourself - Thats what Polytechs are for. Polytechs provide a vast choice of subjects with a more broad and practical goal orientated skill base.

BE AWARE: At university you are probably going to be on your own. Oh, who am I kidding: You're doing computer science: You'll DEFINITELY be on your own. If you're looking for a like minded social learning environment then your best place to start would be on the Internet, especially


YouTube

And you have now met a Program Manager. It is the Program Managers job to screen potentially unacceptable students/clients. The last thing you want in your class is insane, smelly hobo which may sound ridiculous, but has been known to happen.


Also you will find that there are some people who very rarely turn up to class and have questionable reasons for even studying a paper.


Dont be one of those people.


OH! And are you actually signing up for MONEY or INTERESTS sake?

[Bell]

C# is awesome, as usual I have no idea what Tiwaking is ranting about.
If you want to be a games programmer you need C++ and you need a shit ton of passion.