Anyone know or been to Devry University for Computer Design or any other related classes? - Developers

I will hopefully be going to Devry University for classes similar too: Electronics and Computer Technology Computer Design Network Management/Security Web Design Business Class Ect... Maybe someone could give me a little knowledge on what to look forward to or some tips?

look forward to wasting all your money at a for profit college.

Yes. Go to an accredited state university or college. And I'm not trying to be a dick with this suggestion, most employers will not take your resume seriously if DeVry is where you gained your education from.

[QUOTE=DarkCybo7;40048319]Yes. Go to an accredited state university or college. And I'm not trying to be a dick with this suggestion, most employers will not take your resume seriously if DeVry is where you gained your education from.[/QUOTE] Why would I want to waste my time working for someone else? I want to start an actual business and make real money.

[QUOTE=find me;40055417]Why would I want to waste my time working for someone else? I want to start an actual business and make real money.[/QUOTE] If you look at anyone who's made it big in the programming industry, the one thing they have in common, is that they all worked long and hard for industry giants. I'm not saying you can't go straight out the gates and make it big, just that industry experience is invaluable when becoming independent. Gabe Newell worked for Microsoft, Notch worked for King.com, John Carmack worked (and still works) for id Software. Then there's our own Garry of course, but if you look at the big picture, he's the exception, not the rule. To think that you can roll straight out of university and into a pile of indie-made millions is really naïve.

[QUOTE=Dr Magnusson;40055485]If you look at anyone who's made it big in the programming industry, the one thing they have in common, is that they all worked long and hard for industry giants. I'm not saying you can't go straight out the gates and make it big, just that industry experience is invaluable when becoming independent. Gabe Newell worked for Microsoft, Notch worked for King.com, John Carmack worked (and still works) for id Software. Then there's our own Garry of course, but if you look at the big picture, he's the exception, not the rule. To think that you can roll straight out of university and into a pile of indie-made millions is really naïve.[/QUOTE] Have you ever been to college?

[QUOTE=find me;40055565]Have you ever been to college?[/QUOTE] Yes....yes! Attack the individual! Question his credentials!

You'd be better off going to a community college. [editline]27th March 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=ChristopherB;40055630]Yes....yes! Attack the individual! Question his credentials![/QUOTE] it could have just been a question

[QUOTE=find me;40055565]Have you ever been to college?[/QUOTE] I don't see how that's relevant, but no, I haven't.

[QUOTE=find me;40055417]Why would I want to waste my time working for someone else? I want to start an actual business and make real money.[/QUOTE] Go for it.

[QUOTE=find me;40055565]Have you ever been to college?[/QUOTE] That's not at all relevant, but his advice is spot on. I'm currently a freshman at RPI doing a GSAS (games) / Computer Science dual major and I would have given you the exact same advice. [editline]27th March 2013[/editline] And you can learn most of that stuff for free on your own, going to a nicer college/university helps you a lot with networking. You'll meet and become friends with people who can help you out later on in your career.

[QUOTE=Dr Magnusson;40056397]I don't see how that's relevant, but no, I haven't.[/QUOTE] So then how are you going to give me advice on something you know nothing about? You haven't experienced it and from all I know your knowledge is home brewed. Not to mention I'm 19, not like 35 or some shit. As well I've never done well in high school so college would actually be an actual step up for me in learning new things. And because I did not do well in high school I don't have a bunch of Yale offerings and crap like that, so telling me to go to a real college is not going to work out in my situation. Another thing is I've worked with computers, and mostly games since I was about 12 so I feel like it is a hobby I could expand on more than any other thing I can do in life. Because I don't think being a big bmx star is in my reach, especially since I live in a place where I can only ride 3-6 months of the summer since it snows. Also, I know how to learn things on my own on the computer. But I'm not trying to learn a whole damn college degree online from Google. I do want to expand on me actually doing research online, but how am I going to do that on things I want to learn and know nothing about. Filtering out the crap and fake garbage is annoying and not something I want to waste my time doing when I have a job. Yes I could learn everything online, or I could cut the time down learning this shit by just going to college. By the time 2.8 years is up I'll probably be just learning new things if I taught myself. After 2.8 years in college I'll still only be 21 and have a great foundation to work off of when trying to teach myself even more new things. See I'm not looking for anymore trash troll posts from the home brewers. Yes maybe you are smarter than me in a certain field and probably taught yourself in it, made some accomplishments, saved some money not going to college. But that's not what I want to do anymore, I want a real foundation in one of my favorite hobbies. Knowing a bunch of random algorithms and stuff I find isn't going to be as useful as a put together class made to at least teach the basics in a certain area. Networking is one thing I know next to nothing about, I can barely open up a port. So yea any college could teach me a lot of stuff from where I am at right now. And that is one of the core classes at Devry in the flex program I want to go into, network management, network security, ect. Sounds good to me, and that's only two of the hundred classes related to the study I want to get in to. And even if I don't get taught the most up to date stuff, I will still have something to branch off of after I get out of college. Also thank you robmaister12 for actually giving me some real input. Even though Devry might not be an amazing school, it is still a school which could probably teach me a lot that I don't know. Basic web design, networking, game development, ect. My experience in game development would be my knowledge of Garry's Mod, my experience in the rest of those three topics is next to nothing. I'm going to do a little research on Devry and maybe some other colleges but for the education in the amount of time, and cost they provide is more than enough for me right now to get in to. ChristopherB, yea I will question his credentials because I wouldn't want to get advice from some sit at home do nothing which online forums, [I]believe it or not[/I], can produce a lot of. Maybe you should tell me a little about your credentials? Yea you got a good post in, way to go funny man, but that doesn't help me with something I'm sincerely and genuinely looking for answers and information on.

Both Kybalt and DarkCybo's points still stand. You should at least go somewhere that has state accreditation. You might want to start your own business, but just because Dr Magnusson doesn't have a degree doesn't make his point invalid. The majority that make it big have worked for someone else first, you have to learn to lead before you can lead. You don't need a college degree to know that. Even if you are 100% sure you are going to start your own business, think of it this way. What are you doing to do if it fails? Hopefully it doesn't but you cannot ignore the possibility of failure, if you can't get your business off the ground and you need a steady paycheck for a while you'll need a state accredited degree to back up your claims and score you a job. If you're wondering, I'm getting my degree in Computer Science and I've been to talks in my city and talked with developers, they're looking for people with degrees and experience. Regardless, a lot of 'homebrewers' know their shit and your talk about them is coming off pretty rude. Almost everyone in this section is the exactly fucking same as you, they've been programming since they were 7 or 12 or 14 years of age and they love what they do. [B]TL;DR[/B] It's one thing to have a goal in mind, but what happens if you don't reach that goal? You need a backup plan, an insurance policy, a state accredited degree (Or Diploma?) is that insurance.

Either way, a community college can do the same thing and not cost a fortune. I don't think most community colleges turn anyone down and you can take whatever classes you want as long as you have the prerequisites, which can sometimes be waived if you can prove your knowledge. [editline]27th March 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=find me;40062457] See I'm not looking for anymore trash troll posts from the home brewers. Yes maybe you are smarter than me in a certain field and probably taught yourself in it, made some accomplishments, saved some money not going to college. But that's not what I want to do anymore, I want a real foundation in one of my favorite hobbies. Knowing a bunch of random algorithms and stuff I find isn't going to be as useful as a put together class made to at least teach the basics in a certain area.[/quote] This is overly hostile, and no one recommended not going to college. They're saying you *not* go to devry.

Woah, calm yourself son. Take it from someone that is just wrapping up a degree in a similar field, this won't be some "trash troll post from the home brewers"; going to college, in this instance, [B]is[/B] a wise idea. Going to a college like Devry is [B]not[/B]. If you want to do something productive with the degree, even if your intent is to blaze your own trail, you'll want to get one from an accredited institution. The reasons are two-fold: [U]First[/U], the degree is one of the pillars you stand on in any professional dealings you do. If you're trying to recruit people or gain the capital you need to get a company running, other parties are going to need some sign that they can trust you; unless you happen to have a great deal of personal success to draw upon, that degree is going to be a key indicator as to your competency. A certification from a "degree mill" will do you no favors when dealing with others. [U]Second[/U] issue is that an unaccredited school is typically unaccredited for good reason; the caliber of the faculty or the quality of the material being offered doesn't meet industry expectations. It implies that their graduates are ill suited for the jobs they hope to pursue. Even if you ignore the first reason I provided (you'd be crazy to do so), getting a poor education runs counter to your goal of starting a business. From the general tone of your last post I get the impression that you aren't an autodidact; if that is the case, be warned that chances are you won't find the support you need at a college like Devry. Sometimes the most valuable advice is the sort you don't want to hear.

[QUOTE=find me;40062457]So then how are you going to give me advice on something you know nothing about? You haven't experienced it and from all I know your knowledge is home brewed. Not to mention I'm 19, not like 35 or some shit. As well I've never done well in high school so college would actually be an actual step up for me in learning new things. And because I did not do well in high school I don't have a bunch of Yale offerings and crap like that, so telling me to go to a real college is not going to work out in my situation. Another thing is I've worked with computers, and mostly games since I was about 12 so I feel like it is a hobby I could expand on more than any other thing I can do in life. Because I don't think being a big bmx star is in my reach, especially since I live in a place where I can only ride 3-6 months of the summer since it snows. Also, I know how to learn things on my own on the computer. But I'm not trying to learn a whole damn college degree online from Google. I do want to expand on me actually doing research online, but how am I going to do that on things I want to learn and know nothing about. Filtering out the crap and fake garbage is annoying and not something I want to waste my time doing when I have a job. Yes I could learn everything online, or I could cut the time down learning this shit by just going to college. By the time 2.8 years is up I'll probably be just learning new things if I taught myself. After 2.8 years in college I'll still only be 21 and have a great foundation to work off of when trying to teach myself even more new things. See I'm not looking for anymore trash troll posts from the home brewers. Yes maybe you are smarter than me in a certain field and probably taught yourself in it, made some accomplishments, saved some money not going to college. But that's not what I want to do anymore, I want a real foundation in one of my favorite hobbies. Knowing a bunch of random algorithms and stuff I find isn't going to be as useful as a put together class made to at least teach the basics in a certain area. Networking is one thing I know next to nothing about, I can barely open up a port. So yea any college could teach me a lot of stuff from where I am at right now. And that is one of the core classes at Devry in the flex program I want to go into, network management, network security, ect. Sounds good to me, and that's only two of the hundred classes related to the study I want to get in to. And even if I don't get taught the most up to date stuff, I will still have something to branch off of after I get out of college. Also thank you robmaister12 for actually giving me some real input. Even though Devry might not be an amazing school, it is still a school which could probably teach me a lot that I don't know. Basic web design, networking, game development, ect. My experience in game development would be my knowledge of Garry's Mod, my experience in the rest of those three topics is next to nothing. I'm going to do a little research on Devry and maybe some other colleges but for the education in the amount of time, and cost they provide is more than enough for me right now to get in to. ChristopherB, yea I will question his credentials because I wouldn't want to get advice from some sit at home do nothing which online forums, [I]believe it or not[/I], can produce a lot of. Maybe you should tell me a little about your credentials? Yea you got a good post in, way to go funny man, but that doesn't help me with something I'm sincerely and genuinely looking for answers and information on.[/QUOTE] First off all, I wasn't being malicious with my original post telling you not to go to DeVry. I am SERIOUSLY trying to encourage you to not go for your own good. It is a gimmick school, it is for-profit, you will be wasting a lot of money for an education that isn't worth it. If you truly want to learn how to program or develop whatever, you can do it all at home and be way better off in the longrun. If you are so vehemently against going to college and just forming your own business, then I don't understand [i]why you're going to DeVry[/i]. Teach yourself. And here's another thing, don't LASH out at other people when they give you legitimate advice just because you don't like it. You clearly are a newbie and you clearly have questions, so don't get pissed when someone with more experience or insight than you (aka the people you're asking, aka people like me who have a decade of this "homebrew" knowledge you speak of AND a degree) tells you your plans are wrong. If you're going to ask questions, don't pretend you know the answer already. Last point, if you ever go around attempting to discredit homebrew developers at any sort of programming or game developing community again you'll generally be laughed off the website.

Er, I doubt at this point that he can go anywhere else. Aren't applications closed for this next year for most US colleges? I applied a few years ago, but I seem to recall it ending about now. Can always transfer out. DeVry is not a very highly accredited university, particularly because it's for-profit. At least you're not going for underwater-basket-weaving. I don't, however, think you fully realize just how hard and time-consuming programming can be. If you've been modding in, say, GMod, it's a very different world if you try to start programming full programs on your own. Also, this, [QUOTE=DarkCybo7;40065882]Last point, if you ever go around attempting to discredit homebrew developers at any sort of programming or game developing community again you'll generally be laughed off the website.[/QUOTE] Is very good advice.

I appreciate the elaborating on why I shouldn't go to Devry, it makes me mad when I ask for help and I get a simple "don't go" answer though. Every highschool I've been to all I've ever gotten about college answers was "you need to finish this test before we talk about that" or "are you sure you can handle the work", ect. I guess I tend to lash out when I hear the things I've already been told by a million people, but those million people never go into any more explanation as to why. I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't need any baby talk, sugar coated sweetness, I can handle my own. I just need the right guidance to get to where I want to be, although I have no idea how to do that. I've been basically asking to be baby fed about this college stuff in some peoples eyes, but the way I see it is most of the people on these forums I respect and learn from. And when I see people that I respect ignoring the point of a question and just trying to get a laugh in it frustrates me. So let me try to start a little fresh, and maybe I can get a little more help before I start doing some more research. The reason I haven't really looked much up about college on my own is because I was just taking my GED test these last 3 days. The first day I did all five pre tests in four hours and thirty minutes and I basically got told "No problem buddy, you'll pass, don't worry about a thing.". So we scheduled three tests the next day and two the third day. Went back in the second day and they actually came up to me asking if I would like to be their first "candidate" it confused the shit out of me but they were just starting to switch from paper testing to Pearson VUE(online testing) and wanted me to be the first person to try it because they already knew I wasn't going to need help on the test I just needed to do it. Story cut short though, their entire staff knew nothing about Pearson VUE or how to run the stuff on the computer. I spent two hours and thirty minutes helping them troubleshoot their new program and get it running(I felt like a student taking role of a the teacher). They were praising me the entire time, even though I felt like the help I was giving them was very basic. After that I finished my two tests, scored a 650 in math and a 610 in reading. Which for how tired I was being up till 4am then taking the tests at 11:30, [I]after[/I] helping them trouble shoot all their computer problems I would say is pretty respectable. Not to mention I had about 30 minutes of time remaining on each test when I was done. Third day I went in there, finished the science test in 32 minutes scored a 550, finished social studies in 50 minutes with a 510(our old school never tested for social studies until I moved to this state), and then finished the writing portion with an essay in about an hour and 30 minutes which I'm waiting for the results to be mailed to me still. Overall I passed the accumulated score needed to get my GED and with the scores in my previous subjects, 410 being the lowest I can get, I have no doubt this writing test is going to come back over that score. After everything was done and over, I made the entire staff of the GED help center my friends and even had them ask if I ever need a reference for anything to call them. So yes making friends in the right places, and having the education; I think I can handle that if I actually get introduced to the right people. Not only that but I found out the school tech teacher was my dads best friend so I'm going to talk to him as well about what I should start doing. And when it comes down to supporting myself, I'm not doing this for money I'm doing it to learn and get an education in something I love doing. I make $12 an hour right now working at a restaurant, I get paid more than enough to support myself and I consider this a low paying job because it is currently winter. When the snow stops I'm going to be working full time at a construction job that usually pay $16 an hour average for just about any in town. What else do I need? I have a secured job to support me, and I have the education and drive to compete and go far in a study I enjoy. Not only that but I like helping people with things, that makes me happy. Whether I make someone laugh, help them install an audio system in their car, or just get paid to do odd jobs like tilling a field, lifting stuff for people, or babysitting my little cousins. Not to mention I'm starting to learn programing mechanics that derive from stuff like C++ and other working things considering how many times I will use a certain type of code and all that. I get lua is not a big stepping stone for programming, and it is one of the easiest things to learn. But my success in lua isn't where this sudden urge to start programming comes from. Also Flood Mod, maybe you've heard of it, a gamemode for Garry's Mod. I made that gamemode, I made the concept of that gamemode, no one else had any idea similar to that at the time it was created. I even had that shitty "water world" copy gamemode made up right after to compete with mine but it bombed as far as I know. Although my stuff bombed as well when the gamemode got leaked, this was my first "business failure". I made $5,000 from that gamemode in a matter of 2 weeks from donations that I could hardly believe. All my time went into making that game when this was happening but when I did fail and it did get leaked I gave up and stopped even coming on these forums for two years. I understand now that I gave up on that two years of knowledge I could have been learning instead of being a baby and just quitting because I experienced my first real failure. Currently I'm making a public gamemode, still in development, very basic, but it is developing based off of what other people want. I want to do this to continue learning how to develop games and not only that but if it turns into anything worth wild in the future I can use it as a stepping stone to get into a better education. What I'm trying to get at is I'm not just some lost cause looking for a quick come up, I'm looking to come up fast for everything that I missed out on and gave up with. I feel like the work I could be capable of producing will not only make me happy but will can lead to better things for others. That's how I want my career to go when I'm older, not a burger flipper or floor scrubber. I've worked about 6 different jobs and I understand what working for someone else is like. I'm still 19 remember, from all the 19 year olds I've met I'm way ahead of the curve in a general list of things. I could write you another million page bible but I'd be surprised if anyone could even get through this so I'm going to stop now. As a real question though, does anyone know of any "worth going to" online colleges? So I can keep my job, support myself, and get my education on the side while I continue to do my lua and online "autodidact" work. Pretty cool because I didn't know that word existed.

No one's trying to baby you, everyone's actually trying to help you out by preventing you from making a regrettable and expensive decision. As for college, if this isn't for trying to get a degree, then you shouldn't bother. I'll give you the dirty truth of the matter, I self-taught myself C++ at 13, and by the time I went to university, I already learned enough without school that there wasn't that much new applicable knowledge that I gained during my 4 years at the university. Computer science is a very unique field, college-wise, because it's one of few fields where you can get exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable at WITHOUT actually ever going to school for it. If anything, I think most decent developers and coders knew what they were doing before going to college and simply went to school just to get the degree. That's my perspective atleast. If you just want to learn, you're WAY better off teaching yourself or just researching and reading the already available material for coding instead of paying to go to class for it. I'm very cynical about universities/colleges in regards to teaching CS, as I have my own horror stories and I've read other horror stories from other people at other schools. Most CS courses will usually involve self-teaching most of the material regardless while the instructor is only there for guidance and explanation. Here's the bottom line, I think your best bet is to teach yourself unless you do want to get a degree for it. If you still want to go to school for it, then I can't really help out besides to tell you to look up your closest community college or whatever.

As a CS major and freshman at Drexel I fully recommend going to a not for profit college. Even community college is better than devry. I think that Dark is right to be cynical about learning CS at a university but I still recommend it for the networking (with people) opportunities and the fact that youll need a degree unless you have an impressive home portfolio (you havent mentioned it so im assuming you don't yet). If you do college the right way, you'll graduate and have a solid portfolio of work from it. [editline]3rd April 2013[/editline] I also have to recommend Drexel if you can make that happen. The reason I went here is because they are co op focused. Im doing the 5 year program and 1.5 years of that is divided over 3 co ops. Co ops are like internships but they are found by the school for you, and you get paid and then you interview for a lot of co ops in your major, and then you do 6 months of work in the industry. The co ops are spread over the middle if the 5 year program. I did 2 terms of classes, on my third term now. In the fall Im already going to go work in my major, at a real job, doing real work, not getting coffee. I recommend researching it at least, cause this path gives you work experience, a portfolio and a degree.

I have a bachelor's degree at DeVry. Let's ignore cost for a second because most people will spout bullshit about "for profit cost more and is less effective!" Its true that it costs more, but it stops there. If you have the pleasure of going anywhere in the world for college, then definitely don't go to DeVry. If you're stuck where you are, you might consider it. The nice thing about DeVry is it is accelerated, but that's only a good thing [b]if you apply yourself[/b]. Fail or drop one class and you've wasted your investment and are stacking up so much debt it's stupid. Ultimately, what you get out of college is what [b]you[/b] put into college. I don't know much about DeVry's other degrees, but unless you're in Irving, Texas, their Game/Simulation Programming degree is a joke. Simply from the stories I've heard, and my own personal experiences with [b]other[/b] DeVrys than the one I went to, I [b]would not[/b] recommend the school. Not a lot of classes transfer out, it is incredibly expensive and [b]generally[/b] has low quality professors. Bottom line is, DeVry can be good but you have to get lucky to get good professors. The accelerated program is actually really nice (8 week courses instead of 16, only take 2-3 courses at once, only go to class 1-2 times a week per class and usually classes overlap on the same day). As I said, mess up in one class and that accelerated program becomes the exact opposite real quick.

[QUOTE=Dr Magnusson;40055485]If you look at anyone who's made it big in the programming industry, the one thing they have in common, is that they all worked long and hard for industry giants. I'm not saying you can't go straight out the gates and make it big, just that industry experience is invaluable when becoming independent. Gabe Newell worked for Microsoft, Notch worked for King.com, John Carmack worked (and still works) for id Software. Then there's our own Garry of course, but if you look at the big picture, he's the exception, not the rule. To think that you can roll straight out of university and into a pile of indie-made millions is really naïve.[/QUOTE] Garry isn't really an exception, although he didn't work in the game industry he actually worked as a php programmer for someone else before he won the lottery with his mod.