Decent Online Schools Offering a Bachelors in Software Programming

[chaosnipples]

Hey guys. Being as some of the best programmers I've ever known are right here in this community, I figured I'd pick your brains about what schools any of you would recommend for getting a degree in Software Engineering or the like. See I have to leave my current career as a Merchant Marine because my girlfriend, who is my boss on the same ship, got pregnant so it's no longer feasible for me to sail as one of us has to stay home for the kid and she makes twice as much as I do sailing. So these are my drawbacks:

-Got really average grades in high school so Harvard isn't an option
-Gotta live off her wage so no expensive schools
-Gotta be online because I'm literally going to be a stay-at-home dad and I trust nobody else with my kid

Dudes, you all will be helping a dumb kid man up and do the right thing. Arizona State University Online is looking like a really good option but I want your guys' opinion before deciding.

Thanks and gourd bless.

[trashmaster]

You don't really need a school to learn programming, all the material is online. You can start by learning any language(I would suggest a scripting one such as Python)
If you want to learn fast and not get bored while making console applications, I suggest you find some game/program you can script for, be it a scripts for an mmo bot or modding your favourite game. This way you won't get bored and can actually see your work, very rewarding and fun way to learn.
To learn any programming language, just type "language name beginners guide" or something along those lines.

Have fun!

[chaosnipples]

Well since 2007 I was eager to learn LUA for the sake of Gmod, but being a dumb teenager got in the way. I'm just trying to make a career out of this and I know businesses like hiring people with degrees, but I appreciate your input! I'll try to expand upon it and just focus on independent study until I can find a school. Thanks again man!

[yoman258]

[QUOTE=chaosnipples;46658653]Well since 2007 I was eager to learn LUA for the sake of Gmod, but being a dumb teenager got in the way. I'm just trying to make a career out of this and I know businesses like hiring people with degrees, but I appreciate your input! I'll try to expand upon it and just focus on independent study until I can find a school. Thanks again man![/QUOTE]

Businesses do like hiring degrees... however, programmers can actually get hired with a strong portfolio too. If you have work to show for your skills, some companies don't care about your pedigree. I've got friends on both sides of the fence.

One friend has a degree in CS and is currently working as a programmer.
Another friend began programming because he needed to get a skill to make a living, so that's what he did.

The friend who has a degree works in a place that required you to have a degree. That was one of the requirements for the job, "Minimum Bachelor's degree in CS or related field."

Other friend showed what he could do, what he had worked on, how organized he was, how he plans his stuff out and had an interview where he discussed programming with a current programmer on the team and was hired.

So I don't want to get your hopes up and say you can easily get a job without a degree, because some jobs just flat out require it. Which can be frustrating.

Just keep in mind what kind of jobs you might be eligible for. You probably won't be getting a government programming job, and maybe not at a non technology company that needs a programmer.

However, you could easily be accepted at places that predominately hire programmers. They already understand that you don't need a degree, they are looking for people are who qualified with the language that they need you to use and as long as you prove to them that you are competent in that language they will hire you. Google, video game companies, start ups, etc.

Just make sure that when you are programming, keep good documentation of your stuff. Start yourself a portfolio. Hell, want a great idea? Learn to make a website and turn that website into your portfolio. Get screenshots of programs you make, put them on your website, give descriptions, give source code (if you want) show some details, explain what you did that you were proud of doing. Explain neat things that you did or explain why you did them.

Now when you want to find a job, you can say, "Hey look I made this website and it gives examples of my projects."

This is advantageous, because it not only shows that you have projects that you've done and have proof of your work, but you are showing that you are already willing to learn multiple languages and you appear to be proficient in multiple languages.

Put all of your stuff on the website. If you get back into Lua and you create something in Lua for GMOD, don't sell yourself short, include it. Someone might see it and go, "Oh, this looks different than this spreadsheet generator that you made... what is going on here?" And if you can show some passion about it, even though it may seem ridiculous to show someone your GMOD addon, that passion says a lot about your character and could definitely score you a position.