A few questions...

[mxer394]

I have some questions. I'm 15 right now, and I'm very seriously considering a career in computers. You may notice how broad that seems. That's mainly because I have no idea what kind of career in the industry I want to pursue. So I have some questions. First, what job is on the rise? As in, in 7 or 8 years when I get out of college, which career will still be high demand? Also, what is typically a very good paying career? What kind of college would I have to attend for this career, and how many years of that college?

Honestly, I was thinking of designing hardware for computers, but I also enjoy the software aspect of computing too.

What do you think?

[yawningdog]

Good questions. Unfortunately, they're almost impossible to answer. Who knows what is going to happen to any particular field of computer science in the next 8-10 years? Certainly not I.

The good news is that you're young enough that you've no pressure to choose just yet. Get started now and in a few years you will know what your specialty is to be. But I would discourage thinking of it in terms of pay. If software programming is what you like to do, then that's what you ought to do even if security specialists are making more money. Do what you like, and the money will follow.

But remember to be flexible. I used to work with a guy who was an expert Fortran programmer for the Air Force. Last time I saw him, he was working at burger chain. (Not that there's any disgrace in that, lord knows I love a good burger. But if he had taken the time to migrate his skillset to C/C++ in the 80s, I'm sure he would be driving a nicer car these days.)

As far as college goes, I can't really help you there. I'm about to graduate from Strayer University with my degree in networking, but I'll be seeking my master's elsewhere, probably Old Dominion University. It alll depends on the quality of the curriculum and the price.